VOUNOT® Front Door Canopy Outdoor Awning, Rain Shelter for Back Door, Porch, Window, 200 x 80 cm, Grey

This canopy is good value despite being all plastic construction the support frame is very rigid and light. Assembly is easy but here is the only problem I found especially if you don`t have an assistant to help you. I put up the centre support and assembled each of the end ones onto the perspex roof and secured them using the supplied screws in the ends, the plan was then to slide eachg side onto the already mounted centre support and secure in the holes I had already drilled, this was when the problem began. I bent the roofing material into the support but everytime I went to move the outer end it would pop back out again and again before I could secure the first bolt, so I took down the centre support assembled the whole canopy on the ground and drilled in 4 stainless steel self tapping screws (see photos) through the centre support to joint the two half together. After doing this the whole canopy was one piece and fairly strong, but a little bendy. I put the whole thing back up using the centre support first then each end in turn it was very easy once the canopy was in one and wasn`t constantly popping apart. Also the additional two screws I think will give added procetion to the joint in even the strongest of winds. The anchor bolts that come with it are sturdy but I was fixing into a timber structure so opted for coach bolts instead but the supplied fixings look like quality anchor bolts. As for strength well winter is coming and so will the winds I shall have to see how it fairs, that being said I think it will stand a pounding by strong winds - will let you know next summer. All in all for the price a sturdy, well made peice of kit. It is December now and we have had some 70mph plus gale force winds and the canopy has with stood them no problem at all.

Decent canopy for the price. Could be assembled and fitted by one person if needed, however, using the bolts supplied is a fast track to frustration. I'm experienced in DIY but don't consider the fixing bolts to be fit for purpose. Do yourself a favour and buy decent shield anchor bolts and you'll be fine. Fitted two canopies to provide a bike shelter down the side of the house.

Having bought this without the forethought of “will this actually fit between my annoyingly placed drainpipes?”, I discovered pretty quickly that, no, no it won’t. Having said that, looking at it was nothing a tape measure a scalpel and a hacksaw couldn’t fix. It took roughly 20 minutes of cutting and assembly to get the finished item (more like 5 minutes without the cutting to size), and putting it up was a simple affair as it weighs next to nothing (I did require another pair of hands to mark the holes for drilling, but this took seconds). Not a fan of the supplied bolts so I opted for some hefty wall plugs and screws I have laying around. Stability wise it feels solid as a rock, I will update its wind resistance should anything unfortunate happen but am confident it will withstand some serious punishment. I like the way it looks, nothing too flashy but wouldn’t look out of place over most doors. Happy with this spur of the moment (due to the horrific downpours we’ve had recently) purchase. Quick and easy to put up, cheap, looks good, can’t really ask for more.

Well made door canopy. Easy to fit. I did it by myself and it took about an hour for assembly and installation. Some people have complained about the bolts but I had no problem with them. They tightened up fine and the canopy is very secure. I am very pleased with it.

Brilliant. Does what it is meant to

Ok I bought this without considering the negative reviews. So I thought I would give a measured opinion. The instructions are quite clear that you assemble the complete unit first (mine was 200x80). This is straightforward and you do need another person to assist in this respect. Now what is missing completely in the instructions are the wall drillings. So here are my tips. 1. Decide how high you want the canopy. 2. Measure the hole spacing between the top and bottom hole on each bracket. Should be 140mm. 3. Get somebody to hold the unit upright so you can measure the spacings between each bracket. I found these to be 96cm. 4. Using a spirit level and hammer drill, drill 6mm pilot holes in the wall. 6 holes spaced 14cm top and bottom and 96cm spacings across. 5. Once your are happy with the exact pilot drill positions use a 10mm masonary drill to open out your pilot holes and drill to a depth to suit the anchors bolts. Note top drillings are deeper than the bottom ones. 6. Using another person hold up the frame against the wall and align the holes. Make Sure the bolt thread is engaged fully in the bottom nut and apply wd40 to the thread. 7. Starting at one end insert the long and short anchor bolts through the bracket and Lightly hammer the bolts in. 8. Using a 13mm spanner tighten the bolts. If they keep turning but a flat head screwdriver behind the bracket and lever it outwards. This makes the bottom nut engage and stop spinning and the bolt should then tighten. The wd40 helps this process. 9. Repeat for The other two brackets. Then alight the plastic nut covers and lightly tap them down. The whole process should take about an hour. The materials are robust enough and the canopy is very secure.

Needed a cover down the side of the house this was the perfect width and height. Fitting it together is pretty straightforward but weirdly there are no fitting instructions, only assembly instructions. Took me approx 2hrs in total and I am not a prolific DIYer by any means. You need: a half-decent drill, 6mm bit (ideally), 10mm bit, spirit level, marker pen, hammer, ratchet spanner But here are some tips: 1. Spray the light grey brackets an anthracite colour. Then obviously let it dry before assembling. Personally I think they look much better than light grey (black may be fine but possibly too dark). 2. Assemble the whole thing first before even thinking of fitting the brackets on to the wall. 3. It definitely helps having an extra pair of hands to hold the last bracket as you fit the curved roof section onto it as you’ll need two hands to bend the roof. 3. Fitted on a brick wall I used the mortar lines to see if it looked horizontal 4. With another person holding it mark all the lower holes with a marker pen 5. I found the width of the instructions the exact vertical distance to the upper hole so marked them using a spirit level 6. Use fellow buyer Martypants’ advice of WD40 on the screws to prevent any chance kf them threading or getting stuck 7. Screw the end fitting to the bolt - if you don’t thee is a chance you will lose it in the wall 8. Hammer a nail in the wall first to make an accurate drilling mark 9. Use a 6mm masonry bit to drill the hole depths (the lower holes are shorter than the upper holes) 10. Then use a 10mm bit to drill out. Try not to go over 10mm (see below) 11. Place all the bolts through the bracket holes and position them in (another person helps here) 12. Push the bolts in and then gently tap them in 13. Screw all the bolts in with a ratchet spanner - the middle one is a pain as you don’t have a huge angle to work with but persevere! The end fitting slowly moves up through the bolt casing inside the wall pushing it outwards thereby ensuring a good firm grip so try not to drill any more than 10mm wide! 14. When sprayed anthracite I didn’t put the plastic bolt covers on as the bronze bolt covers looked auite good against the dark grey. 15. For a complete finish add a non-removable wall anchor if securing bikes and solar-powered security lights

I put the porch canopy together fairly easily, yes its a little fiddly getting the polycarbonate roof to bend to the slot into the curved side support's, easier with a helper, but once constructed seems to be strong… seems to be, as not yet fitted/tested… the low stars were given for the poor fixings, which have caused me no end of trouble!!! Unfortunately I didn’t spot this prior to attempting the fitting…, you will note (in the items pictures) the bolts expand from the far end, i.e. the bolts screw into the end ‘nut’ which is drawn up, expanding the tube shaft as it tightens… great in theory,… I drilled a hole into my wall the length of the bolt sleeve to sink it flush, the fixing bolt is fractionally longer, and there is the problem. The bolt is about 2-3cm too short when you take in the thickness of the canopy support arms, so the bolt will not reach the nut, so will not tighten. As i had started, i tried tightening up the bolts, without the canopy in place, to draw the nut forward, but could not bring it forward enough for the bolt to reach the nut when the canopy supports are in place. Trying to bring the nut far enough forward, snapped one of the bolts, not just stripped the thread, actually snapped the bolt! Now i have the expansions shafts stuck in my wall, with bolts that will not tighten! I can only get around my issue by hopefully finding longer bolts with the same thread, and using a standard large wall plug for the broken one… or drilling 4 new 10mm holes, with 4 new fixings? My advice to you, is buy suitable fixings that are long enough to also take the thickness of the support arms. Construction and fitting it will be a lot easier with two people and two steps. Offer up the constructed canopy to mark the holes for drilling. A spirit level is useful. The instructions are basic diagrams only, and do not give much advice/help on the fitting of the canopy, so i hope the above helps and saves you the headache i now have!