Pergola over doors and windows

A patio is having a roofed pergola built. The roof will be metal, Colourbond or similar. To allow light to get into the house the pergola will be set back from the walls allowing light to shine on the windows. The eaves are 530 mm deep excluding the gutters.There are two doors opening onto the pergola and I want these covered. It's a balance between wide enough to keep off precipitation and not so wide as to lose light on the doors, which are glass. I'm tending towards the pergola narrow over the doorways as light is needed every day but precipitation is unimportant most days. Another option is to have Laserlite or similar over the doors, keeping off the weather and allowing light. The doors are about 960 mm wide.

1 How far back from the walls should the pergola be to get adequate light into the rooms?
2 How wide should the doorway covers be to get a good balance between keeping the weather off and allowing light to come into the rooms?
3 Is Laserlite an option for the door covers?

TIA.

 

How high above the doors will the pergola be? Distance from the edge and the doors?

 

Mea culpa, I forgot that dimension. The doors are 2080 mm high and end about 180 mm below the eaves. The bottom of the eaves are about 2350 mm from the ground. There's a slight slope and a step. The pergola will end on the fascia and will not be supported by the eaves.

 

You could use panels of laser light at intervals to get light in. Opal colour is good for reflecting heat.

Could also use extenda roof brackets to raise the pergola roof height.

 

Why not use some transparent sheets in the pergola to allow light in and not have a gap?

 

Oh snap!

 

Thanks. My idea was to have Laserlite over the doorways and Colorbond for the main roof. I also wanted to have some clear or tinted sections in the roof, say three metal to one clear/tinted. The bloke quoting did not like any of this and the plan he sent has metal over the doorways with two narrow clear sections in the roof.

There is no need to extend the pergola as the plan is not final. The pergola can be put anywhere we want. The eaves are 530 mm to the fascia. A gap is needed to allow sun and precipitation on the garden. Also, a fully enclosed roof would not allow heat to escape on hot still days.

Advice is ought about how far from the wall should the pergola start.

 

The bloke quoting probably doesn't like it for a reason. Seems like a strange plan tbh.

 

I've been using the words "Colorbond" and "Laserlite" in a generic sense for metal and clear polycarbonate roofing. There are rather a lot of varieties. Late yesterday the contractor advised that due to corrosion Laserite was unsuited for where I am near a beach. He said that they use Durashield, that it's flat, and that there must be metal roof sheets either side of the Durashield. PVC Profiled Sheet - DURASHIELD® | Palram Australia

I'm happy to have Durashield if it lasts longer than other polycarbonates. However, I cannot see why there needs to be metal roof sheets either side of the Durashield. I found a number of pictures of Laserlite as the only roof, and Durashield should be similar.

Also, it seems to me that sheets with ridges are stronger than flat profiles and need less support. Finally, with ridges it's possible to overlap adjacent sheets and ensure that water does not go into the next sheet.

Does anyone know why Durashield cannot be put on the side of the frame? Other comments would be valued.

 

Corrosion in laserlite! Do explain which bits he is suggesting will corrode.

The company that makes the flat product Duradhield. also makes a profiled version (suntuff) that it says doesn’t corrode (which isn’t that surprising given it’s not metal!).

Try googling it.

 

As far as I can determine from a number of sources, Laserlite is a reputable brand. I have no idea where the corrosion comment came from. It may be marketing hype from Durashield to gain advantage over competitors. I'm happy with the quality of Laserlite, especially as it can be cut to size and fits the job.

 

Similar products - just different brands. The important thing is the warranty.