Article by Tauqeer Hassan

Having a cover for the patio is sure a precious addition to a home. It naturally shades the patio and it also serves to keep the home interior cool and nice by keeping the sunlight away from the nearby windows. At least two persons are needed to build one so the whole can get involved in the task. This will teach the family to build a patio cover when needed. Here is a simple procedure for building a patio cover.

Procedure
First, four holes of at least 18 inches deep have to be dug out from corner to corner of the patio for the posts. The distance between the holes should be generally 12 inches or less. Approximately 3 inches of each hole have to be filled with compacted gravel. Frames have to be constructed for holding the post while the cement dries. They can be constructed from 2?x4? pieces of lumber and then screwed together. It has to be ensured that all frames are in level and they flush with one another before pouring the cement.

Lumber of 4?x4? pieces have to be used for forming the posts for the patio cover. The height of the posts can be decided as desired but usually most patio covers don’t exceed more than 1 storey and are generally 8 feet tall. One person has to hold the post upright in the anchoring hole while another would mix the quick drying cement and will pour it into the hole. It has to be ensured that the lumber is absolutely vertical with a level before proceeding towards the remaining 3 posts. Dirt can be put around the cement when it gets hardened for a more attractive appearance.

The support beams are very essential as one will learn in the process to know how to build a patio cover. 1?x12? lumber pieces are used for making this which are of the same length as the area covered by supported posts. One beam has to be attached to the roof line while the other has to be screwed to the support posts. 2 inch screws have to be used for this part of the project. Afterwards, the rafters are fashioned from 2?x4? lumber pieces that spans the distance between the two beams.

When this has been completed, the final part of the project is next which is installing the roof. Prefabricated aluminum, PVC, wood, heavy-duty corrugated plastic, or even metal screening is used for making the roof. It has to be nailed in place and a nice shaded place is ready for hanging out.

About the Author

Also learn how to build a patio cover and how to build a pole barn.

More Build A Patio Articles

Article by John Grant

There are a few simple things one can do to their home to both improve the value of the property and also add beauty in a very functional way. One of these ways is to build a patio cover. This simple addition to your home can be both practical as well as a beautiful addition to any home.

If you are willing to build and experiment in making a patio cover, you need to juice out certain questions such as why do you need to build a patio cover? These answers will tell you what kind of patio cover you will need.

For example, some of these are: What is the purpose? Should it be made out of aluminum or wood or maybe PVC? Should you paint it or not?

Remember, a patio is sort of an extension of your house, and generally a patio is usually 12 feet or shorter and not more then that, and also it is just a single story floor plan. A patio can either be covered or uncovered. There isn’t any special skill that you need to have for you to be able to make la patio cover, however, you need to have a lot of patience to be able to complete this task. You need to be patient in analyzing the area dimension, the number of aluminum or wood, and all of the other materials needed in building the patio cover.

To build the patio cover, you need to start with the spade work which is very necessary. You need to coordinate it with the conditions of the weather, the usage of the patio and the areas that it will occupy. After you’re done with that, the next step that you need to do is select materials from a very comprehensive range of selections, polycarb panels which are good for the summer and the winter season, vinyl opaque which is adjustable to any kind of weather condition, a clear panel or a vinyl translucent panel which id best for milder weather, an aluminum pan that is very durable and requires minimal maintenance, and a lot more. You have to make sure that the panels fit perfectly and can be installed easily, and is flexible in all kinds of design. Also, you need to check the gutter system, make sure that it is accessible for cleaning purposes.

For a professional patio cover, you need to have the necessary tools in building the cover; you can either purchase a complete kit or purchase them one by one. The tools that you will needed are hack saw or an electric an electric saw, a 3/8 drill bit, a measuring tape, caulking gun, metal snips, bolts, nuts, screwdriver, pencils that are heavy duty, ladders, hammer, shank and socket, level, crescent wrench, masonry, and carpenter’s square. If you decide to build the patio attached to your house, then the support system can help tye cover to fit perfectly. Always rely on the building instructions to make your patio cover beautiful and successful.

About the Author

John Grant is a the author for a how to site where he is writing articles about how to build a patio cover.