When you have a patio, you want it to be somewhere you can actually sit, which often means building or buying a cover so that it stays out of the sun. Learning how to build a metal roof patio cover is important if you are looking into the DIY route, and if you take on some hard repair and renovation projects yourself you’re going to save some cash.
Let’s take a closer look at how you can build a metal roof patio cover for your home yourself!
Start with Materials
The very first thing that you should consider is the materials that you use in your patio renovation project. The materials are important here, because you’re looking at building a metal roof patio cover. You want something that can withstand the weather, you also want to ensure that you don’t have to spend too much money.
Corrugated metal roofing works here because it’s resistant to high winds and heavy rain, it’s lightweight which means it’s not going to weigh down the side of the home, and it structurally sound – it’s rarely going to warp. If you use corrugated metal, you can also change how you sit the patio cover at the side of the home. The patio cover could then start at the edge of the house’s roof, and slope right down which leaves you with clearance on the lowest part of the frame.
When it comes to buying your materials, be flexible about it. Get to know the local code so that you can ensure that your new patio roof is going to be acceptable for your local area. You also want to shop around so that you can make sure that you get the best possible price on the metal as well as all of the fixings involved. You don’t need to buy too much, so make sure that you go to the store that will give you the correct materials for the job and look over the plan with you. This way, you are not bullied into buying things that you don’t need.
Get A Permit
While we are talking about buying the appropriate materials for your metal roof patio cover, you need to consider whether or not you need a building permit. Some people may tell you that it’s not necessary to get a building permit just for a patio cover, but you need to call the permit and licensing office to get the correct answers. Some home improvements can raise your taxes, and other home improvements require a permit. Building a metal roof patio cover is one such improvement that does require a permit. It won’t raise your taxes necessarily, but if you’re going to make alterations to the house, a building permit will be needed. Make sure that you call ahead first, because your local government may see different!
Starting the Build
Now that you have your permit and you have your materials and your roof, it’s time to start the build! Once you’ve unloaded your materials, you need to make sure that you have everything in the right order and in the right pattern to match where they will be assembled. Consider the way you would build flatpack furniture – you check to see you have all the fixings and fixtures and you make sure you have the right tools and you mainly out the pieces if you order that you would need them. You should be doing the same thing here. Let’s take a look at the steps to build this.
Install the ledger board
Making sure that you have very solid framing for your metal roof patio cover is important which means that you need to check your local building codes to see the size of ledger board that you need to install. You can then pre-drill the holes in the ledger board that will tell you where everything needs to slot in. If you’re using treated lumber, this is important because the deck screws will need some help to get started. After you attach the ledger board with the right decking screws, you can use staple guns to keep any cable lines on the inside towards the house. This will protect them from the weather, and improve the exterior aesthetic because all of the cables will be out of the way.
Dig the post holes for the frame of the patio roof cover
It can be difficult to figure out where to dig these, as most people would like them to be exactly a certain length from the roof edge. Consider where your home’s foundation is first and the roof’s drip edge next. You need to make sure that you use accurate measurements and here is where you should think about using a contractor to do this for you. You can use a simple shovel to dig the holes and you can use a garden hoe to stamp down and compact the dirt at the bottom of the holes.
Ensure that all the posts are even
How are you supposed to ensure that the very tops of these posts would be even when they were placed into the post holes? If you’re not doing this with help, then you also need to figure out how to attach the rest of the frame to a post that would already be standing upright. One of the best ways to do this is to lay a board on the patio slab and set a bubble level on the end of that board. You can then take the end of the board to the hole and stand it up straight. This can help you to learn where you need to lift it from. A contractor or a company to help you to build your own metal roof patio cover is best here.
Assemble the rest of the frame
It’s best to do this on solid ground, because you don’t want to have to hold everything in place with one hand while you are trying to install decking screws with the other. You need to cut for braces at precisely 45° angles. Measure the width of the board with a ruler, then mark the legs from the end of the board and cut from there to the corner to make a triangle of wood that is exactly the right shape. Next, you want to square the pieces for assembly. With the braces cut, you can lay the frame on the ground in the position that they will eventually be in and continue working from there. Once you have done this, you can prepare the joists.
Raise the frame
If you are doing this without help, you are going to need the help of prop sticks. A single framing nail is needed to attach a 10 foot long board with your choice to the outside of the frame, one board length away from the bottom of the frame on both sides. These boards can rotate on the nail, and hold up the frame as you lift. The other end would be on the ground, preventing the frame from falling back down again. In the middle, you can then attach the right board to the center post and lift from the very end. The leverage cuts the strength needed left the frame in half. As you lift the frame, walk towards it and have the frame standing in the post holes without straining. You can then attach the choice to both sides and secure the corners with chopsticks and center lifting board.
Pour the concrete
You should have the frame attached to the joists and the joists attached to the ledger board on the house before you do this. You need to ensure that the frame is perfectly level across the top, so lift the posts just a little, and add a bit of dry concrete ready mix to raise the height enough to make the bubble in your level read perfectly. Once the posts are straight up and down, lift and move the bottom and into the post holes. Measure with your level after each adjustment that you make. When you let things settle, pour the concrete and get ready to go.
Letting the concrete dry and finishing up
After the frame is up, all you need to do is attach the boards to the top of the joists and screw the metal roof to those bolts. You need to make sure that the upper end of the metal sheets go under the drip edge and Ruth decking of the house. You also need to add some sealer along the edge of the metal sheets before overlapping them so that they can remain waterproof under the patio. You can use this patio any time that you like now that you have built it yourself.