We put this up ourselves but finding studs on a vinyl back portion of your home can be a challenge so we goofed and put the brace in the wrong spot of the awning bracket (bar). So now it doesn't close completely on one side. So understanding that the brackets attach to the far ends of the awning bar will help when you are looking to secure it to your surface. Other than that I think it looks great and it was an easy process to put together. This size does not shade as much as I thought it would so really measure the location you want to place it in. Both length and how far the out it will extend.