Roofing for Pergolas, Verandahs & Alfresco Areas
On this page we will look at the main types of roofing used for verandahs, carports and alfresco areas. For pergola roofing options, please visit out pergola roofing page.
Main types of roofing for a verandah, carport or alfresco area are:
- Steel
- Polycarbonate
- Insulated Panels
Steel Roofing
Long gone are days of using the term “corrugated iron” for your roof.
Today steel roofing sheets are made from an aluminium alloy, some with additional protective coating and some not. For more on roofing as it once was, visit Australia history of roofing.
Two types of steel roofing used for outdoor living structures:
- Zincalume Roofing.
- Colorbond Roofing.
Zincalume Roofing
Zincalume steel is a aluminium, zinc, magnesium alloy with no additional coatings applied to them.
Zincalume sheets only come in one colour which is light grey and therefore is not used often for outdoor structures. Generally zincalume is only used when matching the roof of the existing house which is also clad in zincalume.
Colorbond Roofing
Colorbond steel roofing base is zincalume roofing as discussed above. Added to this is then several protective coatings to give the product a longer life and also various colours.
Most people choose colorbond roofing due to its longevity and range of colors.
Although colorbond roof coating and roofing products (owned by Bluscope Steel) is the most popular in Australia, other overseas companies offer similar products.
Further reading on Colorbond:
Roofing Profiles
All roofing comes in many different profiles thus allowing for a multitude of variations in the look and feel of a structure especially when combined with other structural features.
The three main roofing profiles are:
- Corrugated
- Trapezoidal
- Tray
Further information and pdfs can be found on out verandah roofing verandah roofing page.
In addition to roofing profiles, zincalume and colorbond come in a wide range of roof flashings.
Polycarbonate Roofing
“Polycarbonate is a high-performance tough, amorphous, and transparent thermoplastic polymer.” as stated by Special Chem.
The two main benefits of using polycarbonate roofing in outdoor structures are:
- Transmission of light (unlike steel roofing).
Polycarbonate Roofing Profiles
Similar to steel, polycarbonate comes in a multitude of colours and a large variety of profiles including:
- Profile polycarbonate roofing.
- Flat/solid polycarbonate roofing.
- Multiwall polycarbonate roofing.
- Polycarbonate panel systems.
Additional reading can be found at UV Plastic.
Her are some further brochures on the most popular polycarbonate roofing products:
- Suntuf (profile polycarbonate)
- Sunlite Twin Wall (multiwall polycarbonate).
- Sunglaze (panel system polycarbonate).
- Sunpal (multiwall polycarbonate).
- Palsun (flat/solid polycarbonate).
