The questions we get asked most about glass door canopies and porch canopies, answered briefly. To see sizes and prices, go to the glass door canopy range.
What types of glass canopy are available?
Canopies come in a wide range of shapes, sizes and fitting styles. We hold several standard designs online in varying widths, which cover most front doors, back doors and porches. As specialist architectural metalworkers we also make one-off canopies to an architect's drawing or a customer's sketch, which is a large part of what we do.
- Modern glass door canopy - bracket supported, five widths from 1140mm to 2200mm, the most popular
- Suspended glass door canopy - hung on stainless tie rods for a lighter look
- Wide span glass door canopy - 2000mm to 2400mm, for double doors and wider openings
- Ornate glass porch canopy - powdercoated steel, for period and traditional frontages
- Modern glass corner canopy - for a door set into a corner
What glass and what finish?
The standard canopies use 8mm toughened safety glass with all edges polished, clear as standard and frosted available on any width at no change to the fitting. Toughened glass is safety glass: if it is ever broken it goes into small blunt granules rather than shards.
On the modern, suspended, wide span and corner canopies the brackets, clamps and wall fittings are 42mm marine grade G316 stainless steel with a brushed finish, which is the grade that holds up outdoors. The ornate porch canopy is powdercoated steel instead, and comes in black, anthracite grey RAL 7016, white or any other RAL colour, which usually suits a traditional frontage better than stainless.
If a specifier or an architect has asked for a laminated pane rather than toughened, tell us at enquiry stage and we will price it, because it has to be specified before the glass is made.
Where does the water drain off?
It depends on the canopy. On a smaller porch canopy the usual answer is to install it with a slight tilt so the water runs off the side you want it to, away from the door and away from where people stand.
Larger canopies, and most commercial ones, are designed with a gutter along the leading edge and a downpipe taking the water into a drain. That has to be designed in rather than added later, so if the canopy is over a main entrance or a wide opening, say so at enquiry stage.
Will it stand up to snow and wind?
The standard designs are sized for normal UK domestic conditions. What changes that is an exposed or upland site, a wide span, or a canopy sitting under a roof that will dump snow onto it. Tell us the width, the projection and roughly where you are, and we will tell you whether a standard design suits or whether it wants something heavier.
Are your canopies easy to install?
The standard canopies sold online go up with reasonable DIY skills, or by any local builder or tradesperson. They arrive with the steelwork and glass as pictured, fixings for both timber and masonry, and basic fixing instructions.
What matters more than the canopy is what you are fixing it into. The wall has to be sound and capable of carrying it, so check the substrate before you order rather than after the pallet turns up. For larger or more complicated canopies we would leave installation to a professional, and we are happy to quote supply and install.
Can I get a bespoke size?
Yes. Every canopy is made in our Sheffield workshop, so a variation is straightforward. There is often a need to adjust a design to suit a particular frontage, a door reveal or an awkward wall, and that is normal rather than an exception. Send a photograph of the doorway and the width you need.
How long does a glass canopy take?
The smaller clear glass widths are held in stock and go out in two to three days, or you are welcome to collect from Sheffield. Other widths, frosted glass and anything bespoke are made to order and typically take three to four weeks.
Do I need planning permission?
Normally no. A porch canopy over a door is generally permitted development on a house, within the usual size limits. You may need permission if the property is listed, in a conservation area, or if the canopy projects over a public footpath. Check with your local planning department if any of those apply.
How do I look after it?
Stainless is simple to clean but it does need cleaning, particularly near the coast or a busy road. Warm soapy water and a soft cloth, about as often as you clean your windows. Powder coating wants the same. There is more in our product maintenance guide, and we sell a stainless steel cleaning kit if you want the right products to hand.
Where to buy
Related guides
- Toughened and laminated glass guide
- Material finishes and quality standards
- Glass quality standards and quality of vision
- Product maintenance
- Delivery and installation
- General FAQs
- All Dio-Met guides and regulations
To discuss a canopy, call 0114 243 9009 or email sales@diomet.co.uk with a photograph of the doorway and the width you need.