Which roof shape suits your house?
Flat or skillion. One sloping plane, and the simplest to build. It suits most modern homes and can tuck in under an existing eave if there's enough height.
Gable. A pitched, triangular roof that adds height and lets hot air rise away from you. It tends to suit houses with a pitched main roof and gives a more open feel.
Attached or freestanding. Joining to the house means fixing to the fascia, the roof or the wall, and that junction is where most patio leaks start. A freestanding patio avoids the join but needs posts and footings on every side.
Older homes often have curved bullnose verandahs (a rolled steel profile). Matching or replacing one is more specialised work, so mention it when you ask for quotes.
Steel, insulated panel or polycarbonate?
Steel sheeting, often Colorbond, is the most common choice. It's tough and fully shades the area, but on its own it radiates heat down on a hot afternoon and drums in heavy rain.
Insulated panels are two steel skins with foam in between. They cost more, but the space underneath stays cooler and quieter, and the underside comes finished, so lights and fans can go straight into it.
Polycarbonate lets light through, which matters if a solid roof would darken the living room behind it. Laserlite, a polycarbonate maker, says its sheets need at least a 5 degree pitch, with the UV-protected side facing the sun, or they can leak and discolour. Our page on polycarbonate roofing compares the grades.
Do you need council approval?
Often, yes, and the rules sit with your state and council. In NSW, some minor work counts as exempt development if it meets the state's exempt development code, but not on heritage-listed land. In South Australia, the advice is simply to ask your council whether your plans need approval. Size, height, boundary distance and whether it attaches to the house all matter.
Who can build it matters too. In Victoria, domestic building work worth more than $10,000 generally needs a registered builder. In WA, patios and carports under $50,000 haven't needed a registered builder since 1 July 2026, but permit rules still apply. In NSW, home warranty cover is required for most residential building work over $20,000. Get the approval answer in writing before you pay a deposit.
What a good patio quote spells out
- Size, roof shape, and the exact roofing product and colour
- Post and beam sizes, footings, and how the roof attaches to the house
- Gutters and downpipes, and where the water will drain to
- Who arranges approval, and whether the fees are included
- How the design handles wind loads at your address
- Lights or fans, and the licensed electrician doing that work
- Licence number, insurance and warranty terms
What you can do first, and what needs a builder or roofer
You can
- Watch where the sun falls across the area through a day before picking a roof
- Find out where underground pipes and cables run before posts are positioned
- Think about where downpipes could drain without flooding a garden bed
- Check the council's planning rules for your address, or ask a building surveyor
- Clean polycarbonate with warm soapy water and a soft sponge, never a pressure washer, which Laserlite says strips its UV layer
Leave to a roofer
- Footings, posts, beams and the roof itself
- Fixing to your fascia or main roof without creating a leak
- Gutters, flashings and drainage
- Electrical work, which needs a licensed electrician
Where we'd start
We'd work out how you'll actually use the space, then choose the roof. If it sits off a living area that cops afternoon sun, we'd spend the extra on insulated panels, because the comfort difference is what gets people out there. And we'd get the approval question answered in writing before paying any deposit.
Want a roofer to take a look?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match it with a Find My Roofer certified roofer who specialises in that kind of work, and they call you to quote. Your number goes to them alone.