Patio Covers

[Blueskies21]

As part of our proposed build we're thinking about building a patio cover over the deck we plan to build. Most likely due to cost constraints I will GET to build both of those things. I'm sure I can figure the deck out, there are plenty of deck building books. Any ideas on resources to figure out how to build a patio cover? Does anyone have one they are proud of and would like to share pics?

Right now my plan is to remove the gutters on that portion of the house and have the patio cover come off the fascia boards, any issue with that? I'm not sure how the height will work out, I think the fascia is at like 9 ft and right now the plan is for the Patio cover to extend 10 ft out from the house. I'm thinking I could have a minimum height at 10 ft out as 8 ft which only allows 1.2 inch drop per foot, any idea if that's enough?

We're probably not building until this winter so I've got plenty of time to figure it out, but I've got ideas to build a lot of different things (deck, shed, patio cover) so it's starting to stress me out as I don't really know how to build any of them yet. Just looking for ideas and support.

Blueskies

 

[alanpaul]

Blueskies (makes me think of Brewskies),

There are many types of Patio Covers. I'm guessing you mean the 'arbor / pergola' type:

It's a little like building a deck in the air, only the deck boards (open roof) are often standing on their edge the length of the structure, not laying down. And the support for the roof is also much more open air.

Usually, you tie the ledger board into your ceiling/roof joists (depending on your house), if you don't want support posts right by the house. As a rule, the eaves of your house cannot support the additional weight of the structure. If you do require support posts near the house wall, plan their size and location carefully.

One important thing to think about with this build is the movement of the sunlight across the patio, which will determine the direction of the standing roof boards. There are plans online and in DIY books.

What ever you do, remember that posts require piers into the ground, just like the deck does, and your local building code will tell you about the necessary depth due to frost-line calculations. It's very possible that you will be able to have some piers do double-duty, supporting both the deck and the pergola, but you will need to check with someone who has greater expertise than I do.

Good luck with your plans, B.

 

[techguy]

Not sure of the specifics but if bugs and termites are issues In your area, when you attach the ledger board to house, it becomes part of the house, you can create a pathway for termites into your structure and the inspection laws may change. If you build it free standing ( not attached to the house) you may remove these issues.

Just an idea.

 

[Blueskies21]

Thanks for the replies guys! Good to know on the potential change of inspection if it's attached vs not and on attaching it to roof joists rather than fascia.

My wife really likes the pergola type but I was thinking more like an extension of the roof which I would shingle over. I think the plus of that would be that I don't have to worry about the orientation of the sun vs the boards (though honestly I didn't know that was how you did a pergola right anyway, thanks Alan!) Also in a totally covered situation I could put a ceiling fan and lights under the cover. My wife really wants an "outdoor living space" so she's looking at those giant fancy outdoor couches and I think the only way I'm willing to spend that kind of money on an outdoor couch is if it's covered so it'll last.

I ran the idea of a screened in porch by her and that was a no-go but essentially what I'm thinking about is a roof with a couple of columns and a deck under that. Maybe if the mosquito's are bad enough she'll want to enclose it later.

I assume to make such a patio cover I'd be talking about some 6x6 posts with a crossbeam and then maybe 2x6's running out from the roof joists onto the crossbeam, cover that with plywood or osb on top and then roofing felt and shingles??

My concern with that plan is that the plywood would probably look bad from underneath, maybe try to finish the underside of the 2x6's with some type of beadboard? My concern there is will something like beadboard work outside without sucking in too much moisture and falling apart?

So you can see I still have lots of questions.

 

[alanpaul]

BSkies,
I think you're on the right track, though I had to laugh when you noted your wife wants something different than you do! Who's surprised at that?

As to the beadboard, I'm not entirely sure. You can certainly "waterproof" it with paint on the top, bottom and all edge surfaces. I like the idea of using it as the decorative finish surface.

There's also "anaglypta", a thick paper or vinyl wallpaper that's textured in many designs, including the tin-ceiling look; it's not cheap, and I'd look for the vinyl type if I were using it outdoors.

To build exterior privacy walls, we used James Hardie exterior cement board. It comes in several design textures and trims. We primed all sides of the cement board before installing, and we caulked all seams before final painting. Maybe that could be your ceiling?

I'd hit Lowe's or HD to see, and ask them for suggestions, too.

Our covered patio, original to the house, has a stucco ceiling. We installed lighting and a fan, which makes a big difference.

Also, consider "mosquito curtains". Some are roll-down, and some hang like tie-back draperies which she might think are attractive.

 

[lauriec62]

[attachment=0:1zg74qz8]Patio Finished.jpg[/attachment:1zg74qz8]We had ours built last year and absolutely love it! Changed the entire dynamics of our backyard so much that we are putting in an AG 16' X 24' pool, hopefully starting installation next week. You'll never regret doing a covered patio. We could not exist here in Texas in the summer without it and don't know how we managed for so many years without one. Good Luck on your build!

This is a photo taken the same day it was completed. We've since then stained and sealed it and also added two outdoor rated ceiling fans.

 

[lauriec62]

[attachment=0:1yaqiu0o]Patio cover finished with fans (resized).jpg[/attachment:1yaqiu0o]Here's a more updated photo of the patio cover with more emphasis on the newly installed ceiling fans.

Once the pool is in the backyard will be complete... for now!

 

[Blueskies21]

That looks great! That's kinda what I'm thinking but I want to tie it into the house roofline. I just can't decide if doing it at the gutter level is high enough or if I need to figure out how to tie it into the roofline higher somehow. It looks like yours is detached but is higher than the house roof?

 

[lauriec62]

Yes it is a little higher than the roof. Our backyard is wide, but not very deep. Because of the distance from our house to the fence, city regulations would not allow us to attach it to the roof which is what we initially wanted to do. We had our installer build a freestanding one instead that goes over the roofline but does not attach to it. It does a fantastic job of shading our patio and even though it's not attached, we have no leaking or any water issues from the house roofline at all.

 

[Blueskies21]

I hadn't considered the codes implication of having it attached to the house. So it's too close to the side fence or the back fence? I didn't notice before that it actually goes back over the roofline, very cool. Seems like you managed to get what you wanted even with the codes problem.

 

[lauriec62]

It was too close to the back fence. From our back door to our back fence is about 25 or 26 feet. Yes, we were very disappointed when we found out that we would not be able to have it attached to the house, but it's been absolutely no issue and works exactly the same way because of how far over the roofline it goes. We communicated to our builder that we wanted the same results as one that was attached and he made it happen.

 

[pbdb]

Your idea of using bead board for the ceiling treatment of the patio roof should work very well. Both our front and rear porch have bead board ceilings, nicely stained. The front porch is unscreened and the rear is screened and both look as good as they day they were built in 2008. It makes for a very attractive and visually interesting ceiling. A much more finished look than plywood with batting strips to cover the butt joints. It may be the stain but for some reason we don't have many issues with mud dauber wasp nests or spider webs on either porch ceiling.