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[Shop-talk] Building/adding a deck cover?

To: Shop Talk List <shop-talk@autox.team.net>
Subject: [Shop-talk] Building/adding a deck cover?
From: Obaa <obaa996@yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:22:33 -0700 (PDT)
Hi all,
I'm in the planning process of adding a deck cover to our rear deck; the goal 
is to have a sheltered area that I can move the kids' stuff to from the garage, 
and free up space there (Actually got this idea from a previous thread from 
someone doing something similar).  The deck is a second-story deck (our lot has 
a steep slope), and is roughly 9' deep x 30' wide.  It faces west, and thus 
gets a beating from the sun in the afternoons, with ambient temps in the 90's 
(to possibly low 100's on occasion) during the summer.  For most of the rest of 
the year, it is wet and drizzly (Portland, OR).  No snow load to speak of, but 
there is the possibility of high winds (60+mph) a few times a year.
I wanted to do something quick and temporary, since we were thinking of razing 
the deck in the next 2-3 yrs and adding an addition, but with the way things 
are, this cover might be in service for significantly longer.  According to the 
county, no permit is required for anything under 200 sq. ft. and freestanding, 
so this is what I'll stick to.
I went shopping at Lowe's over the weekend, to see what I could find.  I found 
some Tuftex corrogated panels (www.tuftexpanel.com/polycarb.htm), which I 
thought would make a reasonable roof.  They have two grades, one with lifetime 
warranty, and the other with 0 warranty; a call to Tuftex support indicated 
that they expected replacement between 2-10 years, so I think I'm sticking with 
the higher grade stuff.
Regarding framing the cover, it needs to be standalone, so I can't attach it to 
a ledger board.  I think I can form a sufficient stable base if I use brackets 
to attach 4x4 pillars to the deck directly above where the current supports 
are.  To attach the roof, I found a local lumber liquidator that has a large 
number of half-gable trusses with an acceptable pitch (1 in 3) which I can 
shorten to the correct length.  The trusses are triangulated pretty well, but 
are only made of 2x2's (they were originally made for manufactured homes).  How 
can I calculate if these are strong enough?  (the panels are ~15lbs each, 
supported on 14" centers).
What would be really nice would be finding some free design software like HD 
has for building decks, but for designing covers or roofs.  Sadly, my google-fu 
skills are not good enough.  Does anyone know of any they can send my way?

Thanks!
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