Covering materials

When it comes to covering the supporting structures, the primary consideration may be whether or not you want to let light through. For patio covers, we mainly use transparent covers (glass or polycarbonate), while for carports and wellness houses we use full covers that do not let light through.

glass cover

The primary characteristic of glass covers is that the covered area retains its open feel, as it is a completely transparent material, so you can see the blue sky and the sun.

If your patio is not insulated, a two-layer glued glass cover is sufficient. Bonded safety glass is typically created by gluing two layers of glass together with safety film. The film itself can be of different thicknesses, matt or coloured, depending on your security needs. As a first step in the process, the film is applied to the cleaned glass surface and the primary bond is created by rolling or vacuuming. The final bond between the film and the glass surface is then created at high pressure and temperature.

In the event of breakage, the film keeps the opening closed, prevents foreign objects from entering or falling in, protects against falling and prevents glass splinters from sticking to the film and causing damage.

In the case of bonded roof glazing, tempering or toughening of the individual glass layers is recommended to further increase durability and longevity. Typically we build our roofs with 5+5 mm glass layers, but for extreme slab sizes (over 2.8m x 1m) 6+6 thicknesses may be required.

The length of each glass panel used typically varies between 2m and 4.8m and so, depending on the depth of coverage, several segments may need to be fitted. The glass panels are bonded with special structural silicone.

If you want to have an insulated roof for your terrace, you should use insulated roof glass with an air gap between the top and bottom layers to provide insulation. The bottom layer of the roof glazing is made of double-glass, bonded safety glass, which provides the security required for glass covers.

To secure the glass, we use a watertight aluminium clamping system, consisting of a rubber-locked longitudinal clamp and a powder-coated cover rail profile.

Advantages
Disadvantage
fully translucent, providing an open sense of space
for enclosed terraces or conservatories, it can heat up easily (“greenhouse effect”), shading may be required for the cover
heavy duty, durable design
dirt quickly, this can be aesthetically unpleasing
less knocking in rain, medium soundproofing
one of the most expensive designs

See some of our glass roofing references

HOLLOW CHAMBER POLYCARBONATE

Cavity polycarbonate is a more cost-effective alternative to glass covers. It is made of plastic and is available in different thicknesses and colours.

The thinnest cavity chamber polycarbonate we use is 10mm thick and has an air gap between the top and bottom layers. The 10mm version is mainly used for open terraces and driveways as this material provides little thermal insulation.

For terraces, we recommend primarily clear polycarbonate with a clear cavity chamber, which is translucent and allows most of the light to pass through, so that sufficient light can enter the building after the terrace roofing is installed. For driveways, we recommend the smoke-coloured version (commercially referred to as “bronze”), which absorbs and blocks most of the light’s heating rays, making it ideal for protecting cars from heating up. The cavity chamber polycarbonate panels we use are 100% UV protected, providing a long-lasting, durable solution.

Another advantage of cavity chamber polycarbonate is that it is easy to tailor, easy to create special roof designs and, as a flexible material, can be used to create curved roof solutions.

For conservatories and insulated terraces, 16 mm or 24 mm thick polycarbonate with cavity chambers, which already has thermal insulation properties, can be the ideal solution.

Professional installation of the polycarbonate cavity chamber ensures the durability of the cover (no humidity, no dust in the cavity chamber). And to secure the polycarbonate, we use the same watertight aluminium clamping system as the glass.

Advantages
Disadvantage
can be both translucent and light filtering, on request
in the case of enclosed terraces or conservatories, they heat up easily (“greenhouse effect”), shading may be required for the cover
also suitable for the construction of curved solutions
can be mounted with smaller rafter spacing than glass
medium-low price design
knocks when it rains, not well soundproofed

See some of our references with cavity chamber polycarbonate

TRAPEZOIDAL SHEET COVER

Trapezoidal sheet is an economical building material made from iron sheet and finished with several layers of factory-produced surface protection. We build our trapezoidal sheet metal roofing with T35 (i.e. 35mm rib height) trapezoidal sheets.

The T35 trapezoidal sheet is available in natural galvanised, alucink or colour painted versions. The outer (roof) surface is available in a variety of colours, while the inner side of the panels is always factory-finished in off-white. This type of sheet is also available with an anti-condensation felt coating, which provides excellent protection against condensation.

An additional advantage of trapezoidal sheet covers is that they can be manufactured to precise dimensions, so there are no losses and delivery can be scheduled precisely. The plates are fixed to the rafters with watertight washers and screws. The bolted joints are easy to dismantle, so the structure can even be moved to a new location.

Advantages
Disadvantage
economical building material, one of the lowest priced coverings
typically used in industrial solutions, not always suitable in a family house environment
easy to disassemble, recyclable
knocking in the rain, not well soundproofed
full shading if required (e.g. for carports)
simply insulated covering solution (even in the future)

See some of our references with trapezoidal sheet metal roofing

ZSINDELY FEDÉS

Bituminous shingles are a typical roofing material and a common construction solution for residential buildings. The versatility of roof shingles is really shown in the construction of the roof sections. Its ease of cutting, shaping and bending makes it orders of magnitude easier to work with than other traditional roofing methods, such as tiles or sheeting.

Shingle roofing is available in a variety of colours and shapes. Typically, the rectangular (square) version is requested by our customers, but there are also beaver tail and +d effect versions. To ensure watertightness, our buildings are designed with a shingle underlay, which contributes to the long life of the roofing.

Under the shingle covering, a 25 mm thick OSB board support layer is built. If required, we also recommend a separate layer of plywood under the OSB to create an aesthetic interior surface.

The shingle roof can also be made as an insulated roof. In this case, we put Rockwool rock wool insulation under the OSB layer and seal the roof with plywood from below. The plywood ceiling can even be recessed for recessed lighting.

Advantages
Disadvantage
full shading if required (e.g. for carports)
labour-intensive solution
simply insulated covering solution (even in the future)
medium price version

See some of our shingle roofing references

SANDWICH PANEL

In our experience, sandwich panel roofing is becoming increasingly popular in the family home environment. One reason for this is that sandwich panels are a versatile, durable, cost-effective range of products, whether for renovation or new build.

The sandwich panel has coated steel armouring on the outside and inside, which includes an insulating core, known as a ‘ thermal insulation core ‘. incorporates PUR or PIR material. The sandwich panel is also ideal for roof and side wall cladding.

For roof sandwich panels, we typically use a 5-8 cm thick, 3 or 5 rib design. The outer surface of the sandwich panels is available in a range of colours, but the inner surface is factory finished in off-white. For decks and garages, this colour combination can be ideal as the interior is typically a light shade, while the exterior colour of the covering harmonises with the surrounding colour scheme (e.g. house).

When sandwich panels are fixed, the individual panels meet or the panel connection is achieved by overlapping the upper and lower gun plates, thus ensuring continuous thermal insulation and thermal bridge-free operation. The thermal insulation fill also reduces the noise load so that the sandwich panel covers effectively damp out the louder noises and vibrations.

Rock wool filled sandwich panels are not only good insulators, but also have excellent fire resistance, i.e. they can meet the above requirements, and are therefore suitable for the sides, roofs and fire compartments of buildings. It is non-combustible and resistant to fire for up to 60 minutes.

Advantages
Disadvantage
economical building material, one of the lowest priced coverings
typically used in industrial solutions, not always suitable in a family house environment
easy to disassemble, recyclable
knocks when it rains, not well soundproofed
can be combined well with both wood and metal structures
full shading if required (e.g. for carports)
insulating cover

See some of our sandwich panel references

WE BUILD VALUE

We build aesthetic and functional spaces