What materials are appropriate for patio roofing?
We have been living in the house for 3.5 years and are currently considering covering the patio.
The coverage area is about 26 square meters. It is 7.30 m wide and 4.00 m deep. A special feature is that part of the terrace is sloped, so that the depth on the left side is not 4.00 m, but 2.00 m. This means that part of the roof is sloped. This means that part of the roof and the drainage must be sloped and this must be adapted on site, we cannot use a roof with an offset x by y meters from the peg.
What we originally wanted and what we were offered:
— Powder-coated aluminum construction.
— VSG 10 mm cover glass
— LED lights in the rafters
— Shading under the roof with radio sensor
— Both sides (left 2.00 m deep and right 4.00 m deep) can be closed with frameless glass sliding doors
The cost of the room is $19,000. Shading adapted to the sloping surface also costs even more. The affordable under-roof option would not shade a sloped area of about 3 square meters.
What the second company suggested:
— Powder-coated aluminum construction.
— Polycarbonate polycarbonate multi-wall roofing sheets in milky white * (This company specializes in their production. It is claimed that this coating has many advantages. The 2x UV filters protect from the sun, while the integrated, prismatic structure is designed to collect the sun's rays in bunches and cast them down, so that the light loss is only 7%. It is claimed that no shading is required. The climate is said to always be as if you were sitting in the shade. The polycarbonate is supposed to be self-cleaning. Now I'm primarily skeptical)
The 2x UV filters protect from the sun, while the integrated prismatic structure is designed to collect the sun's rays in bunches and cast them down, so that the light loss is only 7%. It is claimed that no shading is required. The climate is said to always be as if you were sitting in the shade. We are talking "only" $8,000 here.
Sure, I'd rather pay a cheaper price, but I can't believe all the benefits, especially the fact that there is no need for shading. Do you have any experience? The main argument against layered sheets is the noise they make when it rains. But that plays no role in our house, so the argument is not applicable.
How have you solved this problem? What combination of materials would you recommend?
Answers
So if you do decide to go with a square roof and don't adjust for the sloping side dEi, I can recommend a KD roof. For our new construction project, the 3.5 m deep and 5 m wide roof is not to be done in RAL 7016, but in DB703. The roof is glazed with VSG and has 10 LEDs (one in the middle and one in the front, each in a row), an awning under the roof and a side awning on one side (on the west side).
Both awnings as well as the LED strings (switched separately) are on the same remote control (multi-channel). However, we installed the LED switching solution ourselves or had a friend install it. But it was a matter of an hour.
I don't know if they can also be connected to a wind/sun sensor. But since all the components are from Somfy and work with iO radio standards, I assume there are probably solutions for that.
In any case, we are very happy with the solution, and it ended up not much more expensive than your polycarbonate solution. Our neighbors chose polycarbonate because of the price and were annoyed after installation at how much darker it got in the living room after installation.
In any case, the construction is also made of powder-coated aluminum.
We also went to local craftsmen and other companies for similar solutions and some prices exceeded $20,000.
I hope I was able to help, even if I don't offer a 100 percent appropriate solution.
We also have laminated safety glass. When it heavy rains, you can hear more from the roof in the bedroom than from the roof in the living room. The roof wall is 42.5 cm. The roof is attached to the concrete slab. The wall is made of foam concrete.
You can't hear anything in normal rain.
I wouldn't do it with something like "multi-wall polycarbonate sheets," but if so, clear glass.
You might also need an alternative wood (then definitely glulam wood) or steel suggestion.
You can use a "regular" awning for shading or, in the case of wood, install something hand-held on rails from below.
Ask what makes it "so" expensive, perhaps a 90 degree angle would also be an option, i.e. not oblique, if that increases the price).
It should be cheaper than that 19k anyway.
Aluminum with glass? Do they really still do that? I would think twice, it's very expensive, visually at least a matter of taste, glass doesn't let in sunlight and is hard to keep clean.
For us, plastic and frosted glass were out of the question, we were taking the sun away from the living room.
I think you're well under 19k if that's really all (foundation included? What about electrical).
The price drivers are spotlights, on-site adjustments, and extras like glass walls + shading.
On the 2m deep side you can also keep the shade, it probably won't do anything anyway. There are many simulators online that show the shadows cast depending on the orientation and position of the sun. At 2m depth this will be virtually nonexistent.
We have a 10x4m patio roof with laminated safety glass, and we don't hear anything.
I don't think 19k is too expensive, and the decision sounds neat. For a conservatory, I would always opt for roof shading, and for an under-roof patio, it's fine. Glass with switches is interesting, but doesn't cut costs.
The polycarbonate stuff was used over my parents' patio. It was fine there because the transparency of the roof wasn't important for brightness in the house. But if the patio roof needs to be transparent in the winter to let light into the house, don't use polycarbonate. The patio was much cooler under the polycarbonate roof than in front of it – things didn't reach the level of the sun canopy or even the shade from the tree.
