Patios look amazing and provide an excellent space for gathering. If you are thinking of upgrading your outdoor space, you should consider building a beautiful cover in your backyard. To get the best results, it is better to go for a wooden patio cover instead of an aluminum one. A wooden patio cover has numerous benefits. It not only looks amazing and appealing to the eyes but is durable as well. Here is how you can build a patio cover out of wood.
1. Measure the Space of the Patio Cover
Before you start, you will have to determine the precise area of the location where you are looking to set up the patio cover. Make sure that the floor on which you plan to build a patio cover is solid and is able to support it. Once you are sure about the size of the area, it’s time to decide the type of wood which will be used for the patio. Cedar, teak, cypress, and redwood are considered the best options for exterior patios. If you want to paint or dye the wood, you need to do it before assembling the patio cover.
2. Find the Center of the Home Siding Wall Support
To find the center of the frame, trim 1 inch from the corner of the wall siding, 1/2 inch from the exterior, and half the thickness of the frame. If you add this number to the full width of the eaves overhang, you can see that the eaves sit. The height of the roof carries a continuous beam on which the patio cover rests. The riser saddle is 3 1/2 inches wide and corresponds to the nominal size of the 4x beam (typically 4×6 or 4×8).
3. Install the Anchors
To install the cover, you must first install 6×6 stanchions every 10 feet and secure them to the patio deck with galvanized stanchion anchors. Next, you need to lift the 4×6 beam, place it on the stanchion, and attach it with a lug screw. Once that’s done, attach the longer beam to the siding with galvanized deck nails and rug screws. To form the rafters, attach the shorter 2×4 to the crossed beam about one and a half feet apart and attach it to the other end with the galvanized wooden screws to the 2×4 in the house. Another commonly used method for fixing the outer stanchions is to use a poured concrete foundation. The wooden pillars are then placed on a moment post base or hardware to lift the post off the ground. This helps in eliminating the need for treated wood. This also provides resistance to lateral forces. Another support strategy is the use of prefabricated concrete columns. They can be buried in the ground, hardened with concrete, to withstand all the lateral forces. Apart from the technique you are using to provide support, it is recommended to hire a professional so that your plan gets reviewed and suggestions are provided to support and build your wood patio cover.
4. Determine the Size of the Cover
After deciding how to support the patio cover, you should determine the proper size of the wood for the cover. Keep in mind that the bigger the patio cover is, the larger will be the storage size of the timber needed to build it. You also need to select a translucent material to use as the canopy for your patio cover. Many options differ in appearance, light transmission, and the actual material of the panel. And that choice may vary from region to region. Due to weight and mounting requirements, choosing the right material is important as it will impact the design of your frame.
5. Connect Layers
After deciding the size and spacing of the wood in each layer, the next step is to decide how to combine the layers.
6. Beam to Column
To easily make this connection use heavy construction bolts, which are screwed diagonally from the column into the beam. You can make pocket holes to hide the heads of these screws. Another option is to use metal brackets that attach to beams and columns. These brackets are simple or decorative and can be integrated into the aesthetic design of the patio cover.
7. Rafters to Beams
If you want a strong rafter-to-beam connection, rafters require flat seat cuts placed on both the roof and outer support beams. Again, you can fix it with construction screws. Depending on the requirements, you may need to install a rafter truss between the rafters and the truss to prevent the wind from rising.
Following the above steps will help you build a beautiful wooden patio cover that everyone will love and admire. If you don’t want to get a contractor to build the patio, you can use the tips shared above to complete the job yourself. Make sure to follow each tip and method properly to build the patio of your dreams.
