Project Spotlight

Retractable awning install on a Newmarket back deck

June 11, 20255 min readBy VOL Handyman Team

This Newmarket homeowner wanted shade over their west-facing patio door without losing the view from the second-floor window above it. A manual retractable awning was the right call — out when you want it, gone when you don't.

The site

Standard two-storey brick home backing onto a cedar deck. Sliding patio door on the main floor, bedroom window directly above, and roughly four feet of clean brick between the door trim and the soffit to work with. Plenty of room for the cassette and a healthy pitch.

Newmarket back deck before awning install, ladders set up against brick wall above sliding patio door — Before: ladders staged, layout marked, brackets centred above the door.

Laying it out

Awning brackets need to land in solid brick, not mortar joints. We chalked the centreline off the door, measured down from the soffit so the open awning would clear the door trim by a few inches, and marked each bracket so all the lag points hit brick face. Anything less and you get cracking around the anchors within a season.

Mount height set so the front bar clears the door head when retracted
Pitch dialled in around 14° so rain sheds off the front edge instead of pooling
Sleeve anchors into brick (not Tapcons into mortar) for long-term pull-out strength
Bracket spacing matched to the manufacturer's load chart for this width

Retractable awning components, cassette, arms and hardware laid out on a cedar deck before installation — Cassette, arms, mounting rail and hardware laid out and inventoried before going up the ladder.

Lifting and hanging

A full-size retractable awning is awkward more than it is heavy — long, springy, and easy to twist. Two ladders, two people, and a quick check for level before the final bolts go in. Once it was hung, we cycled it open and closed three times to confirm the arms tracked evenly and the front bar sat parallel to the door.

The result

Clean install, no cracked brick, and a shaded patio that doesn't fight the architecture of the house. The hand crank tucks neatly to the side of the door so it's out of the way when not in use.

Finished retractable awning installed above sliding patio door in Newmarket, extended over the deck — After: extended over the deck, hand crank stowed to the left of the door.

"If you're putting an awning into brick, the anchors and pitch matter way more than the brand on the box. Get those right and a basic manual awning will outlast the deck under it."

Thinking about one for your place?

We install retractable awnings, pergola covers, and exterior shades across Newmarket, Aurora, Richmond Hill, and the rest of the GTA. Send us photos of the wall and the door — we'll tell you what'll fit and what to avoid.