Outdoor SunSpaces News

If you are the proud owner of a SunSpaces veranda, chances are you’ll want to keep it looking clean and tidy.

After all, who wants to invest in a beautiful state-of-the-art veranda, only to see it become an eyesore due to lack of care and maintenance?

Well, fear not, verandarers of the UK – help is at hand and it comes in the form of elbow grease and a soapy sponge.

Cleaning Your Veranda: Things to Avoid

As a general rule of thumb, in order to avoid damaging your stunning SunSpace in pursuit of pristine sheen, the “softly, softly” approach is the best course of action. Remember, while all SunSpaces verandas are made of the highest quality materials, they aren’t indestructible.

Corrosive chemicals and heavy-duty cleaning agents could prove damaging to your pride and joy, so avoid using acidic cleaning products.

Meanwhile, refrain from using harsh cleaning tools like scouring pads, abrasive implements and sharp objects, as these could leave notable scratches.

Similarly, it’s also worth avoiding using a pressure washer as well, as the powerful jets could also cause damage, particularly to seals and moving parts.

Top Tips for a Clean Veranda

So, by now you should be well-equipped with the knowledge and know-how of what NOT to do. It’s only fitting we let you in on the other half of the equation and tell you exactly what you SHOULD do.

Here are a few handy hints and tips to keep your veranda looking great!

Cleaning Glass Panels

Whether you have opted for a glass or polycarbonate roof for your veranda, keeping it clean can make a monumental difference to the appearance of your outdoor living space, not to mention your enjoyment of it.

To keep your panels clean as a proverbial whistle, mix a small amount of pH-neutral cleaning product with plenty of water and apply with a soft cloth. This will help prevent any gritty dirt from scratching the glass while you clean.

If you have opted for the optional glass side panels, repeat the same process as above, taking care not to scratch the surface.

Cleaning Aluminium Parts

Keeping the aluminium frames clean can also make a big difference with regards to the overall appearance of the veranda, particularly if you have opted for a white frame.

Again, taking the gentle route to cleanliness, mix a small amount of pH-neutral detergent with plenty of clean water and apply using a soft sponge.

If possible, aim to give your aluminium frame a once over at least once a year to keep it looking as good as new.

Cleaning the Fabric

If you have accessorised your veranda to include a sunshade, you may want to give these areas a bit of occasional TLC to remove excess dirt and dust.

Gently remove the loose dirt and dust build-up by simply going over the problem areas with a soft brush or using a vacuum cleaner on a low setting.

This technique is also a good way to get rid of any unsightly cobwebs that may have built up in hard-to-reach areas, so try to tackle this issue at the same time.

For a more thorough clean of stubborn dirt and stains, mix a mild detergent with lukewarm water and gently apply with a sponge before lightly rinsing clean.

So, there you have it: one fool-proof guide to restoring your veranda to its former glory. For more top tips for a clean veranda, why not drop us a line today? Call now on 01727 845 788 or get in touch online by clicking the button below.

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With a sleek design and practical functionality, the Aspire veranda has the ability to completely transform the way you spend your downtime at home.

Whether you’re looking to use your Aspire to quietly retire or let down your hair in the open air, this versatile veranda from SunSpaces is the perfect place to enjoy your outdoor space.

How so? We’re glad you asked…

Why Choose the Aspire Veranda?

One of the biggest selling points of the Aspire veranda is its ability to be fully customised to your preferences. After all, why settle for someone else’s specifications in your own home?

With the Aspire, you have the opportunity to make your veranda your own and truly personalise your outdoor space. From the choice of roof material to optional sidewalls, the choice is completely yours.

Available in four fantastic colours, the Aspire customisable veranda can be configured in a number of ways to fit your wants and needs, turning your outdoor space into your own personal piazza.

Accessorise and Shine

Another great feature of the Aspire veranda is the variety of optional extras available, ranging from LED lighting to Bluetooth speakers.

If the customisable framework wasn’t personalised enough, adding any one of these veranda accessories to the mix will surely make your veranda unique to you.

Shades

Worried about harmful UV rays affecting your enjoyment of the summer sun? Put those worries on ice and stay protected our variety of shading options, specifically tailored to suit to you.

Lighting

Don’t let the sun go down on your enjoyment. Set your own curfew with remote-controlled LED lighting, guaranteed to keep your veranda shining long after sunset.

Heating

Why limit your outdoor fun to summertime sun? Enjoy your veranda all year-round with our range of outdoor heating options and give your SunSpace a warming glow, whatever the weather.

Sounds

Make your outdoor space a destination with a laid-back soundtrack. Our remote-controlled Bluetooth heater/speaker combo can provide hot tracks with outdoor warmth to match the vibe.

Stand Out from the Crowd

For those really looking to create a statement feature in their garden, the Aspire can even be configured as a free-standing structure in the middle of your outdoor space.

Whether you’re looking to weatherproof a hot tub with a protective shelter or create a secluded area to escape the world, a detached Aspire is all you’ll require for secluded peace and privacy.

What are you waiting for? Let inspiration meet aspiration with Aspire veranda from SunSpaces.

For more information on the Aspire veranda or to explore the other outdoor living options available, why not drop us a line today? Call now on 01727 845 788 or get in touch online by clicking the button below.

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If you’ve ever dreamed of having your own bar, the tail-end of that dream has probably been met with internal acceptance that it’s a hopeless fantasy, an unreachable goal and an impossible vision destined never to be realised.

Not so fast, my friend. Here at SunSpaces, we believe in making dreams a reality – specifically those involving home renovation and upscaling.

Jimmy McElroy said it best in Blades of Glory – if you can dream it, you can do it – so don’t put your dreams on ice. With the help of SunSpaces, an outdoor garden bar no longer needs to be a pipe dream.

DIY Garden Bar

While it is possible to go the whole hog and create your own DIY garden bar from scratch, it naturally comes with a lot of work attached. Sadly, this often requires a lot of time and a lot of skill to boot which, in today’s fast-paced world, rarely come in pairs.

From measuring up and sourcing materials to laying the foundation and the overall construction itself, creating an outdoor garden bar is no small feat. In fact, the project can quickly turn into a bit of a mammoth task – particularly if you want to get it done properly.

If you want to create the ultimate backyard bar, a glorified shed probably won’t impress your mates and a second-rate job just isn’t going to cut the mustard. Luckily, at SunSpaces, our mustard cutting skills are world class!

Cut out the middle man and give your outdoor bar the perfect finish without lifting a finger, courtesy of the installation aces at SunSpaces.

SunSpaces Outdoor Bar

Our collection covers a wide range of outdoor living products, including everything from canopies to extensions and everything in between.

As such, we’ve seen it all when it comes to outdoor designs and there’s no hard and fast rule of how you have to use your SunSpace. In fact, it’s your space – how you utilise it is up to you!

Over the years, we’ve helped hundreds of customers achieve their dream outdoor living space. Many of these were purpose-built for a key purpose or function, be it a garden art studio or even a meditation garden room.

Bottom line: if you want to turn your SunSpace into a watering hole, we can make it so. To help get your cogs turning, here are two fantastic ways to create an outdoor garden bar within the comfort of your outdoor space.

Verandas for Cervezas in the Sun

Ideal for summertime socials, adding a veranda to your outdoor space can make for the perfect setting for an outdoor garden bar.

Any one of our stunning verandas can be easily transformed into a DIY garden bar, simply by the addition of an L-shaped stand and a few all-weather bar stools. Throw in a few ice buckets and you have yourself the perfect patio pop-up bar.

If a permanent bar isn’t quite going to pass your partner’s approval test, you could reach a steady compromise by opting for a fold-away Murphy Bar. That way, you economise on space and cost, while still providing you with a perfectly usable drop-down bar when needed.

What’s more, the open plan nature of the veranda also allows for ample airflow, should you want to really make the most of those summer days and spark up the barbeque. After all, any self-respecting garden bar should offer pub food, right?

Our veranda options also allow you to truly embrace the summertime weather by accessorising. Whether you wanted to incorporate a garden pool set in the surrounding area or add sun-loungers to soak up the sun.

Throw in a sound system and the resulting atmosphere can leave you feeling like you’re propping up a poolside bar in a foreign country, particularly when you get the weather to match.

Garden Rooms for Grey Sky Sanctuary

If you’re looking for a more permanent outdoor establishment for year-round enjoyment, there’s really no substitute for the weather-proof enclosed SunSpaces garden room.

Built essentially as an extension on to the house itself, the garden room option provides a number of additional bar-friendly benefits, most notably insulated comfort. That being said, perhaps the most complete solution to the outdoor bar conundrum is to opt for the always awesome free-standing variation.

A unique alternative to a traditional garden room, the independent option provides you with everything you could want from an outdoor garden bar. Offering the privacy of a detached structure with all the functionality of a fully-enclosed room, a free-standing garden room offers all-season use in a purpose-built standalone structure.

Separated from the house for additional peace for all parties, creating distance also helps enhance the pub-like ambience of your outdoor bar. By establishing separation between the home and the outdoor garden bar, you are effectively creating the illusion of going out, despite not leaving your premises.

SunSpaces also has a variety of heating options available to keep your personal outdoor bar warm and welcoming, whatever the weather. This even includes a Bluetooth speaker/heater combo, allowing you to truly bring the bar ambience to life in heated comfort.

For more information on our variety of verandas and garden rooms available – or for more ideas on how to transform your outdoor space – call now on 0800 085 8110. Alternatively, drop us an email using the button below.

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When the summer sun has its hat on and the UK landscape is cloaked in a golden shimmer from east to west, there’s no better place to be than out in the open air, catching rays and soaking up the sunshine.

That being said, conditions aren’t always this glorious and a spell of wind or rain can easily hamper what would otherwise be a golden opportunity to enjoy the picturesque beauty of the outdoors.

Meanwhile, at other times, the weather can get a little too hot and an area of designated shade can provide the perfect retreat to escape the heat.

For these occasions, an ornamental shelter can make all the difference, providing protection against the elements and airy outdoor enjoyment at the same time.

Here at SunSpaces, we specialise in just that, with a wide range of awnings and verandas – but which one is right for you?

Let’s find out as we put verandas and awnings under the microscope in the ultimate battle of canopied competition.

Veranda the Great

Visually stunning, undeniably stylish and perfectly practical, verandas can make for a fantastic addition to any outdoor space – commercial or residential.

Verandas are essentially solid roof coverings supported by pillars/posts, providing a fixed, permanent covering for all-weather outdoor enjoyment.

Due to their permanent residency outdoors, verandas make for a great base to create an outdoor seating area, providing ample protection for garden furniture.

While verandas are traditionally built on to a property, attached to the outside wall, here at SunSpaces, we can also provide detached verandas, free-standing in an area of your choice.

Best of all, we offer a wide variety of verandas, all customisable to fit your style and personality.

For an outdoor addition that provides year-round protection and complete freedom of design, look no further than a SunSpace veranda.

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“Oh, what a beautiful awning”

Uniquely versatile and impressively adaptable, this flexible fixture provides a protective covering for your outdoor space.

However, unlike the permanence of the veranda option, awnings are innately designed to provide freedom of retractability, allowing you to withdraw the canopy as you wish when not in use.

From an exterior design perspective, this provides the perfect solution for elemental protection without dramatically modifying the look of your property from the outside.

Our lightweight, canvas awnings are electrically-powered by remote control for simple yet fully-functional operation.

Unobtrusive and inconspicuous, these low-key outdoor additions offer the perfect solution for anyone looking to add a shelter with minimal alteration to the property’s overall external aesthetic.

Our Lite Awning range even comes with built-in LED lights, allowing you to enjoy your outdoor space even after the sun goes down, while our Elite Awning range is customisable in a variety of ways.

With a stunning SunSpace awning, every day will be easy like a Sunday morning!

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Which SunSpace is right for me?

So, having mulled over the two like a glass of mulled wine, it begs the question: just which SunSpace is the one for you?

For sheer flexibility and inconspicuousness, the understated allure of the awning is a great choice, providing all the effortless protection of a remote-controlled canopy with the added freedom of retractable design when not in use.

For those looking to retain their property’s external design with minimal impact to the structural aesthetic of the building, an awning will provide sheltered protection with the benefit of concealment.

That being said, the sturdy, year-round permanence of a veranda can provide customisable design and ample protection that’s perfect for upgrading an outdoor space. Meanwhile, it also makes for the perfect location to create an outdoor lounge or seating area.

The Verdict

Ultimately, the choice comes down to two things: personal preference and how much you plan on using your outdoor space.

For those looking to retain their property’s external design with minimal impact to the structural aesthetic of the building, an awning will provide sheltered protection with the benefit of concealment when not in use.

For those looking to spend as much time as possible outdoors, a permanent fixture like a veranda will likely be a more useful choice, with ever-present protection for instant accessibility, whenever you want to use it.

Whichever option you choose, you won’t be disappointed. SunSpaces products don’t just add to an outdoor space, they can revolutionise it, providing you with the perfect place to enjoy your garden space, whatever the weather!

Option 3: Garden Rooms

In addition to our selection of verandas and awnings, we also offer a third option for those looking for something a little more permanent and a little less open.

Our range of glass garden rooms offer all the summery appeal of a veranda/awning, radiating light and vibrance, yet with all the insulated protection of a traditional extension.

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For more information on verandas, awnings or garden rooms, why not drop us a line today? Call now on 0800 085 811 to speak with one of our experts or get in touch online using the button below.

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For many Brits, the garden represents the perfect place for relaxation, recharging and overall R&R.

When the weather is great and the sun has its working boots on, there’s nothing quite like kicking back and chilling out in the airy goodness of your own outdoor space.

However, for those that like to take things one step further, there are ways to make your garden a true temple of tranquillity.

Two words: outdoor spa.

If you love relaxing in your garden and don’t have space in your house for additional luxuries, what better way to let off some steam than with a spa in your garden?

Soak up the possibilities and warm up to the idea of your very own property paradise as we slide into the toasty waters of Garden Spa 101.

How do I create a garden spa?

If you’re looking to create a home spa in your garden, there are a few things to consider before you jump in at the deep end.

Site for sauna

The perfect location for relaxation is an area that acts as a suntrap but also offers privacy. While those two descriptions seemingly don’t go hand-in-hand, there are ways to achieve both with surprising ease.

Hedgerows, trellis and fencing can act as a decent border, allowing for ample sunlight while also shielding your outdoor oasis from prying eyes. However, for the ultimate in garden spa seclusion, nothing compares to a veranda or a garden room.

Both offer great solutions in terms of functionality and privacy: verandas offer an abundance of natural airflow ideal for hot summer days, while garden rooms provide protection in the event that the weather isn’t quite California hot.

Verandas are perhaps the better choice for summertime enjoyment, providing the complete outdoor experience without the drawbacks of being completely open-air; however, if you’re looking to make the most of your spa year-round a garden room may just tip the scales.

On the surface

Like any good house or relationship, the foundation of your garden spa can prove to be make or break, particularly if it’s not fit for purpose.

For a garden spa, that means water-proof decking, slip-resistant tiles and generally ensuring your surfaces are skid-safe. This is one area where it pays to invest and a top-quality tile or deluxe deck board can make all the difference in both style and substance.

Let there be light

Once you’ve picked the site, decided on the shelter that’s right for your and landed on your chosen surface, it’s time to tie up the loose ends in a beautiful bow of pampery goodness.

One of the main things worth considering once you’ve checked off the main boxes above is how you plan on lighting your space. After all, the sun has to go down at some point, so why limit your enjoyment hours to the daytime?

There is a cornucopia of options to choose from when it comes to outdoor lighting, from built-in LED lights within your outdoor space to eco-friendly solutions like strategically placed solar-powered planters.

Effective lighting can turn your garden spa into a place of enjoyment that’s equally as inviting after sundown as it is during the height of the day.

Complete your outdoor oasis

You may also want to add additional accessories to fully furnish your outdoor feature and make your home spa truly complete. Our SunSpaces verandas and garden rooms can be fitted with a variety of features to help ensure your outdoor spa is just that – yours.

From sliding frosted-glass doors and UV-protecting shades to remote-controlled blinds and retractable roofs, we offer a number of customisable options to make your outdoor spa as private, comfortable and bespoke as possible.

We even offer numerous heating options to ensure your SunSpaces spa area is just as comfortable outside the water as it is within it. These options even include heater/sound system combos with Bluetooth technology, allowing you to truly relax and unwind in a space that’s music to your ears.

Do I need planning permission for a garden spa?

Most hot tubs and spas do not require planning permission; however, you may need planning permission to build a large enclosure to house one. This is particularly prevalent when it comes large outbuildings that take up over half of the garden.

While it is unlikely you will need planning permission for a SunSpaces product, forging ahead without doing your homework could get you in hot water of a different kind, so it may be worth dropping your local authority a line, just in case.

To find out more about planning permission, check out our planning permission blog for further details.

For more information on outdoor spas and hot tubs in your garden, click here to see our various options and real-life examples of our work. To talk more about making your spa dreams a reality, drop us a line on 0800 085 8110 or hit the button below to get in touch now.

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