The vergola option with louvres is very expensive but also very effective as it provides so much flexibility in all types of weather. If you are outdoor people then this may be worth the cost. Coming down in cost, a climber over a pergola is also a good option depending on where you live. In a cool climate make sure the climber drops its leaves early enough so the late autumn and early winter sun comes through. Conversely, if you're in a warm/hot climate then the longer the leaves stay on the better. Some deciduous climber and trees lose their leaves quite late. Awnings are also very flexible but may not allow wet weather usage. Of course this depends on the type and size of awning. Oops, I just noticed this was originally posted in 2014. I hope you've sorted it out by now.

Hi Rita..... A true flyover stays separate from the main roof......the rain can either free fall from the lowest point of the flyover on to the existing roof below and collect with the water from the main roof and down the drain pipes, or it can have it's own guttering and down pipes (how to make that aesthetically appealing depends on shape of your roof/house and height of the flyover). Hubby is a builder and HATES box gutters, but a properly done flyover is no issue at all. Good luck :)

Thanks for your thoughts, they have helped us with our decision. We're now planning on using the barramundi roof tile (it's a grey, a bit softer than the soho nights black. And not so shiny) with matching gutter and fascia. And the cladding in paperbark. I was thinking cream windows instead of the timber, so there's some lighter colours on the brick downstairs to tie it to the top. We can't match it exactly to the paperbark cladding because we aren't using aluminium windows, but I'm hoping the cream (which is supposed to be more of an off-white with this manufacturer) will look okay in the clad dormers upstairs. Fingers crossed!

Personally I'd use Manor Red. Probably won't see a lot of it anyway so if theres a discrepancy between Colorbond and tile it won't be as obvious. I'd also guess that the Manor Red would be a darker red than the terracotta tile? Could use Basalt for gutters and facias if you want a bit of grey perhaps?