Happy owners of a country house or a country house, after completion of construction, think about building a cozy canopy on the site. Such a construction allows you to create comfortable conditions for the rest of the owners and their guests, regardless of weather conditions.
Any zealous owner is interested in what a canopy is and what constructions of its manufacture exist. Also of great importance are the characteristics of the materials used and how to install a lightweight, reliable and aesthetic structure. We’ll try to figure this out in the article.
Canopy purpose
The main functional purpose of the canopy on the territory of the suburban area is to protect the resting places of people from natural precipitation (rain or snow), as well as direct sunlight.
It is considered very practical to erect a canopy to protect cars from atmospheric precipitation. The construction of a garage for a summer cottage is often impractical, since it is economically and practically unprofitable.
And of course, one cannot fail to note the practicality of the canopy for household needs. What is a canopy, it is not difficult to understand, the main thing is to understand what types of such structures exist.
Types of Canopies
The distribution of awnings for a suburban area can be carried out on many grounds:
- Depending on the location, the construction of the canopies can be attached (adjacent to one of the walls of the building), as well as separately standing.
- By type of roof, canopies can be divided into flat, single-pitched, double-pitched or arched.
- According to the material used in the construction of the frame, canopies are wooden or metal.
- Various materials are also used to cover the roof (slate, plexiglass, polycarbonate, metal profile), as well as combined structures.
- By appointment, awnings are used for domestic needs or recreation.
The shape and type of the future structure directly depends on the size of the site and the preferences of the owner.
Basic structural elements
Having understood what a canopy is, it is necessary to study the main components and elements of which the structure of the structure consists.
Most often, a separate building has the following structural elements:
- Prepared base for a canopy. The surface of the site is often laid out with paving slabs or concrete. Sometimes, in order to save money, a green lawn may be maintained.
- Preparatory work on the arrangement of the surface of the site should also include the construction of a foundation for the installation of structural support structures.
- Racks or columns that perform a supporting function.
- Additional binding elements that are necessary to create the strength and stability of the canopy.
- Lathing for fastening roof material.
- Roofing material of the canopy.
The installation of canopies of the adjoining type may differ from individual buildings by the method of calculation and installation of connecting elements.
Types of roof coverings for a canopy
Having figured out what a canopy is and what is the functional purpose of its main elements, each owner of a suburban area wonders what is the best way to apply the material to the roof of the building. In the past, slate was most often used to create a canopy roof. But the design turned out to be quite heavy, and therefore it was required to create a solid bearing surface for mounting the slate. And the material itself was fragile, poorly resisting physical impact.
Modern manufacturers offer the consumer materials with low weight and high strength. The most common are:
- polycarbonate;
- metal profile;
- plexiglass.
The use of these materials allows you to create durable structures of high strength, while the frame of the structure can be made both from a wooden beam, and from a metal profile.
Polycarbonate Advantages
Polycarbonate has a number of good characteristics, which allows it to be used to create roofs of various configurations. The main advantages of this material are:
- light weight, which makes it easy to process and cut sheets;
- high light transmission that does not obscure the rest area;
- increased bending strength and resistance to shock;
- the material is heat resistant and fireproof;
- does not crack during processing;
- the variety of colors of polycarbonate allows you to choose the material for any site design;
- during operation does not lose its original properties, which characterizes its high durability.
The use of polycarbonate allows you to create light translucent visors canopies of any shape.
Metal Profile Benefits
The metal profile canopy has high durability, and the effective life of this design depends on the timely processing of the material with anti-corrosion coatings. In addition to this significant indicator, metal profile devices have the following advantages:
- the opportunity to purchase metal profiles of various shapes allows you to make a canopy that has a beautiful appearance;
- the material has high strength;
- the metal profile is highly resistant to atmospheric precipitation;
- not afraid of temperature changes;
- ease of installation of metal profile sheets allows you to create complex canopies with your own hands;
- Of considerable importance is the affordability of this material.
Stages of the construction of the canopy
All work on the construction of the structure should be carried out in compliance with the process, which will maintain the stability of the canopy during its operation.
Consider the phased construction of a freestanding canopy:
- First of all, it is necessary to mark the place where the supports of the future design will be installed.
- At the installation site of the supports, drill holes for concreting the columns.
- Next, a support is installed in the pit and poured with concrete. The vertical level is controlled by a plumb line.
- The same operation is done with all the supports of the canopy.
- After the concrete mixture has completely dried, it is necessary to tie in to strengthen the structure.
- On the upper edge of the columns, load-bearing beams are laid onto which the crate is packed.
- On top of the crate, the roofing material of the roof is fastened.
Remember that strict adherence to the technology of erecting a canopy will save for many years the strength of the entire structure. A self-built canopy will bring its owner many pleasant minutes when meeting with friends, as well as significantly save the money spent.