Roofing a porch should set you back over £1000 – but you can cut the cost (or increase it!) depending on the porch roof materials you choose.
We’ve put together this short guide to help you make an informed decision – including the good, the bad and the cost of porch roof materials.
Cedar Shingles
Cedar shingles are beautiful, especially if you have a wood cabin or lodge porch that you’re hoping to roof. They also age beautifully and add character to a home – as wood usually does!
The first thing you’ll notice with Cedar shingles is that you can find them in 3 different grades; Blue, Red and Black. Blue label is the top quality grade wood, cut from 100% heart wood and should be 100% free of any knots or imperfections. It’s the only wood label that professional roofers will recommend for roofing a home as imperfections reduce the lifespan of the roofing material. However; Red label also is very low in imperfections and can be used effectively for porches – and they cost quite a bit less! Black label is the lowest grade allowed for roofing, and also comes at the most discounted price – but beware, it may be a false economy for your porch roof, as it might need to be replaced faster than if you use Red or Blue label wood.
They are the most expensive option in our guide – but sometimes you have to pay more for the perfect porch roof.
Cost: Cedar Shingles start from £45.99.
Light Weight Tile
Tiling a porch roof can be especially costly, not just in porch tiles themselves, but also the installation costs. If your main roof is tiled with traditional tile, it’s hard to imagine anything else will do – however, you may not have heard of lightweight roof tiles.
You can get lightweight metal and bitumen tiles for your porch roof that look like real tiles, match your current roof tiles, but cost less than the real thing and you could even install them yourself. They come in ‘sheets’ of tile, usually sets of 5 in a row, that you lay on top of each other. This brand new way of roof tiling is cheaper than traditional tiles and looks incredible when installed.
All three types of tile listed below come in multiple colours so you can pick something that suits your porch; and should you want an area that lets light though, you can even add a clear ‘window’ section to your roof with the bitumen tiles.
Cost:
Bitumen One pack from £24.95 (covers 2.17m2)
Corotile One pack from: £23.99 (covers 0.81m2)
Metrotile per sheet tile from: £13.20 (covers 0.46m2 and comes with 40 year guarantee)
Corrugated Foam PVC
Corrugated foam PVC is a great option if you’re looking for something that will last well and doesn’t burn a hole in your pocket. It looks good, is incredibly simple to install and is very cheap. It boasts non-fading colours and comes with a five-year warranty.
Being impact resistant and suitable for all weather conditions, it really is the perfect option for our changeable weather; the only drawbacks are aesthetic. It only comes in 4 different colours, and some people don’t find the single panel look appealing, but if you have a roof in a similar colour it could be the perfect solution for you.
It even comes cut to size, so installation is seriously simple.
Cost: Per sheet from £21.61 (covers 1.8m2)
Coroline & Onduline
As with corrugated foam PVC, coroline and onduline roof materials come in large sheets rather than tiles. They’re made of bitumen, a synthetic material which is usually melted together at the seams to form an impenetrable waterproof roofing sheet. Coroline and Onduline are at the forefront of bitumen roofing; allowing incredible waterproofing while reducing the less desirable assets of old bitumen roofing which could overheat.
Coroline is a thinner version of Onduline, and as such is slightly cheaper. The only real difference is that Onduline, being a thicker version, should last longer than Coroline so might be a better investment. Like bitumen tiles, you can also get clear sections of Coroline and Onduline if you’d like to allow light onto your porch while staying out of the rain.
Again, if you are installing your own porch roof, these porch roof materials are an incredible option, being simple to install but incredibly long-lasting.
Costs:
Coroline starts at £9.49 (covers 2.6m2)
Onduline starts at £10.95 (covers 3m2)
Polycarbonate
If you’re looking for a glass porch roof or door canopy, but decided against it because of the cost or safety worries, you might want to consider polycarbonate. Flat polycarbonate is often used as it is 200 times more impact resistant than glass and can be cheaper.
If you’re looking for the very cheapest option, however, walled polycarbonate is definitely the best option. Water and weatherproof, and coming in multiple colour options, as long as you’re happy for light to shine through – polycarbonate is a great option. You can even use it for conservatory roofing, so porch roofing is a perfect fit too.
Costs:
Walled polycarbonate sheet from £1.30 (covers 0.74m2)
Flat polycarbonate sheet from £23.66 (covers 1m2)
Porch roof materials – which is right for your porch?
Whether you’re building a large porch or a small door canopy, there’s so much to consider when choosing your porch roof materials – cost, installation, aesthetic and longevity. Ultimately, all the above options are perfect, depending on your needs.
Before you buy your porch roof materials from just anywhere online, you might be interested to know that here at eRoofs you can expect:
Super fast FREE delivery on orders over £100*
48 Hour delivery on many products
Instant FREE credit for Schools, Colleges & More
Handy FREE installation guides (and even instructional videos!)
Incredible prices on all of our roofing products
*Free delivery applies to most of the UK, but some areas may incur a charge, unfortunately – please check the eRoofs website for more details.
I never knew about bituline roofing materials until I read this article – very informative. I also appreciated the breakdown in labels of cedar shingles. My wife and I are preparing to re-roof our home and this was a great material guide.
My favorite part of this article is when you’ve mentioned that walled polycarbonate is definitely the best option. And that aside from using it for conservatory roofing, it is also appropriate for porch roofing. I will certainly be considering it when we renovate or make a roof repair.