The following is a review for Shade One Awnings and a log of what it took for
me to install a motorized retractable awning on my home in a gated, 55+
community in Jackson, NJ. We have an HOA board that must approve all exteriorhome improvements. There is basic criteria the contractor must meet before
being able to work and bring employees onto the property. Their business must
be licensed and insured, each employee must have workers compensation insurance
and their commercial vehicles must have proof of commercial auto insurance.
Knowing all of that, we gladly take and seek out referrals from our neighbors
on home improvements. You have no idea what we had to go through for our
generator and front landscaping.
My
neighbor recommended I call Don from Shade One Awnings and get a Sunsetter for
my unbearably hot patio. We have never been able to use it since we moved in.
My neighbor told me she received the Sunsetter DVD package in the mail before
calling and ordering hers. The package had the local dealer info printed on the
front and that is how she found Don and Shade One. She still had the package
and gave it to me so I was able to know basically what I wanted before he got
there. When i called, Don answered and told me he was going to send over Matt
for the estimate because he handles evening appointments after 6PM. Matt came
over the next night on time at 6PM and had the courtesy to call us earlier to
confirm the appointment . Matt was a complete gentleman, not a pushy salesman
and was so patient with my husband. We went through the fabric book and picked
a color that matched our siding best. Matt filled out the application for our
homeowners association and told us he would send the insurance info to the HOA.
We gave him a deposit and he left us a copy of the contract, some sunsetter
brochures and a business card in a neat folder.
The
next day my husband and I walked over to the club house and dropped off the
modification request application. They told us that they already received the
insurance certificates from Shade One and the application was now complete and
ready to be submitted to the board. She told me the next board meeting was in
two weeks and that they would let me know. I then called Don and let him know
about the two week wait. He told me these applications are a formality to
approve the color of the awning and to make sure you are not going to put up an
awning that clashes with the design and architecture of the neighborhood. Makes
sense but I was disappointed about having to wait two weeks after already
giving a deposit. He told me the SunSetter color choices are all conservative
and he has not had one denied so far out of hundreds of applications. He also
told me every contract states that all deposits are 100% refundable if
applications are denied. I got the contract and there it was, the first line at
the bottom of the page in small print. That made me feel better and sure
enough, two weeks later they notified us by mail that the awning installation
was approved. We got the letter in the regular mail one day after the board
meeting. Bravo to my HOA. I then called Don at Shade One and was shocked when
he told me the awning was in and ready for installation. We made the
installation appointment for 10AM that Saturday.
Saturday
morning came and another courtesy call from the installation crew to let me
know that they were 15 minutes from the gate. Don knocked on my door 15 minutes
later. I was surprised again to see the owner of the company standing there
with a toolbelt on. It was a good feeling to know the owner was installing our
awning as he did not install our neighbors awning. He came with one other man
Tim and they both went to work straight away removing my patio set and bbq
grill. Both men were very professional and it was obvious to my husband and I
that they have done this many times before and that we were in good hands. We
left them alone and two hours later Don was knocking on the door again to come
in and install the remote control on the wall. He told me it has to be hung on
an interior wall and out of the weather. He then took us outside and gave us a
demonstration on how to use it. I pushed the button and voila, we were standing
under our new awning. Don and Tim put everything back and we just stood there
in awe looking up at it. It is so beautiful. We are so happy with this awning
and the service we received from Shade One. I can not recommend them enough. We
received excellent service from start to finish… the phone calls, the way they handled
our HOA, the neat contract folder they left us, A+. This was our easiest and
most rewarding home improvement since moving out of our “big house” and down
here. It really is like adding a room onto your house. Our awning was a 14’ by
12' SunSetter Motorized XL model. Total cost was 3k and it took just over two
weeks from Matt’s initial visit to the installation. The installation took
about two hours. Also I should mentioned that our HOA requires all retractable
awnings have a wind sensor. That was the only accessory that was added on.
Thank you Shade One Awnings. - Susan P. Jackson, NJ
