For the construction of full verandas and gazebos, quite a lot of materials and time are required. Therefore, some owners of suburban homes prefer to erect ordinary sheds on their plots, attached to the house or free-standing.
The design of such structures are extremely simple. Making a canopy with your own hands will not be difficult even for an inexperienced construction owner of a suburban area.
What may be required
The main function of almost any canopy in a suburban area is to create a shaded and rain-protected area. Under the roof of this design, you can:
- set a table and eat in the fresh air;
- place a car;
- to store and dry vegetables and herbs collected in the summer garden;
- equip a children's mini-playground for games, etc.
What is a canopy
The main structural elements of such a structure are:
- rafter system;
- sheathing;
- support racks.
The roofs of self-assembled canopies can have a different configuration. But more often than not, of course, they are made monotonous. The number of canopy racks depends on where it will be built. Structures of this type of poles attached to the house or any structures usually have only two. Freestanding awnings have at least 4 racks.
What materials can be used for manufacturing
Do-it-yourself canopy frame is usually assembled from:
- wooden beams and boards;
- round or shaped metal pipes.
Most often, lumber is used to assemble the "skeleton" of the canopy. A roof of a similar design can be made of:
- polycarbonate;
- profiled metal sheet;
- OSB plates with roofing;
- metal tiles;
- slate, etc.
In most cases, the roofs of the canopies with their own hands are nowadays sheathed with polycarbonate or professional sheet. Such materials are cheap, easy to process and look quite aesthetically pleasing.
Advantages and disadvantages of polycarbonate canopies
The advantage of such designs is primarily an attractive appearance . Polycarbonate, both cellular and monolithic, can have a variety of colors. A small drawback of structures of this type is considered only that they transmit sunlight. That is, there will be no shadow under such a canopy. But from the rain below the space this roofing material is able to protect just fine.
The main stages of the construction of a polycarbonate canopy are:
- the construction of the frame from pipes or beams;
- roof sheathing with polycarbonate sheets.
Canopies from a professional leaf
The advantages of buildings of this type are primarily their cheapness. Decking is cheaper than most other roofing materials. Unlike polycarbonate, such sheets can serve not only as good protection against precipitation, but also from sunlight.
The disadvantages of corrugated board are primarily noise. During the rain, resting under a canopy of this material may not be particularly comfortable. Also, a professional sheet is usually used to equip only large and fairly high canopies. This material is very hot in the sun. And in a small building, assembled with its use, not very pleasant microclimate can be created in the summer days.
They collect canopies in the country with their own hands using a profiled sheet using approximately the same technology as polycarbonate:
- establish support racks and mount the roof frame;
- perform lining.
The choice of timber and boards for the frame
For such a construction, first of all, it is necessary to choose the right lumber. In the future, the canopy will last only if the beam and board are used for its manufacture:
- well-dried;
- not having too many knots.
The moisture content of lumber used for the assembly of canopies should not exceed 12%. Since such a structure will subsequently be operated on the street, it is better to choose a softwood beam and board for it. Such materials are resistant to high humidity.
How to assemble a wood frame
A wooden canopy is erected in the yard with your own hands, usually using the following technology:
- supports are installed;
- the upper harness is knocked down.
At the final stage, the rafters are mounted under the roofing material.
Next, we consider the method of manufacturing a canopy with your own hands according to the drawing below.
To assemble the frame of such a building you will need:
- timber with a section of 100x100 mm;
- board 100x50 mm.
You will also need to prepare galvanized corners. To begin with, when assembling the "skeleton" of the canopy in the country, do-it-yourself support stands are installed with your own hands. The following technology is used:
- make markings at the place chosen for installation of the canopy;
- dig 4 holes on each of the long sides of the future building with a depth of 70-80 cm;
- pour some sand into the pits;
- process that part of the timber, which subsequently will be underground, drying oil or used machine oil;
- establish columns strictly vertically using a level in the pits;
- pour concrete mixture into the pits.
For frame supports, you need to use a bar of different lengths. On the one hand, the future canopy is installed more authentic supports, on the other - shorter. Cement mortar for mounting the supports of the canopy use prepared in the ratio of cement / sand / gravel as 1/3/4.
After the concrete supports mature, that is, approximately 2 weeks after pouring, they begin to assemble the canopy roof frame. At the first stage, the supports of each side are connected into a single structure. For this:
- stuffed between the pillars, along their upper edge from the inside of the canopy a board;
- switch to the other side and repeat the operation;
- fix each post to the nailed board with jibs;
- they fill the same boards from the outside of the future canopy also on both sides.
Next, they begin to assemble the rafter system of a wooden canopy with their own hands. To do this, first rafters are mounted on the elements stuffed at the previous stage. Lumber for legs is used 40-50 cm longer than the width of the canopy. After the rafters are installed, they are connected by boards along the contour of the future roof.
How to sheathe a canopy with a professional sheet
To install this roofing material, of course, follows in compliance with certain technologies. First of all, the roof of the canopy must be sheathed with a waterproofing insulator. If desired, however, this step can be skipped. Decking itself retains moisture quite well.
This material is mounted in compliance with the following rules:
- it is necessary to install sheets on the roof of the canopy using special roofing screws;
- between them it is desirable to additionally fasten them with rivets;
- the overlap between sheets on a single-pitch canopy without waterproofing should not be less than 200 mm;
- when fastening sheets, screws are screwed into the hollows between the waves;
- at least 6-8 fasteners are used on one sheet.
After finishing the lining, assembled with your own hands, the canopy from the corrugated board can be used for its intended purpose.
How to mount a metal frame
For such a "skeleton" of the canopy, for example, you can use a profile pipe with a cross section of 50x50 and 40x40 mm. In this case, you will also need a similar material 30x30 mm under the ribs. Such frames of canopies made of metal with their own hands are usually made using welding. But if there is no suitable equipment on the farm, you can use bolted connections.
Of metal, if desired, it will not be too difficult to make a frame for a beautiful and durable arched canopy and sheathe it in subsequent polycarbonate. But in this case you will have to purchase or rent equipment such as a pipe bender.
The arch frame of the canopy is made of polycarbonate according to the following technology:
- 50x50 mm pipes are cut according to the height of the building;
- welded to their lower end plates of thick sheet metal with an area of 200x200 mm;
- pipes 40x40 mm are cut across the width of the canopy and bent with an arch;
- curved pipes are welded into trusses using 30x30 mm belts;
- welded on the farm to each pair of racks;
- install pairs along the length of the canopy and connect them using a 40x40 mm pipe.
Canopy sheathing with polycarbonate
The roofing material on the metal frame thus assembled is also fastened in compliance with certain rules:
- place the sheets on the farms so that the ribs pass along the slopes of the roof of the canopy;
- holes for fasteners are drilled exclusively between stiffeners;
- for fastening sheets to farms use special screws with thermowells;
- the diameter of the holes for fasteners in the sheets should be slightly larger than the cross section of the self-tapping rods;
- the first and last screws are fixed at a distance of not more than 4 cm from the edge of the sheets;
- intermediate fasteners on the sheets are arranged in increments of 40 cm.
The holes for fasteners in polycarbonate should be large enough due to the fact that this material is capable of quite expanding or narrowing significantly with changing ambient temperature.
After the canopy is sheathed, you should, among other things, additionally glue the open ends of cellular polycarbonate with tape. Otherwise, water will flow into the sheets later.