Having a verandah attached to your Adelaide home might make you as Aussie as Mick ‘Crocodile’ Dundee, but putting culture aside, verandahs are also highly practical and look good too.
The good looking Adelaide verandah
To have the best Adelaide verandah in the street, get your Akubra hat and crocodile jacket on (well, actually, these are optional!) and step outside your home to take a good Captain Cook at where you want your verandah to go. Because the number one rule of having a verandah that looks as good as it is practical is to factor in the style of your existing home.
While there are many styles of verandahs that can be built, there may be only one that will perfectly match your house, flat or unit and this will generally be the best choice. Take into account the roof style of your home, the materials and colours used, and any special features that you may want to replicate in your verandah.
The practical Adelaide verandah
When it comes to practicality, the most important aspect is the size. You’ll want a verandah that matches the way you intend to use it. So, if you’ll mostly use your verandah for relaxing with your small family or for intimate gatherings, a smaller verandah will suffice. But if you have a larger family or entertain regularly, you’ll need a larger verandah. To paraphrase Mick Dundee, “Call that a verandah? That’s a verandah!”
Another practical aspect of your verandah, and one that is also very important, is where you want it to be located. The entry/exit points from your home will be a major influence on this decision, but don’t forget to also consider the weather, in particular the sun and prevailing winds.
For example, and to state the obvious, a verandah situated on the eastern side of your Adelaide home is going to get morning sun, while one on the western side is going to get evening sun. The evening sun can get hot in the summer and while you can control this (e.g. with outdoor blinds, natural vegetation and screens) it is worth considering. If possible, a verandah on the north of the home is perhaps best because it will receive protection from the high summer suns while letting lower winter suns in.
Similarly, with the prevailing winds, you may want to situate your verandah so you get protection from the winds and the rain and hot or cold conditions it can bring. Again, wind can be controlled with outdoor blinds to increase comfort under your verandah.
Great verandahs – no bull
To give you an example of a verandah that looks as good as it is practical, take a look at the bullnose verandah on this page, designed and built by Outside Concepts.
The origins of the bullnose verandah can be traced back to between 1840 and 1890, and they’ve been popular in Australia ever since. With corrugated sheeting for the roof and often combined with cast-iron lacework, bullnose verandahs are aesthetically pleasing. They also perform a great job of keeping the elements out.
But bullnose verandahs suit older style houses –we have plenty of great examples in Adelaide. If you have a more modern house, however, go for a more contemporary style of verandah, like the other image on this page.
Concept to clean up. Call Outside Concepts for a free quote on 1800 601 674.
