ᐅ Louvered Roof for 3x5m Rooftop Terrace – Experiences / Tips?

Created on: 30 Jan 2022 15:33
H
Hamburch
Hello everyone,

I am currently considering adding a roof structure over my rooftop terrace.

What am I aiming for?
Basically, I want to be able to use the terrace more days throughout the year. At the moment, it cools down quickly when the sun goes down and some wind picks up. I imagine that my planned solution (see below) would protect the terrace—especially the dining area—from wind and light rain, while still preserving the spaciousness of the terrace by leaving it open toward the lounge area (which is under the awning). We usually have west winds here.

The main challenge is the wind, which is nearly always present even in good weather (7th floor). A sun umbrella quickly reaches its limits in these conditions. After having an awning installed last year, I still have almost no shade at the seating area for most of the day due to the sun being either too low or coming from the side. Therefore, the new roof should also be able to block the late afternoon sun if needed.

Here is a picture. The terrace is 5m (16 feet) deep and 6m (20 feet) wide. The wall faces north.
The awning is about 3.25m (10.5 feet) wide. To the left of the exhaust pipe, there is about 2.85m (9.4 feet) of wall.
Not visible: The pipe comes out of the floor about 20cm (8 inches) away from the wall, so with a different route upward, the terrace roof could be about 3m (10 feet) wide.

Rooftop terrace with dining table and chairs, grill, planter boxes; brown drawn dog in the foreground; city view.


Here is my idea:
A 3m (10 feet) wide by 5m (16 feet) deep louvered roof (or alternatively an awning, e.g., Q.bus) with zip walls facing west (as shown in the photo) and south (to the left). The louvers do not need to be retractable, as that would exceed the budget.

I hope this explanation is clear. I would appreciate your opinions, especially any experiences with louvered roofs and recommendations for manufacturers or models. Also, from your experience, does the wind protection work well enough so that, for example, playing cards is possible when the zip awning walls are down? Because of the exposed location, the entire structure needs to be wind-resistant.

I will receive offers from Corradi and Warema (Lamaxa L 50) next week, but these will probably exceed $30,000 with zips, LEDs, and heaters. That seems like a lot of money but appears to be “normal.” Warema’s delivery time is currently around 6 months, which I would like to avoid, so I would be happy to hear about any alternatives.
A Q.bus would be about 50% cheaper, but I find the louvered roof much nicer.

Thanks in advance for your input, critical feedback is welcome.
H
Hamburch
31 Jan 2022 08:13
I appreciate your participation, but did you even read my initial post? 😉

Maybe my comment about the sunshade was a bit confusing; it was just a side note to indicate that there can be quite a breeze there.
guckuck2 schrieb:

Whether a “zip side panel” is suitable for that… well.

That’s exactly where I’m looking forward to hearing experience-based feedback.
G
guckuck2
31 Jan 2022 08:22
Hamburch schrieb:

That's exactly where I'm looking forward to hearing about practical experiences.

Good luck.

I would advise contacting the proposed manufacturers to find out what they say about the wind resistance of their products.
K1300S31 Jan 2022 08:23
Hamburch schrieb:

How did you solve it on the sides?
ZIP screens. These are specially made from fiberglass, so they are quite durable—usable even in windy conditions—and keep out the rain.
H
Hamburch
31 Jan 2022 08:26
@guckuck2 what do you mean by that?
K1300S schrieb:

ZIP screens. They are made specifically from fiberglass, so they are quite durable – usable even in windy conditions – and keep out the rain.
So, you stay dry with the screens even in wind and bad weather? And the louvered roof wouldn’t have kept you dry? That’s different from what I’ve been told before.
K1300S31 Jan 2022 08:27
Yes, we do, although the average wind speed here may not be quite as strong as in Hamburg. During storms, you wouldn’t sit outside anyway, but otherwise, it makes a significant difference and is surprisingly stable despite the span.
H
Hamburch
31 Jan 2022 08:32
Great, thank you! Which manufacturer are your screens from, and how large is the area?
I'm not really concerned about sitting out there in very bad weather, especially not in the rain. The main issue is the gusty wind, which can be quite annoying.