If there’s one thing we can all agree on, 2020 has been a difficult year for many of us.
Not only have we had to put plans in place to mitigate damage to our businesses, when we were allowed to reopen, many people have had to change their operating procedures almost unrecognisably.
One saving grace was the summer weather – and we were very happy that throughout the immediate post-lockdown period we were working with hospitality and leisure businesses on making the most of their outdoor space. Many changes we made to enable premises to become COVID-secure implemented either a bespoke or a pre-made fabric canopy. These helped keep outdoor areas weather-proof and enabled an expansion of dinner seating outside, for example.
Now the year’s progressed and we’re faced with a spell of more cold and wet weather ahead of us, but also the prospect of an extended period of outdoor use later into the year than usual. 2020 will see greater requirements for ongoing safety checks for outdoor canopies to ensure continued wind resistance for the comfort and security for your customers. This blog post tells you a little bit more about how we do that.
There’s no ‘one-size fits all’ approach and this is one of the benefits of working with us on your canopy maintenance. Before any work is actually carried out, we can carry out an inspection to assess the condition of the canopy, before going ahead with any works. With an inspection we look at all aspects of the structure from steel or timber masts, connections, fixings, fabric surface, seams, welds, pockets and drainage details.
We then document, photograph and record all findings in a report, and will highlight any areas we recommend require action. Sometimes there are none, but the inspection provides peace of mind that your canopy is safe. Occasionally there will be a recommended action such as to have the canopy cleaned to prevent ingrained dirt, or to deal with any steelwork corrosion or to re-tension any loose elements.
It is important this is done by trained personnel as it often involves rope access techniques and working at height, so operatives need to be IRATA trained.
After these recommendations, depending on how the client wants to proceed, we can work to their budget by either carrying out cleaning and small remedial actions as we inspect – all in one visit, or we can quote for these remedial actions for the client to review and determine what they would like to action.
The above pictures show us carrying out our cleaning procedure for a client we’ve had a long-established relationship with in Southampton. We replaced the fabric roof for them in 2015 and have returned each year since to inspect, maintain and clean the canopy and supporting steelwork.
If you haven’t yet explored the world of fabric canopies for your business, and this blog post has made you think more about the prospect, we’d be delighted to help and chat either over the phone or on email about your options.
With winter looming, and hospitality under increasing strain to weather-proof and protect their outdoor spaces to ensure they can stay open, now might be a great time to think about it. Our pre-designed canopies are relatively affordable and good value for money, and Base Structures are happy to install for you or work out a bespoke solution depending on the space you have available.
Our contact details are below:
T: 0117 911 5250
E: sales@basestructures.com
Visit our pre-designed canopy page for more information, or find out more about our canopy maintenance service.
in Bristol