When creating outdoor living solutions that are designed to last, it is imperative that Milwood Group ensure that the safety of our systems occupants is at the forefront of our thinking. To be certain that compliance measures are met, our products undergo thorough testing taking the unpredictable UK weather into account.

Aluminium verandas, canopies and carports create great living environments that can be used year-round, maximising the potential living space for domestic homes and commercial properties regardless of the current weather. While popular in the summer, it is in the colder months that our systems must prove to withstand the elements more than ever.

Milwood Group systems are tested to ensure that they will withstand weather conditions such as high winds, heavy snow, rain, and hail through their extreme durability. Fortunately, aluminium happens to be a metal that retains its strength in colder weather environments. However, much of the durability of Milwood group systems is found in the design process and our ensuring certain specifications that take regional weather into account.

Span, the distance between supports, is arguably the most important factor in creating a sufficiently robust system that will adhere to annual snow loading expectations. For example, installations taking place close to our head office in Rochester, Kent, will need less consideration for snow than systems being installed in the northern regions of the UK. Consequently, we may advise that additional standing legs should be used on installations further north to provide additional strength. We are able to look at any proposed design and analyse it for the region it is to be installed to and offer firm advice, including on any alterations that might be needed to the design.

Our systems have proven to be comfortably capable of withstanding snowfall with no snow-related incidents occurring anywhere across the UK or Ireland. We are very confident of our canopy systems’ strength but measures are in place to understand each project and this advice is covered in the sales process.

We previously shared an article that highlighted one of our Alfresco verandas withstood snowfall in Maidstone, Kent. It not only highlights the effectiveness of our systems but also makes for a great case-and-point should any customer queries arise, so please do check it out for peace-of-mind.

If you wish to discuss any of Milwood Group’s snow-loading calculations with us in more detail, please contact us on 0333 305 5272 or email [email protected].