In order to create stainless steel and glass canopies, specific authorizations are required, to be requested from the Municipality. In fact, according to recent rulings (of 2011), in order to build a shed it is compulsory to ask for permission to build and, subsequently, the DIA, an acronym that stands for Report of Start of Business. The use of this particular administrative process occurs exclusively in the case in which a work has to be built that determines the creation of new volumes, modifying the territorial structure. Furthermore, a clear distinction is made between pergola and canopy: in fact the pergola is open on all sides (even the upper one) and is a structure destined to create shade; the steel canopies stainless steel, on the other hand, can also be used as a shelter and increase the habitability of the building itself.

The cost of the shelters is very variable and this marked price fluctuation depends on different factors: material used (stainless steel, polycarbonate or glass), actual dimensions and chosen design. As an example, let’s take a polycarbonate canopy (which has much greater impact resistance than glass). Prices can fluctuate around two hundred and thirty euros, if the steel brackets are, for example, in liberty style (more worked) and the dimensions of the slab are one and a half meters long by eighty-five centimeters wide. Gradually, then, that increasingly greater lengths are considered, higher costs are also reached: if the length is four meters, the price is five hundred and fifty euros; if it is six meters and is even wider (about one meter) it can cost over a thousand euros.

In most cases, stainless steel canopies consist of two fundamental elements: firstly there is the structure that has load bearing functionality and secondly, the real accessory element of coverage. The supporting structure is characterized by resistant materials (stainless steel, in fact), in the form of simple or more elaborate brackets or in the form of bolts fixed to the wall, with tie bars for the cover itself. As regards the accessory element, this can be made of glass or polycarbonate, which is more resistant. In any case, in case of breakage, the pieces of glass remain glued to the internal PVB film, avoiding falling to the ground. In both cases, however, resistance tests are always carried out, in compliance with safety regulations.

Only in certain situations, i.e. when the surface of the stainless steel is exposed to corrosive processes, could traces of rust be noticed. For example, these situations mainly occur in the presence of a high degree of humidity in the air, due to contact with pollutants, such as acid rain or chemicals in general, mainly present in highly industrialized areas or in very busy. An agent that can cause the oxidation of steel is also saltiness, coming from water splashes or chlorine (an element present mainly in swimming pools). Therefore, to solve this problem, it is advisable to use specific products for cleaning steel, easily recoverable on the market.