Take a Vacation in Your Backyard

The housing market may be keeping you in your current home for awhile and fuel prices are rising, so why not enjoy your outdoor spaces and save money by taking a vacation right in your own backyard?

"Investing in small upgrades to your property can add a tremendous amount of value to your home," says Larry Bedosky, director of marketing for Durasol Awnings and an expert on outdoor design. "It can also give you new ways to enjoy your spaces and make it feel like you're on vacation in your backyard."

Bedosky recommends adding a retractable awning to allow homeowners to expand living space to the outdoors while providing cool, comfortable shelter from the sun. "A Durasol retractable awning is custom made to enhance the beauty and decor of any home. There are no unsightly support poles and anyone can control the amount of shade provided."

Retractable awnings are self-supporting, on-demand solar shading systems that rely on spring loaded arms to apply outward tension to keep the fabric cover extended over your deck or patio. Durasol retractable awnings are made and assembled in the USA and the company has an over 99 percent customer satisfaction rating, so homeowners can be sure they are working with a great and reputable company.

Adding a retractable awning can extend living areas to the outdoors with flexibility, but can also add comfort to indoor spaces. Sometimes it's ideal to have the bright, warming rays of the sun entering the windows of a house. But other times, when the sun's warmth becomes too much, a retractable awning can shade the windows and even save energy indoors.

But a retractable awning really comes into its own when homeowners consider its utility outdoors. Bedosky offers the following options for backyard vacations to take under a Durasol awning:

* Add a freestanding hot tub. Retract your awning for a moonlight dip with your sweetheart or roll out the awning for a shaded afternoon spa with friends and family.

* Put out the awning over a patio to stay out of the hot sun while dining.

* Surround your patio or deck with flowers that attract birds and butterflies. Lounge on a comfy chair and sip a cool drink in the shade provided by the awning while watching the wildlife.

"When you decide to expand your outdoor enjoyment and living space with a retractable Durasol awning, hanging out in your backyard can feel like a vacation," says Bedosky. "It's an investment you'll enjoy for years to come."

To learn more about retractable awnings or to locate a dealer near you, visit Durasol.com.

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