Canopy porch

try Brico Centre in Lucca near the Esselunga.they have a good selection of metal/plastic porches. Be Carefull if you go for a larger one with permanent fixings, as the Commune needs to be notified and permission obtained.

We have a house near you and spent several days of our vacation looking for good looking canopies. We went to Leroy Merlin, where most of them were made of plastic, and the ones made in metal were very modern. We looked at Brico, but all of their models were made of plastic and more cheap looking than the ones at Leroy Merlin. Papeschi in Gallicano had a couple of models which seemed to be of good quality - still plastic, and still a bit modern. On the plus side was that they had them in a number of differnt sizes. We have an old house and would really like to find something made of black iron. We are thinking of asking our lokal blacksmith to make one and then order the plastic roof separately. Since I have ssen a number of good looking ones on other houses I thought that finding a nice one would be easy. I was wrong!

We would like to build a canopy above our front door but our problem is that our front door has an arched "borrowed light" window above it and then the whole frame is then edged in an arch made of stone.  This means that if we put a canopy above the stones it will be so high above the front door itself.  And if we put it lower it will cut off the top of the arch which spoils the effect.  We think, as the house is about 200 years old, that the original door was a wooden arched one.    Anybody got any ideas for us then please. Sorry to intrude on your thread. Maralyn

I am repeating the information contained in the other thread, as this one seems to be concentrating all the answers: Have a look at the Unopiù catalogue: http://www.unopiu.com/structures-pergolas-and-gazebos/1068/102/ and this item in particular: http://www.unopiu.com/esdra/782/116/ But you can look at the Arles and Dafne models as well. I think that this is what you are looking for. The cover is made of polycarbonate (not plastic) as glass is no longer used for safety reasons. Unopiù has products with an excellent quality. Prices are high, but you pay for quality. I think that the nearest shop for you would be the one near Florence,:  http://www.unopiu.com/espositoreDettaglio.plp?idContent=63866&idNazione=127 If you go there, have also a look at what Leroy Merlin at the I Gigli shopping Centre can offer. I saw them in France, but I cannot find them in their Italian catalogue. Good luck! Smeralda's suggestion about the blacksmith may also be a solution, particularly if you cannot find the size and shape that you need. As I said, Unopiù is expensive, but there is a big difference quality wise.

I made my own Cover, from two large steel angle supports affixed to a wooden board, topped with roof tiles. You can use the plastic 'Roman' tiles if weight is an issue. We painted this up an it looks very professional even if I say it myself. But remember that the structure has to be 'Removable' or you will need permission from your Commune.

Certainly plenty to think about - thanks everyone.  I too am beginning to think that maybe we could reuse the metal frame of the existing structure and fit a new cover of some sort.