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

[Pat]

Polycarbonate panels are the way to go. I installed some on a patio roof 
about 15 years ago and they don't show any signs of dieing any time soon.
In looking at the installation information on the site I see that they 
recommend aluminum nails. I used cad plated roofing screws with rubber 
washers. They are about 2" long so they go through the panel, the 
corrugated material under the panel, and into the rafter.

As for free standing framing, it may be tough to get it to work with 
high wind loads. My roof was on the lower edge of the roof, so I removed 
the fascia board and extended the rafter tails to go to the outside of 
the deck. It helped that the wall on that side of the deck was 10' tall!

Peace,
Pat

Thusly spake Obaa:
> 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!
> _______________________________________________
> Support Team.Net  http://www.team.net/donate.html
>
> You are subscribed as pat at hornesystemstx.com
>
> Shop-talk mailing list
>
> http://autox.team.net/mailman/listinfo/shop-talk
>
> http://www.team.net/archive
>
>
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com 
> Version: 8.0.138 / Virus Database: 270.5.4/1567 - Release Date: 7/22/2008 4:05 PM
>
>
>
>   

-- 
Pat Horne, Owner, Horne Systems 
(512) 797-7501 Voice		5026 FM 2001
Pat at HorneSystemsTx.com	Lockhart, TX 78644-4443
www.hornesystemstx.com
-- We support Habitat for Humanity - a hand UP, not a hand OUT --