Urban Front explains the benefits of a canopy or porch for your front door
Urban Front canopies provide cover and protection, usually by sitting directly over your door and giving an overhang which projects from the front of a building. This overhang depending on its size can be beneficial shelter against rain, sun and wind. A bit like an umbrella for your door.
Occasionally, a door roof canopy can be created by the roof and soffit too. Or a door can be set back from the front face of the building creating protection from the elements in that way.
A porch on the other hand is often more enclosed, it can have sides, pillars or windows but it can also be a completely enclosed space with a door of its own.
A door that is set well back from the front face of the building but with an open front might be considered a type of porch/canopy hybrid. If you are building or renovating from scratch, this type of front door protection is useful to plan into your design.
However, a standalone canopy can still provide a simple, effective solution if you want to add additional protection to your front door. See below for more examples of different canopy & porch styles.
Most importantly, any protection provided for your door will reduce the amount of maintenance you do over time. This applies to all door finishes including liquid metal doors, steel doors, painted doors, lacquered and especially oiled hardwood doors.
If a door that is covered by a large canopy doesn’t get any rain or sun on it, then in most cases it is completely protected from exposure and weathering.
However, if the door only has a small overhang of 500mm or so, then it would disproportionately get rain and sun on the bottom half of the door and it would therefore weather more than the top half. Making sure the entrance has an overhang that extends to a suitable distance so that it’s protecting the whole of the door is a good way to keep maintenance to a minimum.
The main example where the above wouldn’t apply as easily would be if you live in a very highly exposed location, by the sea for example, where you are naturally more open to the elements and in that particular case have the added measure of corrosive saltwater to consider. In these locations, a more robust covering like a partially or fully enclosed porch would be recommended if low maintenance is important to you.
For more information on maintaining your door go to https://www.urbanfront.com/faqs/door-maintenance/guide
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Urban Front
Tel: 01494 778 787
Email: info@urbanfront.co.uk
Web: https://www.urbanfront.com