Patio roofs, conservatories and carports: one request in Ireland

A patio roof is usually a frame fixed to the house wall and supported on posts, with a roof of polycarbonate sheet or glass. Aluminium frames are powder-coated, need little maintenance and allow wide spans; timber frames look warmer but need treatment and more posts. Glass roofs let in more light and last longer than polycarbonate, but they are heavier and need a stronger frame.

Louvred roofs have motorised aluminium blades that open for air and close against rain. They cost more, need a power supply and depend on a well-designed gutter in the frame, because rain running off closed blades collects fast. Side screens, glass sliding walls, heaters and lighting can be added, but every addition that encloses the space moves it closer to being treated like a building.

A conservatory has a glazed roof and largely glazed walls; an orangery has more solid wall and often a flat roof with a lantern. Both can overheat in summer and lose heat in winter, so glazing specification, ventilation and blinds matter as much as the frame.

The structure has to cope with wind and snow loads for your location, so ask what loads the system is designed for. Rainwater from the new roof has to go somewhere: into an existing downpipe, a new drain or a soakaway. Fixing to the house wall needs sound masonry and a proper flashing where the roof meets the wall; a bad joint here lets water into the house.

• frame material, colour and roof covering (glass type or polycarbonate thickness)
• dimensions, number and position of posts
• footings for posts and base for a conservatory
• wall connection, flashing and guttering, and where rainwater drains

Whether the garden project needs planning permission depends on what is built and where. Many small works on a house are exempted development within set limits, but that exemption does not apply everywhere, for example to protected structures. Ask your county or city council's planning office before you commit if you are unsure.

Electrical work in homes is carried out by Registered Electrical Contractors, and gas work by Registered Gas Installers; ask to see the registration before work starts. Check whether the quote includes VAT, which Revenue charges at different rates depending on the goods and services involved.

Source: revenue.ie

You confirm your mobile number with a text code and your email address with a link. We then show the request to businesses in your area, without your name or contact details. Only one business can take it on; it pays Offrano for the request, and it costs you nothing.

Before that business sees your details, we email you its name, address and phone number. We check only that it is a registered business, for example through its Companies Registration Office entry or VAT number, not the quality of its work. We cannot promise that a business will respond; if nobody takes the request within 21 days, we withdraw it. Offrano is not a party to any contract for the work.