Pressed for time? Here are the key points.
- hade Blade has fixed, angled blades. You get filtered light and a breeze, with protection from light rain only.
- Sunroof louvres open and close, from full sun to fully closed. The electronic option adds a rain sensor that closes them for you.
- Cooldek is a solid insulated roof. It reduces heat from above and the noise of heavy rain, with a ceiling-style finish underneath.
- Choose the roof by how you’ll use the space, then confirm the details at your free measure and quote.
Melbourne weather rarely sticks to one plan. In the morning it might be completely still, by lunch there is a hot northerly wind, and then by dinner it’s changed again and starting to rain. Your patio roof is the decider on whether you can still be relaxing outside when this happens.
Stratco’s patio roof options handle that day very differently, from a Shade Blade to a Sunroof vs. an Insulated Roof. Each suits different Melbourne homes and landscapes, and it can be hard to know what the right option is.
The questions you ask at your measure and quote will matter a great deal in deciding which patio roof type to choose for your outdoor space.
Patio roof options at a glance: Shade Blade vs Sunroof vs Cooldek
Which Stratco roof suits your patio? This table compares the three patio roof options side by side, so you can quickly rule one out.
| Shade Blade | Sunroof | Cooldek | |
| Light | Filtered, all the time | Full sun to full shade, your choice | Shade |
| Heat | Shade from direct sun, air moves through | Close for shade, open for airflow | Reduces heat from above |
| Rain | Light rain only | Blades close for rain protection | Solid roof |
| Adjustability | Fixed | Remote or manual crank, rain sensor with electronic control | Fixed |
| Noise | Ask at your measure and quote | Weather strip in the blades reduces noise | Reduces noise from heavy rain |
| Ceiling look | Angled blades overhead | Louvres overhead | Smooth or V-groove ceiling-style underside |
| Lighting | Ask at your measure and quote | Downlights set into the louvre blades | Downlights, with wiring hidden in the panels |
| Best use | Light and a breeze | Sun you can control | A cooler covered room for year-round use |
How each Stratco roof works
Each is a different roof system, from fixed blades to moving louvres to an insulated panel.
Shade Blade: fixed blades for filtered light and a breeze
Stratco Shade Blade attaches to an Outback pergola as a row of angled, fixed blades. Sunlight comes through filtered, and air keeps moving, so the space stays bright and open while you’re still sheltered from direct sunlight.
Each blade has a small gutter that protects against light rain. In a heavy downpour, it’s best to plan on heading inside. Shade Blade can also be installed vertically as a side screen if you want more privacy from your neighbours.
Sunroof: louvres you can open and close
The Stratco Sunroof louvres roof uses rotating powder-coated aluminium blades that you set to suit the weather. Open them completely for overhead sun, tilt them partway for shade with airflow, or close them for protection from the rain.
You control the adjustable louvres electronically, with a remote or wall switch, or manually crank them to your preferred position. Choose the electronic option, and a rain sensor closes the blades automatically, even if you’re not home. With extra hardware, you can also control it from your phone.
Stratco makes the Sunroof in flat and gable designs. We installed a remote-controlled Sunroof for a café in Heathmont, and a manually operated louvred roof in Essendon.
Cooldek: an insulated roof with a ceiling built in
Cooldek is a roofing material and ceiling in one: a polystyrene core permanently bonded between a profiled steel top and a smooth coloured steel underside. One product gives you the roof, insulation, and ceiling.
That core reduces heat from above on hot days and cuts the noise of heavy rain. Underneath, you can choose a smooth or V-groove finish, then add downlights with the wiring hidden in a rebate built into the panel.
In Montrose, we built a Cooldek patio over an existing deck that looks out to the forest.
Which roof suits your household?
Start with how you’ll use the outdoor space, not the product name. Once you know that, the patio roof options narrow.
Shade blade vs louvre roof: light and a breeze, or sun you control?
Choose Shade Blade if you’re happy with a fixed roof that gives shade and airflow for afternoons outside, and you’re happy to move indoors when it rains. It suits a pergola where a bright, open feel matters more than full cover.
Choose the Sunroof if you want adjustable roofing so you can change the setting through the day. Open it for winter or afternoon sun, tilt it for summer shade, and close it when the weather turns.
Insulated patio roof vs louvre: a room you can use all year
Choose Cooldek if your patio works as an outdoor room off the kitchen or living area. If you want a permanently covered dining space for winter, or somewhere the kids can play on wet weekends, a solid insulated roof is the more practical choice.
Choose the Sunroof if you want cover in bad weather but don’t want to give up the sky on mild days.
Best patio roof for summer, and the rest of Melbourne’s year
On a hot north-wind day, Cooldek’s insulated panels reduce the heat coming through the roof. The Sunroof tilts for shade with airflow, and Shade Blade keeps direct sun off while the breeze moves through.
When a cool change brings rain, Cooldek is already covered, and the Sunroof closes. Shade Blade handles light rain only.
Winter is where the Sunroof stands apart, because you can open it to let low sun in. Cooldek gives you a covered room through the wet months instead.
For more ways to manage the heat for your outdoor living space, here’s how to keep your patio cool during summer.
What to ask at your free measure and quote
Your measure and quote is where patio roof options turn into a design for your home. Consider these questions:
- Span and attachment: Will the roof attach to the house or stand free, and how far does it need to reach between posts?
- Drainage: Where will rainwater go? This matters most for louvres and fixed blades.
- Lighting and wiring: Where do you want lights, a fan, or power, and can the wiring be planned before installation?
- Manual or electronic control: For the Sunroof, this decides whether you get the rain sensor.
- Permits: You may need a planning or building permit, depending on your design, property, and local planning rules. Victoria’s building regulations treat an open, unroofed pergola differently from a roofed structure, and we organise the permits your design needs.
- Colours: Which framework, gutter, and roof colours suit your home best?
If you’re left with any more questions about the installation process, see how our installation process works.
Find the patio roof that fits how you live
Still having trouble deciding? That usually means the answer depends on your site, including which way the patio faces, which room it opens from, and where the water needs to go. Those are the details we check on site when we work through patio roof options with you.
We measure and quote for free anywhere in metropolitan Melbourne. Book your free measure and quote, or check the suburbs we cover and browse our Stratco outdoor patios.
FAQs about Stratco roofs for your patio
Will an insulated patio cover make the room next to it darker?
A solid roof blocks light where it covers, so it can change how much daylight reaches nearby windows. Which way your patio faces and how far it projects both play a part, so talk it through at your measure and quote.
Can birds set off the Sunroof’s rain sensor?
Occasionally. Stratco notes that a bird can trigger the sensor and close the louvres. You can reopen them with the remote or wall switch.
Can we add lighting to a Sunroof we already have?
Yes. Stratco makes a retro-fit controller kit that pairs its louvre lighting with the motor controller on an existing Sunroof.
Which roof is easiest to keep clean?
Stratco describes Cooldek’s smooth steel underside as easy to clean. Louvres and blades have more edges, so ask how to look after your chosen roof at your measure and quote.
