It’s an interesting thought, but why not? After all, you know more than anyone else what you want out of this new addition to both your home and your garden, so you shouldn’t rely solely on what someone else thinks you should have. If you do that you are likely to be disappointed in some respect.

The trick is to design what you would ideally have and then confirm whether it is possible with whoever is going to build it for you. Sometimes there may be limits on length or size that need to be borne in mind with verandahs, so adjustments may need to be made.

Before you get to that stage though, it’s good to think about your needs and what you think you will use the veranda for. Do you often use your garden for entertaining and you would like to enhance it in some way to make it even more practical? While we would all like to have a garden which constantly has the sun on it, it can be a disadvantage too if you have no shade at all to make use of during the summer months.

Think about shape too. Your veranda doesn’t have to be a boring square shape! Do you have the room to run it the whole length of the back of your house? Perhaps going for this idea, along with adding an extra large section in one particular area for entertaining, would work well in your garden? Sketch out some ideas and give yourself – and your family, if appropriate – some time to decide what would work best for you.

You should also think about the size of your garden as a whole. How much of that garden are you willing to give up to building a veranda? This is more relevant if you have a small garden, since a big one will be able to take a larger section of veranda jutting out into it if that is what you want.

And of course you shouldn’t forget style. A simple flat roof might be just what you are after – something understated and simple, and yet elegant at the same time. But if you still want the choice of getting some sun and air through to your veranda, you could choose a sunroof instead which lets you open the roof up whenever you wish. This model also closes whenever it starts to rain, so you don’t need to worry about staying nearby if the clouds start to roll in!

But of course if you fancy a more elaborate design you may decide to opt for a gable end roof that adds more style to your home. It’s entirely up to you but certain designs do tend to look better on verandas of a certain size.

The moral here is to think about what you want and then take the practical advice of a professional as well. That should enable you to end up with the perfect design that you have always wanted.