For the umpteenth time today, we’ve had people come in looking to replace the polycarbonate patio cover/outdoor living area at their home

We made a business decision close to 10 years ago to remove polycarbonate from our range of patio covers and I think it’s been proven that we made the right decision.

At the time & even more so now, we were finding that we were pulling down patio covers that had polycarbonate roof sheeting. So we sat back & reviewed why.

1. Heat was the #1 reason
2. Dirty – they found that it looked great for the first week it was installed but it quickly got dirty. People are time-poor, thus it never got cleaned & it got worse & worse.
3. Aesthetics. Polycarbonate needs a heap more framework to support it, which can often make it look top-heavy & gives more places for the spiders to make webs around.

“But I don’t want to lose any natural light inside” I hear you ask.

It is a balancing act – you want to maintain their natural light in the outdoor living area & at the same time not lose any light internally say to the kitchen or living areas. No matter what type of structure you build, you will lose some percentage of light internally.

But I look at it this way. Creating a correctly designed outdoor living area that you can use all year round, means that you are gaining so much more compared to the small amount of internal light lost.

And there are ways around that too. Don’t forget that you can always install an internal skylight in the internal living area. But I would say that you would already need one regardless of the patio cover out the back.

So, what can we do?

1. Design correctly
2. Select the best materials
3. Incorporate accessories.

So What are my Alfresco Area Material Options?

Lined Ceiling

Incorporates exterior ceiling lining or even timber board linings – both of which are painted.

Opening & Closing louvers

The ‘Rolls Royce’ of patio covers Australia. It gives you perfect ‘flexibility’ to your outdoor living space

Insulated

Your next step up from the Colorbond “Premium Series” option. With more color options, you still have the option to include a light panel but the great part is that you can hide your electrical wiring through the roof sheet. This way you can actually put a light, even a downlight on the sheet.

“Premium Series” Colorbond

Great looking roof sheet with a flat ceiling. Will span unsupported up to 4 meters & you can incorporate light panels that are 31cm wide.