How To Measure For Your Patio Cover / Carport

How to decide what to order, size, type, span, load etc.

1st : Call your local building permit office. Ask them what live load you will need for a patio cover or carport. Live load is the load your cover will need to carry, such as snow.

2nd : Measure the area to be covered, such as the size of the slab. Add any overhangs desired. If your patio is 10' x 20' and you want a 1' overhang on all sides add 10+1 for the projection measurement and 20+2 for the width measurement. in this example you would need to order a 11' x 22' cover.

3rd : Decide where on your house the patio cover will attach. The wall? or the eaves? (roof overhang)? How will this effect the size you need? See drawings below.

4th : Make a drawing and put the measurements on it. Now when you go back to the kit price charts, you have the information to determine what you need to order.

5th : Ask - do you need down spouts (aluminum covers)? post brackets? setback beam? fireplace work-around?

This drawing shows a patio cover attached on the roof overhang (eaves). And uses a set back beam above the post, with the post in the ground. If you live in a area were the frost depth is more the 18" consider mounting the post on top of the slab. The overhang in most cases is the same as the house overhang. So if the slab is 10' then the patio cover attached on the overhang can be 10' (projection out from house) You will buy locally: cement for the post, flashing to go 3" under shingles and 12" out (minimum) on top of the patio cover and lag bolts to attach the cover to house eaves at 24" on center.

This drawing shows a patio cover attached at the wall under the overhang. The span is from the wall to the post. Post are on the edge of the paito cover and on the top of the patio slab. Flashing needs to be considered carefully, where will it start? for wood lap siding the flashing is bent like the letter L and would go just under the siding and out on to the cover at least 12". plan your flashing out before you install the cover. You can always ask what to do at the lumber yard when you buy the flashing. You would need to purchase the following locally for this patio cover: flashing, and concrete anchors for the post brackets, and anchors to attach cover at the wall

This drawing shows a patio cover attached on the roofs eaves with no patio cover overhang, past the post This is the simplest installation, the only extras to consider are down spouts (aluminum covers) post brackets, and side overhangs.

This drawing shows a patio cover with a fire place to go around. For an aluminum patio cover you would need to order two extra inside corners and two extra outside corners plus extra gutter. (for the sides of the fireplace). For a steel patio cover no corners are needed as steel covers do not have gutters. This patio cover has a set back beam (optional) and three post.

This drawing shows a patio cover in a corner, attached on two sides. Code will require that the patio cover be mounted at the wall with gutters on the house eaves, so all the water that comes off the house roof does not end up on the new cover. Can you attach on the eaves? Not if you plan on getting a permit, or you expect to have no leaks! The span is from the attachment (projection) to post. Think this one through, as the patio cover when sloped downward, will run off the eaves board on the side.