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What to make a canopy in the country: 3 options for any budget
A canopy or similar can be found in almost every suburban area. Someone equips himself a modest barbecue area so that you can cook in the rain, and someone builds larger structures to shelter the car from precipitation.
Experts from the Leroy Merlin Repair School tell us about what they are like and what material to choose for erecting a canopy in your country house.
Why it is needed
First, you need to decide on the destination. Depending on what the canopy is for, the design, dimensions and materials are selected. Under a canopy, you can not only fry kebabs or hide a car from the rain – such structures are erected for storing firewood, they are attached to the house to get a summer dining room, or they make some kind of a gazebo where the whole family gathers.
According to the construction method, awnings are free-standing and attached to the house: the first type is suitable to put a car under it or build a gazebo, the second – if you need a terrace or outdoor dining room.
It is equally important to consider the material from which the canopy will be made. The structure consists of two main elements: the frame and the canopy itself – the roof.
Frame: nature vs high-tech
It can be made of wood or metal, depending on the purpose of the canopy. For aesthetics and a sense of naturalness, a wooden frame is definitely the best solution. The tree is environmentally friendly, it will fit into any visual style of the surrounding space. Working with wood is easier than with metal: no welding and expensive equipment, you just need a couple of hacksaws for wood, nails and self-tapping screws. With proper processing, wood is also quite durable: where bare metal begins to deteriorate due to corrosion, wood impregnated with special compounds will confidently support the roof of the canopy. Often, wood is cheaper than metal structures, only if we are not talking about a rounded log or profiled timber – in this case, wood will be more expensive.
The metal frame can withstand heavy loads, does not look as aesthetically pleasing as a wooden bar, but it all depends on your preferences and the visual design of the site: it happens that austere and angular metal looks more appropriate than natural wood. It is definitely worth choosing a metal option if a fire is planned under a canopy – with a wooden frame, this is simply unsafe. The durability of metal, like wood, depends on the processing: if you apply an anti-corrosion compound to a metal profile, then it will serve faithfully for several decades.
Roof: for any wallet
One of three popular options is most often used as a material for a canopy roof: polycarbonate, corrugated board or metal tile.
Polycarbonate – lightweight and strong material that perfectly transmits sunlight. Polycarbonate is inexpensive, with it you can give the roof an unusual shape, making it, for example, rounded – the properties of the material allow it. There are several types of such coverage. Cellular polycarbonate is the cheapest, lightest and most popular; most canopy roofs are made from it. True, it slightly “eats” sunlight, unlike, for example, monolithic – such polycarbonate is transparent as glass and can be made in different colors. At the same time, in terms of strength, it has nothing in common with glass – often monolithic polycarbonate is used to give the structure additional rigidity.
There is also a third type of polycarbonate – profiled: it is just as strong, but has a wavy shape, so it can be combined with metal tiles.
Metal – a more modern version in comparison with the tiles, their predecessor. The metal tile weighs much less, therefore it is excellent for use in sheds in a suburban area. The material is not only lightweight, but also quite thin, so it is convenient to work with it, from cutting to transportation. Metal tiles are a solid material that blocks access to sunlight, keep this in mind.
If you want to build a canopy for a barbecue or a meal and you need a clear sky over your head, metal tiles will not work. If you need reliable protection for your car from rain and snow, metal tiles can be a worthy option. It is also important to take into account that, unlike polycarbonate, the material does not bend, so the roof can only be straight. However, the choice, whether to make it a single-slope or a gable, remains with you.
Another popular canopy roof solution is профнастил… It is a lightweight and at the same time resistant material that tolerates changes in temperature and humidity without any problems. It is made of galvanized steel, so rust is not terrible for the corrugated board. The material combines the properties of the above two. For example, like polycarbonate, it can be rounded or shaped if a straight roof doesn’t suit you. Visually, it looks more like a metal tile and costs comparable money.