What do you need to know about the roof design for your outdoor room or alfresco?

Learn the key ways to get it right here.

Hello! This is Episode #211, and in it, I’m going to be talking about the design of your outdoor entertaining area or alfresco. 

And specifically, I’ll be sharing what to consider when it comes to your roof design over this area, so it doesn’t diminish the feeling and functionality of the space, or the interior of the home.

This is a question I get a lot from homeowners. Often it’s because they’ve lived in a home where their outdoor space, and how it was roofed, negatively impacted the way their home worked overall. And they don’t want to make the same mistake in their current renovation or new build project.

For some locations, there can be a debate of whether you need or want to roof your outdoor entertaining or alfresco area, or if that roof needs to just be used at certain times of the year, and then disappear at others.

So, we’re going to dive into all of this. 

Plus, I’ll be also talking about the various things to consider if you have an existing alfresco area that you want to enclose, to grow your home’s space overall.

We have a few different names for our outdoor entertaining areas. They can be simply known as outdoor entertaining, or alfrescos, or decks, or verandahs,or outdoor rooms. And what they’re called can depend on where you are, the design and style of the home you’re building, and the materials you’re using.

So, in this podcast episode, I’m going to refer to them as outdoor rooms – because I think that’s actually a really apt way to describe that these spaces can actually be a whole other room or rooms added to your home design. And that when you get them right, they seriously enhance the experience of your home year-round.

Now, I’ve shared a lot of information on outdoor rooms in various ways on Undercover Architect, so I’m going to add all the links to those in the resources for this episode. 

This includes a podcast episode in Season 2 on the key things to know when designing an outdoor room. In it, I share the mistakes to avoid, and the specific things to know and include so you can get it right.

I’ve also got a hugely popular blog post about ten things you need to make your deck, alfresco or outdoor room great. 

And there’s a blog post on outdoor fireplaces, which many people are seeking to include in their outdoor room.

Of course, landscape design goes hand-in-hand with the design of your outdoor room, and there’s a lot of helpful information on Undercover Architect to assist you with that too.

This episode is going to be specifically about what to consider in how you’re roofing the outdoor room itself, so we can get into the nitty gritty of that.

And, I’ll also talk about some specific things to consider if you’re planning to enclose an existing outdoor room, because that’s another question I get quite a lot too. So stay tuned to learn more about that later in this episode.

But first, let’s jump into the roofing of the outdoor room, whether it’s roofed at all, and the roofing design you’ll choose.

How you design the roofing of your outdoor room will require you to understand some specific things that are unique to your site and the home you’re building or renovating.

I’m going to run through these items one at a time, and give an explanation on why they can impact your decision making, and the design outcome for your outdoor room.

In this episode, I share specific things to consider when deciding if and how you’ll roof your outdoor room. 

These include:

• Thinking about your climate and what it determines in terms of your outdoor room use, and what that will mean for roof design and type
• Then, understand your orientation and what that means for the sun angles at different times of the day and year
• Look at how the roof itself will be created over the outdoor room, and whether it will be part of your overall home’s structure or overall roof, or if it will be a separately constructed element
• Will it have a flat ceiling or a raked one?
• And as part of that, think about whether the roof needs to be solid, and provide shade and rain protection, or if rain protection is not a big priority
• And then whether the roof will need to be permanently fixed in place, or a temporary, adjustable element.
• And if it’s going to be a high space with a taller ceiling, will you need to do anything additional so it still provides shade and weather protection.

This is a really nitty gritty dive into this topic, with some extra information about what to consider when planning to enclose your existing alfresco or outdoor room.

For images that illustrate some of the ideas I’m discussing in this episode, plus a full transcript as well, grab the downloadable PDF we’ve made available.

Listen to the episode now.

RESOURCES:

Access my free online workshop “Your Project Plan” >>> FREE WORKSHOP

Take the first best steps in your project, whoever you’re working with, and whatever your dreams, your location or your budget >>> GET STARTED GUIDE

Access the support and guidance you need to be confident and empowered when renovating and building your family home inside my flagship online program >>> HOME METHOD

Podcast episode “How to create great outdoor living spaces, decks, alfresco areas and pools” >>> https://undercoverarchitect.com/outdoor-living-area-swimming-pool/

10 things you need to make your deck, alfresco or outdoor room great >>> https://undercoverarchitect.com/10-things-to-make-your-deck-alfresco-or-outdoor-room-great/

Outdoor Fireplaces: how to enjoy outdoor living year-round in your home >>> https://undercoverarchitect.com/outdoor-fireplaces/

Landscape design blog posts and podcasts >>> https://undercoverarchitect.com/?s=landscape

Season 1 podcast season “What Matters Most” >>> https://undercoverarchitect.com/podcast/season-1/