Ask Our Awning Experts: What’s the Best Awning for a Richmond Rowhouse Front Porch?

If you live in a Richmond rowhouse, the best awning for your front porch is usually a fixed fabric shed-style or quarter-round awning with a powder-coated aluminum frame, shallow projection, and a color that matches your trim or shutters. It should be mounted into brick, pitched enough to shed water toward the sidewalk, and proportioned so it doesn’t block upper windows or historic details.

Here’s how our team at Roberts Awnings helps you select the best rowhouse awnings in Richmond. 

Consider the front porch awning measurements 

First, we look at proportions. Richmond rowhouses tend to have tall and narrow façades. A front-porch awning that projects too far can feel heavy and cut off light, making interiors feel dark and cave-like. Most rowhouse porches work best with a modest projection that covers the top step and landing, while staying inside the width of the door and surrounding trim.

Don’t forget mounting

Next, we consider mounting and Richmond weather. When it comes to rowhouse awnings, brick faces, old mortar, and frequent summer thunderstorms demand a properly engineered frame. We anchor into the rowhome’s structure, set the pitch so rain runs off without dumping water on your guests, and design the frame to handle local wind loads the same way we do for larger projects around Richmond.

Choosing the best fabric for your front porch awnings in Richmond

Then comes fabric and color. Solution-dyed acrylic fabrics stand up well to our UV, humidity, and pollen, and they’re easy to clean. In historic blocks, we usually lean toward solids or simple stripes that echo existing trim, rather than loud patterns that fight the architecture and the vibes of historic neighborhoods.

Consider how you use your front porch

Finally, before installing any rowhouse awning in Richmond, we think about how you actually use your porch or stoop. If you sit out often or keep packages at the door, we may extend the projection slightly or add a small side return for extra coverage from wind-blown rain. If you’re more concerned with curb appeal and protecting your masonry, we keep the awning tighter and lighter so it reads as part of the original façade.

Not sure what type of front porch awning in Richmond would work on your specific block? Snap a photo of your rowhouse and send it over to us. We can sketch a few awning options that fit both the neighborhood and the way you live.