What will be discussed in this blog?
- Expanding On The Functions That The Canopy/Veranda Can Serve
- Become Aware Of How The Orientation Affects Your Decision
- Explore What Is Necessary Before The Build
- Look Through The Materials Available.
Expanding On The Functions That The Canopy/Veranda Can Serve
There are numerous things that one can do with their canopy/veranda and you may have already decided, however this section might reveal some ideas which you have not thought of and consider it for yourself.
Why is this important? Well orders can take a maximum of up to 3 months to arrive, hence, you might prefer to seriously/deeply think about the problems you wish to solve for your home, so that it all could be done at once.
It’s important to note that if you are on budget, then getting the roof up by itself can be a big help for your comfort needs and only when you feel comfortable financially – if you had hoped to also invest in enclosing the area via doors – then you can think about installing them.
The Range Of Possibilities Of What You Can Do With A Canopy/Veranda:
Increase The Usability Of Your Patio
By investing in a Canopy/Veranda you are expanding the usability of your patio as well as saving money on the wear and tear of your furniture outside by protecting them from the elements, lets see what you can do on your patio with your canopy.
Let’s take one of our projects as an example
In this example the client has combined both dining and relaxing.
Dining Area
Hold special events, use it to provide an outside-dining-experience for your guests, or simply eat outside under the shade of the canopy, it could also serve as a brilliant place to have a quick meeting with whatever number of guests.
Relaxing Area
Under the cover of a canopy/veranda you may read a book, meditate, relax with a refreshing drink or just sit down and stare off into space, have someone over for tea or plan a family sleepover and relax under the stars of the night sky.
Study Area
Is it the Exams season? Set up an area for your kids where they can be outdoors and study. Studying can be difficult. We think we all know that, and a room full of distractions doesn’t help.
It could also be a study area for you, or it could be the perfect spot for homeschooling if that’s something you value.
Work Area
You might consider using the Canopy as a work area, which might not be a bad idea during the warm season, another thing you can do if you wish to use it as a work area throughout all the seasons is fit infra-red heating lamps, this way you will always be able to access it for work in case it ends up getting too cold during winter.
Maybe you work as a beauty therapist, this could provide you with the perfect area and atmosphere to invite your clients to.
Barbecue Spot
Spark up a barbecue under the protection of a canopy, the grill will be available for you all year round and if you decide to enclose the canopy that’s fine, open a door either side to cause a draft and grill away!
Protection & Shade From The Elements
Garage
If you don’t need the garage for storing things, then a canopy can be a great cover for your automobiles, parts of it can be closed and on the other side, the one which you wish to enter and exit through, can be kept open.
Cover Walkway
Just like the Garage, you might want to cover a walk way such as an alley-way. You might want to do this for the sake of saving on time spent in the elements such as heavy rain when taking out the bins. Simply push the bins to the front of the house and take them to the main street when the rain subsides.
Or cover an area which leads from your home to another area such as a close by shed or an outside extension of a house etc.
Shade From Sun And UV Rays
During those hot summer months you may want to enjoy the fruitfulness of the weather without burning your skin off, great news for you you will no longer need to put up an umbrella everytime, nor is putting up an umbrella the best way to protect from the heat of the sun or it’s rays. Rather our advice to you is; invest in a canopy for the sake of keeping a particular area of your back garden cool throughout the whole day.
See what materials can help you achieve that
Rain & Harsh Wind
The same way you might hope to keep the sun from scorching your zone of relaxation the whole day, you may also want to cover yourself from the ruthless episodes of rain and winds that we get here in Ireland.
If you invest into a veranda or an enclosed canopy what you will find is that it will act as a type of barrier between the outside and your back door, because the wind likes to blow into every nook and cranny of our home, its not so hard to realize that setting up an veranda can easily help you keep that area of your home warmer.
It has been said that this way you can reduce heat losses by up to 25% and decrease bill charges by up to 50% in that area. However, we don’t promise this because everyhome is different but it is something worth thinking about, thus making this an eco-friendly investment.
Home Value And Aesthetic
Increase The Value Of Your Home
Look at some of the pictures of these canopies and tell us that it looks bad, come on there’s no way. So the same way the veranda/canopy can offer you cover from the weather and expand your living space into whatever you like, its aesthetic and functionality is a function by itself to you as an asset.
The increase in aesthetic makes it more appealing, not only that but everyone knows the benefits of having a canopy/veranda thus increasing the value of your home.
What did you think that only you have been hoping to have some kind of cover attached to your home? You’re not alone at all in that regard.
Conclusion:
By investing into this type of project you are potentially fulfilling 3 main functions:
- Creating A More Comfortable Home And Saving Money On Any Damages Caused By The Power Of The Elements(The Weather) On Any Furniture
- Expanding Your Living Space With Which You Can Do Whatever You Please Depending On The Season.
- Increasing The Value Of Your Home.
So now you know about the functions that this investment can do for you and hopefully you have gotten a range of ideas you didn’t yet consider for your home that could be applicable.
But what else do I need to know to make the right decision with my Veranda/Canopy from the start?
Being Aware Of How Orientation Affects Your Decision.
The orientation of such things is usually considered before the house is built but of course, unless you are looking to include a canopy in your architectural plans, almost all of us don’t have that luxury.
So if you know where your canopy will be located you can look at the following elaborations on getting a rough idea of what you can expect in terms of light and maybe better judge on what is better to do for your veranda/canopy.
West:
Let’s start off with the best, we are only saying this because it rhymes.
You might like to know that in the case of your canopy/veranda being on the west facing side of your house, you will get to enjoy the sun both in the afternoon and at the end of the day.
It may be a good idea to plan appropriately and consider some kind of material which provides shade from the sun but in such a case it may not be necessary at all.
North:
This orientation is perhaps the least favorable one, Here’s why.
If we consider the position of the earth relative to the sun we will realize that Ireland is located in the Northern hemisphere, this means that this side of the house will be getting the least sunlight throughout the year, ESPECIALLY during those winter months..
In this case you may want to consider investing in a canopy without any shaded material at all, and you would probably want to be thinking about ALU-FRAME rather than ALU-GLASS door option because of the increased amount of insulation.
The ALU-GLASS door option is more for the aesthetic, the doors have a gap in-between them wider than the width of the glass itself, although you can work around this by purchasing a solution which will help you solve the problem, The ALU-FRAME option allows you insulation from the start and may help with the
This way you are losing the least amount of warmth possible.
East:
The east-facing side allows you to receive sun only in the morning.
If you are a fan of watching incredible sun-rises then plan accordingly, in this case it might not be recommended to invest in shade-enabling material as you will not be bombarded with the sun and it’s heat as much, but instead you may want to maximize the viewing area of the sky for gazing purposes and of course whatever else you can think of.
South:
Unlike the west, in actual fact this is the best orientation to have your canopy/veranda for your home in Ireland.
This orientation means that the area/room is facing the sun every time. The results of this are:
- You Experience A Gain In Heating
- The Sun Penetrates The Most Into The House
Therefore you have the ability to do whatever it is you’d like to do with this type of orientation, either reduce the amount of sun’s light and heat coming into your home via some shaded roofing material or do the completely opposite and make the most of the natural light provided and save on energy bills. Not only that but this orientation also enables you to do the most with your canopy/veranda.
Exploring What Is Necessary Before The Build.
The best way to approach this is to answer some of the client’s biggest concerns.
What Comes First – The Patio Or The Veranda?
The Veranda comes first, this way you ensure that the canopy/veranda is level and working around the construct itself is easier when it comes to tiling or floor laying than having to cut into the tiling and floor with a “rough idea” in order to place the columns.
By installing the Veranda/Canopy first you are allowing room for a much finer finish with the patio.
Do I Need A Foundation For A Canopy/Veranda?
So here’s the thing, yes of course we need to anchor the Canopy/Veranda itself to the ground, but there are a few different ways in which we do this, if you do not have a foundation that is ok, we will work around that for you. By using the appropriate material such as post-fix to anchor the canopy to the ground without you having to worry about it flying away.
We do warn that a canopy not be fixed directly to a decking or existing paving as this will not provide suitable anchoring.
Conclusion:
We know now what’s necessary before the build, and you have explored the different ideas to deeply think about what you will need for your home now and in the future.
Now the question becomes; “What do I need to consider when it comes to materials of a Veranda/Canopy and what is the range of the material functionality? so that I can decide what’s best for my home”.
Look Through The Materials Available.
Size:
The size of the canopy is fully dependent on your needs, just give us the area and let us measure it for you. When it comes to the size we do highly recommend thinking about the functions that your canopy/veranda will serve.
Makeup:
The canopy is made from High quality aluminum profile, which is especially strong, we have two forms:
– Normal
– Extra Strong
In case you’re wondering, normal will suffice you plenty.
However, if you want to go the extra mile it is recommended to get Extra Strong, in the case of you wishing to save money you can invest into a normal aluminum profile and still expect the same results, modern technologies have come a long way and you will not need to worry about the strength of the material.
SIDE GLAZING:
If you wish for a more enclosed, less windy or more private space, we offer you enclose the canopy with sidewalls or fully enclose it on all sides. In that case we offer stationery or stationary segments which can be framed or frameless.
The framed system is a bit more air-tight, yet might not be as aesthetic as the frameless system, to learn more about them please read this blog.
ALU-GLASS: Frameless
Roof Cover:
We have a range of materials when it comes to the roof, there are three standard types in regards to appearance of the materials:
– Clear
– Opal
– Bronze
Bronze we don’t really recommend because it has died out in terms of choice.
However,you should know that we can provide other types when it comes to appearance,for example reflective or decorative glass, simply inquire and we will see what we can do for you!
In terms of Roof Material there are two:
– Duct Polycarbonate
– Tempered Safety Glass
Apart from the points of difference we will mention below, one general point to take home is that the price is not drastically different between the two, another thing to consider is the slope of the roof, slope can drastically affect the appearance of your Canopy/Veranda.
POLYCARBONATE:
– 16mm duct polycarbonate
– The Ends of the sheet are covered with an aluminum film as well as an air permeable tape, which prevents loss of the sheets’ clarity over time.
– To Fix the sheets to the roof, we use special “rubber-spacers” which help preserve the sheets as well as prevent the inside from accumulating moisture, dirt and so on.
– So,when in need the sheet is very easy to change.
GLASS:
– 8mm glass sheets.
– Since The appearance of the material has been mentioned one special quality to highlight is; in the case of where the glass crashes, it doesn’t shatter; the inside consists of a small film preserving its integrity
Frame Colours:
Don’t just go for our basic colour options which are:
– Gray
– Brown
– White
If there is a particular colour of your home that you wish to match, then you can easily do so as we offer you the opportunity to choose from any RAL Colour simply checkthem up or ask us to show you to make your choice.
You should know that the frames are painted only using a powder method, you can choose between a smooth surface or a fuzzed surface
Gutters And Fittings:
When it comes to fittings, we are limited to stainless steel fittings
The gutters are integrated in a way in which they are hidden, the water collection point is attached to a pipe which leads down inside one of the columns, the gutter pipe is then led through a hole at the bottom, through which water can escape.
This Preserves the elegance of the canopy, giving it that flawless modern feel.
Comfort & Privacy:
One Beautiful idea which you should consider are infrared heating ray lights. Outside of that you can also create a more private atmosphere for your canopy by adding blinds which you can open and close with a click of a button, either for the sides or the ceiling.
Final Conclusion:
With this comprehensive guide we hope that you have been able to recognize a few things that you could do which you have not thought of before to avoid/make-up-for.
We also hope that this guide has given you clear insights on what is the best decision for you, whether you need it in the first place, thought about the best place for it or maybe looked deeper into knowing what it can do for you.
We hope that this blog has been useful for you, we do ask that you share this blog and if you’ve got any more questions or wish to get your canopy/veranda today please contact us! Thank you
