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HomeBuildHow To Build A Covered Patio Attached To A House

How To Build A Covered Patio Attached To A House



Fastening A Patio Roof To The House

Flashing a Patio Roof Ledger

Expert advice on how to attach a patio roof to a house, with step-by-step instructions and construction diagrams.

A house-attached patio roof takes advantage of the house’s structure by supporting one end of the roof on a ledger mounted horizontally to the house. The ledger, typically a 2 by 6, is usually designed to hold one end of the patio-roof rafters. Locating and mounting the ledger is normally a fairly easy process; the ledger should be attached before the foundation is built for a deck, patio roof posts, and other structure.


 

Labor Cost To Build A Covered Patio

The cost to build your covered patio can typically be broken down into two areas – material and labor. For this installation type, you may have one professional who can do both the patio flooring and cover. Or, you may need to work with two different professionals – one for the patio and one for the cover. This depends largely on the type of roof or cover you purchase and whether it is readymade, in a kit, or custom.

Labor costs also vary depending on the material and type of patio and cover you are building. A gravel patio with a sailcloth awning may have labor costs of between $4 and $6 a square foot, while a stamped concrete patio and pavilion-style gable roof have labor costs closer to $50 a square foot. Total labor costs average $25 to $40 a square foot for a covered patio. The more intricate the patio or more substantial the cover, the higher your total costs.


Step 2: Dig Post Holes

It was a little bit difficult to figure out where to dig the post holes. I wanted them to be exactly 9.5′ from the roof edge, but the house’s foundation was recessed 2′ from the roof’s drip edge and stuck out 26” from under the bay windows. How was I going to get an accurate measurement? All sorts of neat tools I saw people use on TV shows and formulas from various math classes flashed through my mind. Here’s what I did:

  • I stood up up a couple of posts at the roof’s edge, using a bubble level to make sure they were perfectly upright.
  • Then I measured and marked nine and a half feet on a couple of joist boards and laid them on the ground, with one end by the upright posts and the markings on the other end showing where the hole should be dug. I did this at both edges of the ledger board and laid two more ten-foot joist boards between them.
  • I then used my square, or angle iron, to make the corners square.
  • I marked the spots for the three post-holes, with the middle post-hole going where the two 10 foot joist boards met.
  • I then measured corner to corner, one way and then the other, and made slight adjustments until both measurements came out the same. With the exact centers for the post holes marked, I marked 18” circles around them because I planned to dig the holes 18” deep and wanted them to be as wide as they were deep, in accordance with local building codes.
  • Make sure the post extensions are even.


    Tips For Purchasing Materials

  • Be flexible. I had originally planned on using 4”x4” beams and joists, but local codes wouldn’t allow for them, so I used 10”x2″ headers and 6”x2″ joists, which worked out just fine. Also, be prepared to modify your plan at the store when you’re getting your materials, as doing so can save you money. For instance, I chose drywall screws instead of nails because, for some reason, they were less expensive, and they won’t try to work themselves back out after a few years. Another substitution I made was choosing three- and four-inch deck screws instead of framing nails. Although more costly, they hold much better than framing nails outdoors.
  • Shop around. Shopping around for the best prices for materials was absolutely necessary. In the same town, in an area of fewer than 10 miles, the difference in prices was enormous. Total material costs ranged from $2,200 down to $800.
  • Beware the store associates. Some are aggressive and want to push customers into an insane buying frenzy, bringing up a storm of confusing nonsense that somehow equates spending more to saving more. The lumber store I bought from had an associate who simply made sure I bought the correct materials for the job by looking over my plan and suggesting shorter screws for the joist hangars and a lower grade of lumber for the areas of the patio cover that would not be exposed to the weather. The associate also arranged for delivery, which cost $25.
  • Mounting The Patio Roof Ledger

    How To Build a Patio Cover (must watch)

    Procedures for mounting a ledger depend on the type of siding on the house. Relatively flat siding can remain intact, but clapboard, beveled wood, metal, or vinyl siding should always be cut away.

    If you have beveled horizontal siding, then use an inverted piece of siding, as shown in the illustration here, to create a plumb, flat surface for attaching the ledger.

    If your siding is not beveled, you can simply screw the ledger tightly to it.


    Remove enough of the siding so you can tuck flashing behind the siding above the ledger and allow it to overhang the siding below the ledger.

    When cutting wood siding, adjust the blade of the circular saw so it cuts just the siding and not the sheathing underneath. Also, do not let the blade cut beyond the layout lines. If you are cutting vinyl siding, you can use a sharp utility knife instead.

    A ledger should be affixed to strong parts of the house’s framing, such as second-floor joists or wall studs. The strongest ledger connection relies on bolts that run through the ledger and the house sheathing and rim or band joist and then are fastened with nuts and washers affixed from the other side. When access to the other side is unfeasible, use lag screws with washers instead of bolts, as shown in the illustration.

    If it is impossible to attach the ledger to a floor joist, then fasten the ledger to wall studs, which are generally located on 16-inch centers and doubled up around doors, windows, and other openings.


    Aluminum Patio Roof Cost

    The cost of an aluminum patio roof cover averages $20 to $70 a square foot installed. There are many different aluminum types for patios. You can find aluminum lattice, pergolas, and panels that come in several different gauges. Aluminum can be louvered, installed in slats, or combined with other materials. The thicker the aluminum, the longer-lasting its appearance but the higher its cost. Extruded aluminum costs more than rolled aluminum. Insulated aluminum costs more than extruded and rolled.

    Covered Patio With A Fireplace Cost


    The cost of an outdoor fireplace is $1,500 to $20,000 on average. This makes the average range of a covered patio with a fireplace installed between $4,524 and $38,792 for a living room-sized patio. If you choose to install an outdoor fireplace, you want a larger patio, designed to be an outdoor living room or kitchen. This gives you plenty of room to install the fireplace and have seating and entertaining areas. Smaller patios may not accommodate both comfortably. Outdoor fireplaces can run on both wood and gas/propane.

    Insulated Patio Roof Panels Cost

    The cost of an insulated patio roof ranges from $26 to $59 a square foot installed. Insulated patio roof panels help prevent the patio from becoming overheated. This is a particularly good idea if your patio has some type of enclosure or walls like a gazebo. Insulated panels can be made of fiberglass, aluminum, or wood. They come in several different styles and can be added to many different types of roofs or covers. The material being insulated and the overall structure style dictate the final cost.


    Patio Ideas Backyard Attached Covered Cover Plans Outdoor Living Structures Easy

    Framing a patio cover structures plan heres the professional deck builder provides builders with news and information on decks outdoor living. We specialize in custom designed built patio covers pergolas car ports outdoor kitchens and living spaces the houston area, we are master purveyors of fine patio cover kits fixed covers who would like the look and durability this traditional outdoor structure.

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    Cost To Build A Covered Patio By Location

    Most patios are located beside the home. This makes them easily accessible and still leaves plenty of space for the rest of the yard and landscaping. But patios can be located elsewhere on the property, particularly if you want them located beside another feature like a pool, tennis court, or fountain.;

    The patio cover can also have different positions. If the patio is located beside the home, the cover can be either attached to the home, extending out over it, or it can be freestanding. When the patio is moved away from the home, the patio must be freestanding, limiting your choices for the cover. Both attached and freestanding covered patios have a wide range of costs because patios and covers come in many sizes and materials.

    Location
    $3,000 – $25,000

    Vinyl Patio Cover Cost

    The average costs of a vinyl patio cover are between $5 and $13 a square foot installed. Vinyl is one of the lowest-cost options for any cover. It is easy to work with and comes in many different styles. It is also fairly low maintenance but is not as durable as other materials. Vinyl can be made into pergolas, lattice, panels, and many other roofing styles. You may be limited in colors and overall patterns.

    Patio Roof With Sleek Design

    Sleek design has always provided clean and modern look to any buildings including a patio. Therefore, if you want your patio look modern, you need to install a sleek patio roof.

    This patio roof is installed for the aesthetic purpose. It does not cover the patio completely which allows rain drops on this dining table. However, it does complement the house very well.

    Diy Patio Cover Size & Cost

    how to build a gable roof patio cover

    The patio area to be covered is fairly large, 24’X12’, so spanning it became the major obstacle.  The two choices were to run 12’ beams and then get 24’ engineered trusses to cover the span, or run 24’ beams and run 12’ 2X8’s to span the 10’ gap.  If we had chosen the former, we would have gone with a gabled ceiling trimmed out with tongue and groove cedar, and covered with asphalt shingles.

    In the end, the cost differential was substantial enough that the latter was a better choice.  The final cost including all the finishing materials was just under $2000.

    Build The Deck Square And Level And Assemble The Perimeter Joists

    Install the ledger board.

    Start by marking the ledger board location on the house wall. We located the top of the ledger board 90 in. below the bottom of the soffit. On our house, this left a 6-in. step down from the patio door to the deck surface. Remove the siding and attach the ledger with 1/2 x 4-in. galvanized lag screws . Make sure it’s perfectly level. If the ledger attaches to concrete, predrill holes and insert lead shield lag screw anchors before installing the lags.

    Outline deck frame and set beams. 

    After you mount the ledger, use stakes and string lines to outline the deck frame according to the dimensions in Figure B and mark the footing locations. A few days before you plan to dig the footings, call 411 to have underground utilities marked in the vicinity of the porch. Your local building department will specify how large and deep the footings should be for your climate and soil conditions. Pour a concrete pad in the bottom of each footing hole after they’ve been inspected. Let the concrete set overnight.

    Assemble Frame.

    Next, choose the six straightest 2x10s for the perimeter beams. Cut the 2x10s for the two side beams to length and nail the pairs together. Use 16d stainless steel or double-dipped galvanized nails for all of the joist framings and to attach the joist hangers to the ledger board. Rest one end of each side beam in the double joist hangers and prop them up until level with a stack of wood.

    Complex Cavernous Or Customized Leave It To The Pros

    Working with a licensed contractor significantly increases your investment, but also buys you peace of mind. Their intimate understanding of materials, structural integrity, mathematics and local building codes ensures that you’ll get a patio cover that not only pleases the eye but stands up to the weather and won’t result in safety code infractions.

    Here are the circumstances where it’s better to hire a contractor:

    Pitched roof — The slant of your patio cover should fit aesthetically with the style of your home. For many, that means a serious pitch. If your patio cover requires an angle of any significance, design and installation will necessitate accurate mathematical calculation for safe installation. Let a professional contractor or engineer handle it.

    Large areas — As the size of the patio cover grows, the design may fall under different safety guidelines. As shear load increases, accurate engineering and construction becomes critical.  Work with an engineer and/or contractor to make sure that your patio cover is not only safe in all weather conditions, but also meets all state and local building code requirements.

    Thinking of sprucing up your backyard with a new patio cover? Our experts can help. Bring your ideas and reference photos down to your nearest J&W Lumber and let’s begin brainstorming.

    Gable Patio Cover Cost

    The cost of a gable roof or patio cover averages $2,200 to $13,500 for the roof. This makes the total cost range for the patio $3,928 to $18,900. Gable patio covers come in one of two ways. They can be attached to your home, at least on one end. They can also be freestanding “pavilions,” a type of structure with a roof but no walls. Depending on the height and material of the gable cover, it has a wide range of costs.

    Install Some Riser Brackets For More Height

    If you wish to reach a specific height, you can lift the roof of the patio with some riser brackets. The patio roof which is raised with some brackets requires a custom barge cap.

    It will not only allow you to raise the ceiling up to 2 feet, but also give various splendid options for the finishing look and relaxed ambiance.

    You can go with opaque twin wall sheeting if you want to get some natural light for your patio.

    Opaque twin wall sheeting that is installed between the roof of the patio and the barge cap allows natural light to pass through.

    If you are not really into natural light and want to block it, you can infill the gap between the patio roof and barge cap, and seal the rear opening.

    To get a cleaner and nicer look, you can add some extra flashing wall covering. After that, you can seal the brackets from the front.

    Stylish Covered Patio Ideas

    The Spruce /

    A well-designed patio cover can enhance your outdoor living experience and increase the amount of time you spend outside. For any major outdoor structure, you’ll want to work with a professional, like an architect or landscape architect, to make sure your building complies with city codes and is engineered correctly. Other considerations before planning, designing and building a patio cover include:

    • Budget
    • Architectural style of your house
    • you desire and what is available in your region
    • Location
    • Size and scale of patio and overhead
    • Orientation of the patio to the sun, like a hot west-oriented location or cold-northern

    Take a look at 50 very different patio covers, certain to spark some ideas for your own project.

    Simple And Straightforward Go It Alone

    Patio covers are as unique as the homes to which they are connected. If you’re comfortable with basic woodworking, using a skill saw, measuring accurately and climbing a ladder, you can probably install a simple patio cover on your own. Remember, a significant part of any home improvement project is confidence solving problems on the fly, because every project presents its own set of unforeseen challenges. That said, if your patio cover falls into these categories, you should be able to handle the installation yourself:

    Mostly flat roof – If your patio cover features only a slight angle for rain runoff, it could be a good candidate for installing on your own. Remember, a covered porch can trap water and experience drainage problems if its pitch is too shallow, so make this decision carefully. The minimum pitch for a covered patio is 1/4:12. This means you’ll need 1/4 inch rise for every 12 inches of run. For open-slat patio covers, pitch is less important, since water will drain through.

    Detached from the home – Freestanding patio covers are easier to manage for the layperson than those that are attached to the home’s exterior via ledger board. Self-contained pergolas are great options because they can be fitted right up against the outside of your home without needing to be attached to the house’s structure.

    Tempered Glass Patio Roof

    If you are looking for patio roof that allows you to get natural light as well as protecting you from the rain and snow, tempered glass will be your greatest bet.

    The transparency of the tempered glass allows you to stay in the patio while enjoying the view of the surrounding including what is over the roof. It is a bit pricey, though.

    Also read: Floor to Ceiling Windows Cost and Ideas

    ***

    Now you know how to attach a patio roof to an existing house and some patio roof ideas. Attaching a patio roof is not that hard, isn’t it?

    But, you had better not install it by yourself. Having some assistance will be a terrific idea.

    Step 7: Finish The Job

    How to Attach a Patio Roof to an Existing House

    After that it was simple but repetitive work. I attached 1” x 6” boards to the top of the joists, and then screwed the corrugated metal roof to them. The most difficult part was getting the upper end of the metal sheets to go under the drip edge and roof decking of the house and to butt up against a bead of clear-drying roof cement I had put in there with a caulking gun. Also, putting a bead of sealer along the edge of the metal sheets before overlapping them was a bit demanding, though absolutely necessary.

    The job was done at that point. As for the corrugated metal roofing, I chose rubber washer metal-into-wood screws with ¼” bolt heads and used a ¼” magnetized drill adapted socket to put them in. That type of screw goes into every valley at the top and bottom ends of the panels and every other valley throughout the rest of the roof, into the 1” x 6” boards placed 24” on the center.

    Step 4: Assemble The Frame

    The rest of the frame I assembled on solid ground, not wanting to hold everything in place with one hand while installing decking screws with the other.

  • Cut four braces at precisely 45-degree angles. I cut them from a single 10-foot long 2”x10” board. I measured the width of the board with a ruler, then marked that length from the end of the board and cut from there to the corner to make a triangle of wood that was exactly the right shape. I measured the short sides of that wooden triangle-shaped block and they were exactly the same so I knew it was cut at a 45-degree angle. I used that to mark the lines I would cut to make the braces. I made the two outside braces three feet long at their outsides and the two inside braces two feet long at their outsides.
  • Joists

    Full Protection From The Sun Snow And Rain

    If you are looking for something that can give you the ultimate protection from the heat of the sun, rain, and snow, you need to take metal roofing to your consideration.

    This metal roofing suits the style of the house very much. Besides accentuating the house, it gives you the protection that you need as it is attached directly to the wall.

    Step 6: Pour The Concrete

    At this point, I had the frame attached to the joists, and the joists attached to the ledger board on the house. To make the frame perfectly level across the top, I lifted the posts just a little and tossed in just a bit of dry concrete ready-mix to raise its height just enough to make my bubble read perfect.

    Then to make the posts exactly straight up and down, I lifted and moved the bottom ends in the post holes, measuring with the level after each adjustment. After letting things settle for about a half-hour, I re-checked everything with the leveler again. It was still plumb and square, so that meant it was time to pour some concrete.

    I chose six 80-lb. bags of post-set concrete. I mixed one bag at a time, using my garden hoe to stir in water until the concrete became a near-liquid, something resembling sloppy mud. Then I used my shovel to put equal amounts into each post hole, repeating this process until I got to the last bag.

    For the last batch of concrete I added less water and mixed it to the consistency of raw cookie dough and, wearing work gloves, I grabbed gobs by hand and formed it into a dome at the base of each post to prevent water from pooling. Then I used a block of scrap wood as a trowel to tap and smooth the surface of the concrete. Then I let the concrete set.

    Patio cover frame looking quite nice!

    Two Videos Cover The Design Questions And Construction Process Of A Post And Beam Patio Roof Structure

     

    Video 1: Design a Roof extension over an existing patio

    Existing patio is outside the dining room on the west side of the house. the patio is essentially unusable on a sunny afternoon in the summer.

    This video looks at a couple of design options, including attaching the roof ledger below that of the existing eaves and setting the patio roof atop the existing roof.

    The latter option was chosen because the low roof and roof beam would have blocked the view from the dining area. Did we say that the house is in Bozeman, MT, where the view is worth viewing?

    Work from the view back, not from the house, out.

    • Calculate the sightline clearance height, about 6 feet, 2 inches, in this case.
    • Determine the beam size: 8 inches in this case.
    • Choose a roof pitch and roof structure

    This places the new roof on top of the existing roof. The next question is what to do with the existing eave under the new roof: kick it or keep it?

    To tie the design together, Peter chose to cut the rafter tails off the extend the exterior wall up to the underside of the new roof. As it turned out, the existing roof structure is a truss system, but they were able to contact the original truss manufacturer to verify that cutting the tails off would not jeopardize the structural integrity of the trusses. 

    From the we-hope-this-is-obvious desk: Never alter engineered trusses without the approval of a licensed professional engineer. Ever.

    The next design decision: material selection

    Video 2: Construction process

     

     



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