2015-07-10

Attaching a Carport To Your Existing Roof

There are some serious factors to consider when attaching an attached carports roof in Adelaide. Because you are building onto your own home, you need to consider not only the structural integrity of the new build, but also how this impacts your home roof.

Decades ago, any additions of this sort were much smaller in size and so therefore did not impact the existing structure as much. However, as people demand more and more space, carports are becoming bigger. It is now common for a family to have two or three or even more cars, all of which they are looking to house under their new carport. They might even want a brand new outdoor living or entertaining area that would be even larger than this.

These growths are compounded by the fact that roof frames tend to be made from either prefabricated timber or steel. This frame using this material is carefully designed to manage the weight of the house roof, but not any additional weight. It is possible to successfully add a carport to your home without doing damage, but there first needs to be some reinforcement procedures performed. For example, the fascia is often made if thin and flimsy metal, and cannot really act as a distributing beam. The fascias clearly need to be firmly attached and reinforced to ensure that this border is not a point of weakness.

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When you are certain that they are firmly secured, then the next problem involves counteracting the immense weight of the carport that will drag down the edge of the house roof. Depending on the depth of the eaves, you may find that the downward pull of the carport could force the house roofing material to bow. The roof section between the edge and the first truss node are particularly at risk of this. The simple solution is to add a strengthening support which reinforces this section and ensures it stays rigid.

Adding additional weights onto a corner of a roof is particularly dangerous, as these are the weakest points of the structure. This is because of shallow roof space, large cantilever and discontinuous rafters. A carport addition here can be done, but it does need some very special and expert attention. As well as pulling down, the huge roof area of your carport has the potential to cause a massive uplift as it catches the breeze. Tie downs are required of the roof to the supporting walls, and these can be retrofitted rather easily by a qualified roofing technician.

These are the main structural considerations when adding a carport to your home. There will also be other minor changes to be done, such as moving gutters and drainage pipes from the edge of the house roof to the edge of the carport roof. Homeowners with solar panels, or perhaps those who have thought they would never have enough space for them, may like to consider the possibility of using their carport roof for this purpose.

An attached carport offers endless flexibility and opportunities for entertaining, from work dinners to kids’ birthday parties. This valuable space will no doubt get used, and can be dressed up or down to suit the circumstances, as well as of course housing a car or two at other times. It is highly recommended to use reliable steel brands when creating a carport, as timber is known for rotting and warping in different weather conditions.

If you are looking for an experienced and Capable Adelaide Carports Team, then you can get in touch with the exceptional team at Pergolarific.

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