A flat RCC porch soffit gives you one clear height. A Mangalore tiled bungalow verandah, or any sloping chajja, does not. The timber or steel member you hang from sits under a roof that drops toward the eave, rain drips past the tile edge, and a chain that looked fine on a flat ceiling can put the lantern in the wet or in a doorway. This note is the site measuring sequence we ask architects and dealers to run before they pick a code from our hanging lights range. It sits beside the general drop note in porch pendant drop and clearance and the size-by-ceiling example in hanging lantern size by ceiling height. Those stay useful. This one is for the slope.
Why a tiled slope changes the hang
On many Indian bungalows the verandah roof is clay tile or metal sheet on a slope. The hang point is a rafter, a purlin or a beam under that slope, not the tile face. Height from finished floor to that member changes as you walk from the wall toward the eave. A lantern fixed too close to the drip edge catches monsoon sheet. A long free chain under a shallow slope swings and can foul a door leaf or a swing seat.
We cast the hanging bodies in aluminium with a B22 holder as standard. The catalogue lists height by width in inches on each product page. Your job on site is to decide where the canopy plate will sit, how much clear headroom remains under the lowest glass, and whether a compact body fits that gap better than a tall cage.
Five steps on the verandah
- Stand under the intended hang bay, usually centred between two columns or under a beam line that already carries other services. Mark the floor spot with chalk so later photos match the same place.
- Find the structural hang point above that mark: a timber rafter, a steel purlin or an RCC beam under the tiles. Do not plan to screw a canopy into the tile underside or into thin cladding alone.
- Measure finished floor to the underside of that member at the mark, in metres or feet, and photograph the tape in frame. On a slope, also note the height one metre toward the eave and one metre toward the wall, so you see how fast the roof drops.
- Trace the rain drip. Look at the outer tile or sheet edge and the drip mould or gutter. Keep the lantern body well inside that line so water sheds past the glass rather than onto it. A deep chajja helps; a shallow eave leaves less safe depth.
- Write three numbers for the quote: clear height at the hang point, the body height you can spare after keeping about 2.1 to 2.2 m clear under the lowest glass on a residential verandah, and the horizontal setback from the drip edge. Then open the catalogue.
Compact codes that fit a shallow tiled bay
Shallow verandahs with a low eave favour short bodies. From the hanging range, these sit well when the measured clear height is tight:
- PHL 2623, Raw Grey, 9×5 inches
- PHL 2611, Matte Black, 13×8 inches
- PHL 2613, Antique, 12×8 inches
- PHL 2624, Matte Black, 14×5 inches
- PHL 2617, Antique, 15×7 inches
When the hang point is higher under a steeper pitch or a taller bungalow verandah, mid bodies such as PHL 2601 (Raw Grey, 16×8), PHL 2610 (Antique, 16×7) and PHL 2619 (Raw Grey, 16×7) still leave room for a short chain. Tall cages such as PHL 2606 at 26×8 or PHL 2620 at 48×24 belong on a high portico or double-height entry, not under a low tiled eave.
Finish against the verandah materials. Matte Black reads clean on pale plaster and painted steel. Antique suits brick, sandstone and dark timber. Raw Grey sits with grey stone and board-marked concrete. Order every pendant in one coating run when a long verandah needs a matching row.
Chain length under a slope
Chain is there so the site can trim the drop. Under a slope, prefer the shortest chain that still centres the lantern in the bay. A long free length turns the cast body into a pendulum when monsoon wind drives under the tiles. Where the die and the brief allow a rod, a rod limits sway better than three metres of loose links.
Drop length is clear height at the hang point, minus the clearance you want under the glass, minus the catalogue body height, allowing for the canopy plate. If the junction box sits off the bay centre, say so on WhatsApp. We would rather adjust the hang than ship a look that fights the box. Empty housing or glass with LED is a packing choice covered in empty housing versus glass and LED; frost versus clear glass is in clear or frosted lantern glass.
Mistakes we see on tiled verandahs
- Measuring under the ridge or wall end of the slope and hanging at the low eave with the same chain. The lantern then sits too low where people walk.
- Fixing the canopy into cladding or into a tile batten that was never meant to carry a cast pendant.
- Placing the cage past the drip line so every heavy rain wets the glass and the holder.
- Choosing a tall body because it looked right on a flat hotel soffit photo, then finding it fouls a door swing or a hanging seat.
- Ordering half the row now and half next season, so the powder coat shifts slightly along one verandah.
If the verandah has no sound hang member at all, stop forcing a pendant. A wall lantern on the column or the house wall is the honest answer, covered in wall lantern mounting height and on wall lights.
A worked bungalow bay
Take a four-bay tiled verandah with columns at about 2.4 m centres. Clear height at the chosen hang points is 2.85 m. You want about 2.15 m under the lowest glass. That leaves roughly 0.7 m for canopy, chain and body. A 13×8 or 14×5 pendant such as PHL 2611 or PHL 2624 fits with a short chain; a 26 inch body does not. Four matching pieces, one per bay, keep the row aligned with the structure.
Four pieces sit in the retail band (one to five). A society or dealer fitting several bungalows in the same design will usually step into a trade lot from 10 pieces. Lots of 100 and above are project-priced. Billing is INR ex-works Aligarh, with freight quoted separately. Packing and dispatch notes are on the shipping page.
Questions architects ask about a sloping tiled verandah
Can the canopy fix into the tile underside?
No. Hang from a timber rafter, steel purlin or RCC beam under the tiles. A canopy screwed into tile cladding or a thin batten will not carry a cast pendant safely.
How close to the rain drip can the lantern sit?
Keep the cage well inside the outer tile or sheet edge so monsoon water sheds past the glass. Measure that horizontal setback at the hang mark and write it on the quote with the clear height.
Which hanging codes fit a shallow tiled verandah?
Short bodies such as PHL 2623, 2611, 2613, 2624 and 2617 suit a low eave. Tall cages such as PHL 2606 or PHL 2620 belong on a high portico. If there is no sound hang member, use a wall lantern on the column or house wall instead. The range is on hanging lights; wall brackets are on wall lights.
What to send for a sloping-roof quote
Send a daylight photo of the verandah from the garden, a close photo of the proposed hang member, the tape photo at the mark, the three numbers from step five, preferred codes or finishes, empty or glazed, quantity and city. Trade WhatsApp: +91 70176 62533. The 2026 catalogue PDF carries dimension drawings for every PHL code above.
This measuring sequence draws on workshop knowledge shared by Yogendra and Dharmendra, Kunal's father and uncle.