Polymer glass, also called polycarbonate, is a very popular building material used to create lightweight roof structures of small and large size. Modern polycarbonate awnings in the courtyard of a private house are easy to install and are an alternative to ugly and obsolete slate roofs, for the arrangement of which, the help of a roofer was often needed. One of the main advantages of polymer glass is its ease, which makes it easy to work with the material itself. However, polycarbonate sheets are produced in different types and thicknesses, and also have a wide range of color solutions, which makes it difficult to make the right choice. In this article, we will talk about the features of the material, as well as popular types of polycarbonate awnings.
Sheds of polycarbonate in the courtyard of a private house - features of the material
To choose a quality material for your canopies, you need to understand its features, so to begin with, let's see what positive and negative qualities polycarbonate has, and also understand why it is so popular.
Advantages and disadvantages of material
Advantages of polycarbonate:
- High resistance to changes in temperature and humidity;
- Resistance to ultraviolet light;
- Low weight of material;
- Fire resistance;
- Material safety due to the absence of fragments during cracking or breaking;
- The plasticity of the material allows you to make beautiful curved designs;
- Low thermal conductivity;
- The optimum size of roofing sheets allows you to make a large canopy of polycarbonate in the courtyard of a private house with a minimum number of joints;
- Long service life.
Disadvantages of polycarbonate:
- The large monolithic sheets have a sail effect, so they need to be strengthened very carefully;
- Low resistance to mechanical influences, however, this disadvantage can be minimized by taking the material thicker;
- The high cost of monolithic polycarbonate sheets.
Type of polycarbonate sheet
Depending on the size and design of your future canopy, you should determine the type of material, because the general appearance of the gazebo or open car canopy depends on the appearance of the cover. There are two types of polycarbonate: monolithic and cellular.
Monolithic polycarbonate has much greater mechanical strength and good optical properties than cellular polycarbonate and is used as a replacement for conventional glass. The disadvantage of monolithic mineral glass is a greater weight, relative to the honeycomb, with the same thickness.
There is, also, a subspecies of monolithic carbonate, called profiled. It is used for roofing structures subjected to high loads.
To make a light and elegant polycarbonate canopy in the courtyard of a private house you need to use cellular polycarbonate. This material is ideal for household use because it has low weight and optimum strength. A feature of this type of polycarbonate is the presence of internal ribs of stiffness, which form small cells or "honeycomb" between layers of material. It is these "honeycombs" that make the material soundproof and heat-insulating properties.
Canopies of polycarbonate in the courtyard of a private house: photos of popular structures
The choice of this or that type of canopy is affected, first of all, by the size of the covered space, as well as the budget allocated to the structure. For complex canopy designs, it may be necessary to provide professional roofer services that deal with polycarbonate. There are many varieties of awnings that differ in design and have their own characteristics, however, they can all be divided into five main types:
Arched sheds
This canopy design is the most popular, and is often used to cover the courtyard of a private house, a terrace or an open car parking space. Urban residents came up with a good solution: to use polycarbonate as a roof for balconies. The advantage of this design of the canopy is high resistance to wind load and free descent from the roof of precipitation, in the form of snow and rain.
Read also: Canopies for cars made of polycarbonate - 30 photos
Cascading awnings
Very stylish look cascading prefabricated awnings from polycarbonate in the courtyard of a private house, which consist of several structures located one above the other. Canopies of this type are used to cover high areas with many steps and to avoid precipitation on the bottommost steps.
Shed canopies
Shed canopies из поликарбоната во дворе частного дома весьма просты по конструкции и очень популярны. Для монтажа не нужно устанавливать дополнительных усилителей и изгибать поликарбонат, стоит лишь правильно выбрать угол уклона крыши и толщину материала. Исходя из вышесказанного, не составит трудности сделать односкатный навес из поликарбоната во дворе своими руками.
Shed awnings
Двускатный навес из поликарбоната во дворе частного дома чуть сложнее конструктивно, чем односкатный, однако, он более устойчив к ветровой нагрузке и лучше защищает от осадков. Shed awnings к дому из поликарбоната применяются для защиты зоны барбекю или крыльца.
Tent roofs
To make an original and beautiful canopy of polycarbonate in the courtyard of a private house, you can resort to using a hipped structure. The hip roof consists of triangular segments, changing the shape of which, you can get a roof in the form of a cone, dome or pyramid. This type of canopy is structurally more complex than single and double sheds, but better protects from the weather.
