The aesthetic and practical value of sunhoods

As more modern, streamline buildings pop up, sunhoods and blades are increasingly more popular as they meet a few key criteria: they enhance the aesthetic appearance of a building, while providing a practical solution for protecting windows and doors from the elements, and in many cases, they also provide privacy. A sunhood and blade combination may shelter a window not only from rain and sun but also offer privacy from prying eyes depending on the way it is installed.

What are sunhoods?

Sunhoods are affordable, attractive, and upmarket alternatives to panel style hoods. They are a non-load bearing, decorative element that can be made from steel or aluminium and fixed around windows or doors to provide privacy and protection from the sun and rain.

Building codes

The National Construction Code which includes the Building Code of Australia (BCA) have specific laws about sun protection. It is important that the sunhoods and blades you chose for your development comply with BCA.

Benefits of sunhoods

The benefits of installing sunhoods on your building include

• Rain shield – sunhoods allow for windows to be open while it rains. This is specifically valuable in places like Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast that have extreme hot weather and year-round rainfall. The sunhood will however not prevent rain from coming in if there is a strong wind blowing during the rain fall
• Sun protection – sunhoods are a terrific way to reduce the impact of direct sun especially at noon when the sun is at its hottest, while still letting natural light in
• Privacy – a sunhood and blade combination are a clever solution to create privacy as a well-positioned blade can block prying eyes from the road or neighbouring residence, while still allowing you to enjoy the natural light coming into a room
• Value – a well-designed sunhood and blade can increase the value of a property by modernising it and adding the impression of an architecturally designed building. This is specifically valuable for older buildings in need of a facelift. Sunhoods are highly cost effective and offer a significant impact on the perceived value of a building
• Energy rating – by reducing the need to run aircons, sunhoods have the potential to reduce a home’s energy rating and save on electricity costs
• Window cleaning – less rainwater running down the windows means that windows need do not need to be cleaned as often.

Cost

Sunhoods are an economical way of providing shading, protection, and privacy. With sunhoods not being load-bearing or excessively big, they can be made of lightweight materials like aluminium that makes the installation process fairly straight forward and cost effective as well.

Installation

Sunhoods can easily be installed after a building has been engineered, as they are not load bearing. This makes sunhoods a quick and uncomplicated option to update an older building and make it look more modern. In fact, by installing sunhoods and adding cladding to a building can easily modernise an old building and shave off decades of age.

Also, the installation process includes brackets, sealants, and adhesives to ensure the sunhood is fixed in place for years to come, and to avoid rain seepage and ensure there are no leaks between the structure and the sunhood.

Which buildings are best suited to sunhoods?

Sunhoods are used across a variety of residential, commercial, and industrial buildings like

• Townhouse developments
• Office buildings
• Apartment blocks
• Storage facilities
• Warehouses
• Residential homes

Production solutions

With some off-the-shelf designs available, a customised design will always perform and look better as it is specifically engineered for a particular building, as well as have less limitations, which enables you to get a sunhood solution that perfectly suits your needs. In addition, a custom solution also allows for off-site fabrication and painting, which limits the amount of onsite installation time.

Finishes

You will be spoilt for choice when it comes to the range of colours, finishes, and textures to choose from when you decide to opt in for a custom design.