Enclosed Carport with Solar Roller Door and Rear Access – Stockport, Cheshire

This installation in Poynton, Stockport included a full-length passage running between two terraced walls — a common layout in properties of this type across Cheshire and Greater Manchester, where the space between the house and the boundary wall creates a natural covered run if the right structure is put in place.

SBI designed and installed a Simplicity 16 Traditional polycarbonate canopy system to cover the full passage from front to rear, with a solar-powered roller garage door closing the front elevation and a UPVC shiplap cladded rear wall enclosing the back. The rear wall includes a pedestrian door for daily rear garden access, and a cat flap cut directly into the cladding — both supplied and installed by SBI as part of the same project.

Mrs Oldfield wanted the existing passage between her property and the boundary wall fully enclosed and weatherproofed — giving covered, secure parking to the front and a clean, finished rear boundary with rear garden access. Key requirements were:

• A secure covered space – to be used all year round
  A solar-powered roller garage door – with no external wiring or cabling
• A maintenance-free rear wall with a pedestrian door for rear garden access
• A cat flap cut into the rear wall for the household cat
• Consistent anthracite finish throughout the project

The Simplicity 16 Traditional is SBI’s most specified polycarbonate canopy system for carports and covered passage applications. It uses extruded aluminium roof bars on a fully bolted, pitched profile, with 16mm multiwall clear polycarbonate panels that admit natural light into the covered space while providing effective protection from rain.

The system is individually sized to the site rather than built to a fixed module, which made it well suited to this installation — the passage at our customers home had a fixed width defined by the two terrace walls, and the carport was specified to run the full length of the passage from front to rear. The integrated eaves beam carries a concealed gutter and single downpipe, keeping drainage neat and unobtrusive against the side walls.

All aluminium components are powder-coated in RAL 7016 Anthracite Grey with a textured finish — the same specification used throughout the roller door and UPVC rear wall, giving the completed installation a consistent, considered appearance from front to back.

The roller door fitted to the front of this carport is solar-powered — it has an integrated solar panel that trickle-charges an onboard battery, allowing the door to operate by remote control throughout the year without any connection to the mains electricity supply.

For a covered passage installation like this one, where the canopy is not attached to a powered building, a solar door removes the need for any cabling or groundwork to bring power to the door motor. There is nothing to route through the fabric of the property and no reliance on an external supply. The door closes and opens cleanly, sits flush when rolled, and maintains a neat uncluttered front elevation.

See our solar garage door page for full details on SBI solar-powered roller doors.

The rear elevation of the carport is enclosed by a full-height wall built from maintenance-free UPVC shiplap cladding on a bespoke aluminium framework — all designed, supplied and installed by SBI. UPVC shiplap cladding is a practical choice for this application: it requires no painting or treatment, resists moisture, and retains its appearance indefinitely. The anthracite finish matches the carport frame and roller door throughout.

Set into the rear wall is a pedestrian door providing direct access from the carport into the rear garden. This allows day-to-day access to the garden — and to the carport itself from the rear — without raising the main roller door. The door opens inward into the carport and gives a clear, weatherproof threshold between the two spaces.

At Mrs Oldfield’s request, a cat flap was cut and fitted directly into the UPVC shiplap cladding panel at the base of the rear wall. This allows the household cat to move freely between the rear garden and the covered passage without requiring any door to be left open. The cat flap is set into the cladding cleanly, with a neat frame around the opening.

The cat flap is a small detail in the context of the wider installation, but it illustrates the level of customisation that SBI’s bespoke approach allows. The rear wall is not an off-the-shelf panel system — it is built to the specific dimensions of the opening, with whatever access requirements the customer needs, including non-standard openings like this one.

Important note: The images below show the completed SBI installation with AI-enhanced surroundings, illustrating how the carport space will look once the wider renovation and landscaping works at the property are complete.

SBI are a family-run business, established in 1998, designing, supplying and installing carports, roller garage doors, verandas and awnings across England and Wales. We carry out every element of each installation ourselves — survey, supply and installation — with no subcontractors. This project is typical of the bespoke work we undertake: not a standard kit installation, but a fully specified solution to a specific site.

• Free home survey across Cheshire, Greater Manchester and the North West
• Solar-powered roller doors — no mains power required, no cabling or groundwork
• UPVC shiplap cladding end walls with integrated doors, windows and bespoke cut-outs
• Polycarbonate canopy systems for covered passages, driveways and car ports
• 400+ five-star reviews across England and Wales