Gable roof lantern on a patio cover: glass above the terrace

When does a gable roof lantern on a patio cover make sense?

A solid patio cover against the rear wall takes light away from the living room. A glass strip in the roof gives that light back. The gable looks best on a free-standing cover in the garden, or on a cover with its own ridge. The glass then follows the shape of the roof. See also a roof lantern in a patio cover.

If your cover has a shallow mono-pitch roof against the wall, a lean-to lantern follows that shape better. A gable on a mono-pitch roof easily looks like a separate object.

• Free-standing cover or cover with its own ridge
• Terrace where you want to sit outside in the rain
• Living room behind the cover that became dark
• On a shallow mono-pitch roof a lean-to fits better

Can your patio cover structure carry a glass gable?

A patio cover is often lightly built, in timber or aluminium, and designed for roof sheets or polycarbonate. Glass is considerably heavier. A glass unit easily weighs several tens of kilos per square metre. So have your builder or structural engineer check the beams and posts beforehand. The difference between the materials is explained in glass or polycarbonate.

Dimensions: a gable roof lantern is as standard up to 6 metres long and 4 metres wide per roof slope. For a cover of 4 by 3 metres, a glass ridge 2 to 3 metres long is often plenty.

Which glass should you choose above a terrace?

Under a patio cover you sit directly beneath the glass, often at the warmest time of day. For a south-facing glass roof, DagLichtDesign recommends solar control glass or shading. Read what solar control glass in a roof lantern does. HR++ double glazing is standard. Triple glazing makes little sense under an open cover, as the space is not heated.

Because you sit underneath it, safety glass is a logical choice. Laminated glass stays attached to the interlayer if it breaks. More on this in safety glass and laminated glass.

Drainage, delivery and installation

Water runs through the self-cleaning drainage system in the bottom rails to the gutter of the patio cover. If there are trees nearby, make the gutter generous and keep it clean, because leaves will end up in it sooner or later.

Your own builder or handyman installs the lantern using the installation manual for each roof type. Rather not arrange it yourself? The regular installation partner can do it, as a separate line in the quote. For an indication of the total, see the cost of a roof lantern on a patio cover.

• Photo of the patio cover and the roof dimensions
• Material of the structure: timber, aluminium or steel
• Position of the terrace in relation to the sun
• Location of the gutter and the downpipe

Frequently asked questions