Porch & Canopy Specialists

A porch or canopy can improve the look of your home and help protect your entrance from the weather. Building a porch is a relatively simple construction project for DIY enthusiasts and can be built using a readily available materials in a few hours if you have the experience and the right tools to hand. however the complexity of the job depends on the type of roof you choose. The biggest challenge when building a porch is determining the rise and run of your home's roof. If doing the porch yourself you need to start by determining the type of roofing material you want to use (asphalt shingles, tile, slate, cedar shingles etc). Then you need to identify any electrical requirements for lights, fans or power outlets. Finally consider the placement of windows above your new porch roof, you need to leave at least 6 inches below the existing window sills.

Porch Planning Permission & Building Regulations

The planning rules and regulations for porches are also applicable to any external door. In the vast majority of cases, adding a porch to your house is considered to be permitted development, therefore not requiring an application for planning permission. However, to avoid planning when adding a porch to your house you need to ensure that the the ground floor area does not exceed three square metres, no part of the proposed porch is over three metres above ground level, and no part of the porch is within two metres of any boundary of the house and the road.

There are additional specific regulations in place for adding porches to flats, maisonettes or other buildings. Building regulation approval is also not normally required when adding a porch as long as glazing and any fixed electrical installations comply with the appropriate sections of building regulations, the front entrance door between the existing house and the new porch remains in place, and if the house has access for disabled people, the porch must not adversely affect this access. When using the free quote service on MyJobQuote, you can easily find recommended local tradesman who will be happy to provide no obligation prices for any building work by simply providing details of your job plus your preferred method of contact.

However, when comparing quotes, remember to compare on a "like for like" basis, the choice of materials, inclusion of VAT and any planning or building regulation approval can have a large impact on the final costs, as can the removal and dumping of any waste.

Cost to Build a Porch

Prices will vary considerably depending on the type and specification of the porch, but as a rough price guide, the average cost of a basic "cover" porch, just the tiled roof platform with a wooden frame which will provide some shelter you when opening your front door, is around £800. Whereas a fully enclosed 2m x 1.5m double glazed front porch will cost in the region of £2,500 to £3,000. Some builders will price by square metre (using the floor area), the typical quotes will be around £1000 per square metre, but will vary depending on if the porch is fully enclosed or not, whether partially or fully glazed, the type of wood cladding or external brickwork and whether a flat roof or a sloping tiled roof is specified.

Choosing a Builder to Construct a Porch

We have all heard stories about rogue traders and cowboy builders who take your money and leave your home in a worse state than it was in originally. To reduce the likelihood of you hiring a cowboy, you need to ask for recommendations off people you trust if possible. Then think out clearly exactly what you want the tradesmen to do before calling them. Check to see if you are dealing with a reputable tradesman and find out id they are they a member of any Trade Associations, then ask for previous clients whose names and contact details they can give out as references.

Always get several quotes to compare prices, but bear in mind that the cheapest quote is not necessarily the best quote, for your peace of mind it is worth paying extra for a builder you trust. Never use a tradesman that uses door to door pressure sales to get customers and don't pay for the work in advance.