A shame you didn’t think this through before your new roof line was finalised……two options, a gable Colorbond roof installed (gutter would need reinstalled on existing roof to fix new gable roof), or a pergola built higher than the gutters. A pergola would be softer aesthetic, you could put clear sheeting on the top of pergola if you want it waterproof.

I would not do a flat roof under the eaves, that would be claustrophobic and dark.

Agree with dreamer, a gable roof to match your roof line would look great.

Hi dreamer,

Thanks for your suggestions. Agree this is something we should have sorted prior to works commencing. We thought we did (flyover roof) but have had a change of mind, which is never ideal!

I guess a point I should have made in my first post is that we don't need the cover to go over the entire depth of the U shaped area. We just need enough coverage so that you can stand at the front door and not get wet if it's raining.

The eaves are 450mm so I think another 900-1000mm would be enough? Hopefully shorter depth also reduces any close, cramped feeling of the cover is lower?

As you said in your original post, your wife wanted cover over the whole space….I posted suggestions for that scenario. So now your saying only 1000mm out from eaves. How deep is the alcove you are wanting to add weather protection to? I estimate about 3000mm??

Hi dreamer,

Apologies, bit of a miscommunication on my end. I meant that my wife wants to cover the entire width of the area, not the depth.

And yes, it's about 3.3m

I would do the pergola covering, you can build it as 1000mm deep or the entire space. When it rains, does the rain come in sideways into that area, or is it a protected side of your home? The reason that I ask, you will spend a similar amount of money for a 1000mm deep or 3000mm deep cover, so why not do the larger cover? AND, what aesthetic are you trying to achieve for the external facade?

We were looking for a fairly modern, understated aesthetic. The rain does come in on this side quite a bit so protection from the rain is quite important to us.

We certainly could go deeper but one drawback may be reducing the amount of light getting through the window to our dining room that is to the left of the front door.

You just need height to get weather protection and light. AIM for about 1ft above gutter

If you do clear roof sheeting, the light should still get into window.

Maybe a purpose built steel structure with clear roof sheeting. If that area is rain affected, then cover it.

It looks like there is just enough height to do a pergola , slightly sloping downwards , covered with clear perspex or similar , or even glass over a steel or alloy frame . It would just fit under the existing gutters , you would add the same style guttering across the front , maybe a downpipe into a rock lined hole or similar . To try and utilise or replace the existing guttering would probably be too problematic and expensive , that smallish area wouldn't collect too much water to be a huge problem in most enviroments .

Another option would be a metal or alloy gable , with glass or perspex roofing , but also vertical glass or perspex at the rear , either just above or just forward or rearward of the existing guttering . If you had it 'starting' just above the existing guttering , and being say 40-50mm wider than the 3 existing sides , if it started about 30mm above the existing tiles and roofing iron any rainwater would run under that gap , if that all makes sense ?

But on the bigger picture , the dining room window , being charcoal or black framed , and quite 'chunky' , looks newer than the building and tile styles , so that has presumably been upgraded at some stage . No problem there .

But then the next room ( to the left ) looks like it has also been added on ( possibly it is new ? ) . It has two windows , but they are set quite low , and look out of place IMO . And they appear to have thinner frames too , so its even more obvious ,

And then you have mostly tiles on the roof , but this new room has corrugated iron roofing . Even if painted orange , it will always look different -- always look added on .

And while theres no laws or rules against it , this new room looks to be 30 or 40cm smaller/shallower than the ( presumably existing ) room to the right . Like I said , its not a huge sin , but I suspect most people would try and have a more balanced look ?

Like I said , I don't want to be too critical , but wouldn't you or the draughtsperson or the builder say , at some stage , 'hang on , are you sure this is what you want' ? I accept this may actually be 'the side' of the house , and the ( presumably ) newest room is narrower on purpose to allow for that , but the fact you are now asking about a shelter does make me wonder about the planning process sorry .

Hi all,

Thanks for the comments everyone, very appreciated. We'll take all the ideas on board, lots to process here. Appreciate everyone taking time to think about our design quandry!

Hello Beninewie, Lots of terrific ideas here for you! My favorite is the gabled cover of the whole area then roofing with clear the part you need to keep dry. This could be extended if first time it is not enough and you still get wet!

My only other comment on the whole roof/cover the front door question is if you did the gable end and cover of clear to the whole area you will need it to be on the gable end too or the wind will still blow the rain into get you wet.

This may depend on where you are and what direction this entry faces: it will have an impact worth taking into consideration.

Cheers Margot

PS Love to see what you do! Pergola with grape vine to part of it not roofed?