ADVANINGDA4731-PWS1N PN Series, Crystal Polycarbonate Door/Window Awning Ideal for Rain, Snow and UV Protection, 47"W x 31"D, Clear/White Brackets

This is a well-designed and solidly constructed product. What drew us to this one is the way that the awning is connected to its supporting brackets. On many others (typically less expensive ones), the brackets are on the edges of the awning, which is held in place by the inward compression exerted by the brackets. On this one, however, the brackets sit under the awning and are attached to it by 6 bolts. There is thus no danger of the awning falling, slipping, being blown out of the brackets.The assembly was simple and straightforward (with one exception, to be mentioned below), if time-consuming. The installation of the assembled awning-and-bracket combination was another matter. Part of our difficulty, I admit, was due to us: I am 82, my wife is 71, so we are not the ideal pair to be doing this sort of work. Another part was due to some peculiar features of our project: there is a greenhouse on one side of the door, and a large Wisteria bush on the other, so there was no way to offset the ladders to the outside of the doorway. And, yes, two ladders (and two installers) are required for this project, as the instructions make perfectly clear.Since we were mounting the awning into the siding directly above our door, and were not confident that there were structural members behind the siding where the brackets would be screwed in, we decided to mount a pair of 2x4s above the lintel. We screwed the 2x4s into the studs, and then attached the brackets to the 2x4s. (Naturally, the mounting holes for the brackets did not themselves align with the studs.) To keep the mounting brackets perpendicular to the ground, we attached reversed pieces of siding first, before screwing in the 2x4s. You can see all of this very clearly in one of the attached photos.There are some odd lapses in the Owner's Manual. Although for the most part the assembly instructions are very clear, they do not stress that one must be very careful about the orientation of the awning bar relative to the awning sheet. There are two ways it can be done, and only one of the is correct. If you do it wrong, it is exceedingly difficult to separate the bar (with its rubber strip) from the sheet. (They are obviously not meant to be pried apart once connected).When it comes to the installation, you are told to "make sure to use the appropriate sized drill bit for the mounting screws," but you are not told what that size is. Fortunately, a call to Advaning yielded the answer: 15/64". (Thanks to Jesse, at Advaning, who was very helpful.)Another peculiarity is the odd mix of metric and SAE hardware provided. The lag screws that attach the brackets to the wall are metric (13mm), but the bolts that secure the awning to the brackets are SAE (1/2"). Not a serious problem, since the well-equipped DIYer will surely have both kinds of tools. Or, you might even do the whole job with an adjustable wrench. (Interesting sidelight: the installation video, when displaying the tools you'll need, shows a Crescent wrench, but then the installers in the video are shown using a socket wrench (with an extension). I definitely recommend the socket wrench -- it takes many, many, turns of the wrench to drive the lag screws all the way in -- and you'll need the extension for the upper lag screws in order to clear the acorn nut that secures the awning to the bracket.So, putting this in was quite a workout, but we think the results were worth it. This is an unobtrusive but attractive awning, and it appears that it will last a good long time.

We installed this awning on our brick house. The hardware that is included in the package is NOT for masonry. The company sells the masonry hardware (expansion bolts) separately. Do not try to get them anywhere else. Although it is possible to purchase expansion bolts from the hardware store, the ones that came from Advaning are different: Stainless Steel; Hex head, and most importantly, the screw is NOT attached to the sleeve. This means you can set the sleeve then remove the bolt for installation and the hex head allows you to back out the bolt if it is too far into the wall.Note that the directions for masonry installation are not sufficiently detailed. I raised this issue with customer service in January 2019, so hopefully they will have improved this now. The expansion bolt is supposed to be 3-1/4 inch long, but they tell you to drill a 3-1/2 inch pilot hole. If you set the bolt in that far, it is too short for the top holes on the bracket (for some reason to top of these are about 1/2' out from the wall, so they require the bolt to stick out from the wall further than the bottom holes). Also, the back edge rubber gasket does not fit tightly to the awning, so it will fall off if you are not paying attention. But, it is exactly the correct length so don't cut it if it has slid down.It is impossible to install this with one person. Two is the minimum, because you assemble the awning before mounting it to the wall. The dimensions make it impossible to hold both sides and see over the awning to make sure it is level for drilling the pilot holes for mounting screws.Unlike many reviewers here, I did not have difficulty assembling the brackets to the Polycarbonate--all by myself (while the handyman made three trips to the hardware store ISO the right expansion bolts--no success). The seals are tight but it fit. Per the instructions, I used a wood block (part of a 2 x 4 about 8 inches long) and a rubber mallet. Tapped it in a little at a time all along the length so I went over every few inches several times. If you try to rush this, you will not succeed at all. It took about 45 minutes. Wear gloves so you don't get the giant splinter I did from trying to hold the block of wood with bare hands (This task is barely within my skill set).The handyman spent hours trying to mount this to the wall with the non-company expansion bolts found at the local hardware store, and without a helper. No success. Total waste of time.Read the directions for the type of install before you start the job. Make sure you have the correct hardware from the company (the expansion bolts can be ordered on teh Advaning website, but they take several days to arrive so plan accordingly). Don't even try to install the awning against a wall with fewer than 2 persons on the job. Measure carefully. There is no play in the instructions or the measurements. Attention to detail, patience, and planning will save time on the total install. I doubt you will succeed if you think you don't need to read the instructions before you start.Once installed, it is beautiful and functional. I do wish that the PN series had metal brackets (these are plastic).Customer service was excellent. Very responsive and helpful. Overall, I recommend this product from this manufacturer.

Used two of the ADVANING PA Series awning kits to cover the full width of French doors for protection from SW weather and sun exposure (in NM high desert). The product installation instructions warned me about need for TWO people (& 2 ladders), and I should have taken that warning more literately to mean that this is NOT a simple DIY project for just one person, especially if the outside wall is a stucco type wall, and you have to be concerned about gusty (heavy at times) wind and some winter snow loads on this awning. A stucco wall will not provide a sufficiently hard surface and strength to fasten the two (or four) aluminum brackets, when using only the hardware provided in the kit. The instructions suggest to assemble the whole awning unit on the ground and then lift it up to the wall...presumably with the help of two people and two ladders,... (and maybe a third person to mark the wall for placement holes/anchors to be per-installed?)My installation plan had to be extensively adapted to make it possible to install with only one person (myself), and that evolved into also requiring that only one bracket at a time would be installed, and after being installed I wanted to be able to lift only the plastic cover up the ladder and just drop it onto the pre-installed brackets. The two bolts at the back of the plastic awning cover were changed to be longer and pre-fastened so that it could function as a way to drop-n-lock into the bracket, without having to hold the 40"x30" plastic at the same time as trying to fasten it in place.See the two photos of my added brackets that I fabricated to pre-install on the wall and provide bolts pointing outwards to the frame of the awnings. A lot of extra work involved in all this, but it was satisfying and worth it.

We love it because it protects from the rain while I wait outside for the cab would have been better brown to protect from the bright sun

Good product

Excellent awning which looks great. The kit was safely delivered before time.

Exactly what we needed and arrived in perfect condition. Great list of tools/etc that are required for installation, but could mention that a support board is needed to mount on house if it is siding as siding is not enough to hold it . We placed a board attached to the studs and then hung the awning on the board. Worked great in a rainfall which was the whole purchase. Very clear so does not block any light coming through the door. Love it. Now we just hope it holds up to the snow load as mentioned in specifications.

Need two people to assemble and install. Looks great and functions well.