A do-it-yourself canopy over the porch made of metal, wood, polycarbonate or any material performs a protective function from rain, snow and sun. To make it, study the recommendations presented in the article. Here is the information:
- how to make a canopy over the porch of a private house - photos are attached;
- classification of visors;
- requirements for the material and calculation of its price.
Rules for the use of raw materials
There are rules for handling polycarbonate sheets established by experience:
- You should not store the material in the light; you should consider the way they are stored in the warehouse;
- the material should not crack from twisting;
- The protective film can be removed only after finishing work with the sheets;
- work on installing the flooring should be carried out quickly;
- The slabs must be laid with the UV-resistant side facing outwards, as indicated on the surface of the protective film.
Leaving cellular polycarbonate in the film in the open light will cause it to stick tightly to the plate, that is, a photochemical reaction, causing the material to become unusable.
Advantages and nuances of construction
The photo of polycarbonate canopies shows universal outdoor structures that perfectly transmit natural light and have a wide range of colors.
The raw material is quite light, transparent and has a variety of convenient thickness formats, this helps to create any type of structure: from simple to curved parts. In addition, they easily and harmoniously fit into any interior and landscape of a personal plot.
Polycarbonate canopies are divided into the following types:
- separate, self-standing ones are most often acceptable for swimming pools, gazebos, greenhouses, carports in parking lots and over outbuildings;
- the mobile type quickly moves to any selected point of the perimeter: barbecue roof, compact gazebo;
- as an extension to a garage, bathhouse, veranda, porch canopy.
These structures can be rectangular, curved, or two-story. They are also divided into open and closed models, for which the walls on the sides are usually covered with glass, gratings, lining, or thick textiles.
The building includes pillars for vertical support and the roof itself. To make frames, wood, metal beams, concrete, brick, and stone are used.
Wooden canopy
The easiest to install and relatively cheap way to create a universal street roof is a polycarbonate canopy with a wooden support.
This work does not require professional equipment or special skills at all; an ordinary set of tools, which almost any owner has, will do.
You will need glued and profiled timber, rounded logs, and wooden posts. To build a rafter system, you will need edged boards.
Please note that the design has quite significant disadvantages:
- does not retain moisture well;
- susceptible to rotting and fungal diseases;
- quickly loses strength, reliability and aesthetic appearance, which leads to product failure.
To avoid these factors, it is recommended to treat the canopy and canopy with a fire-resistant composition, antiseptics and protective layers of oil and varnish.
Support material
The following materials can be used for support:
- Metal support post. It can be used in any design. At the same time, it will be more reliable, strong and practical. Such a support can be sheathed with any roofing material. For maintenance, it will be enough to coat the surface with a protective anti-corrosion agent or simply paint it.
- Wooden support posts. Suitable for houses built from similar materials or lined with wood paneling. But such supports must be regularly maintained by treating them with special substances. In addition, if the front door faces the sunny side, then the wooden pillars will quickly fail: they will become cracked or twisted.
Wooden supports look original against the general background of the house Source static.wixstatic.com
- Brick pillars . This is ideal for heavy structures. They can be tiled. The only downside is that they are difficult to make. Thus, construction will cost much more. To make the support more durable, metal reinforcement is installed in the center.
Metal construction
Before making a metal canopy in the yard, you need to take into account the following parameters of the structure:
- A forged base will be the most elegant and attractive, but it will require significant expenses. If funds allow, it is better to make an exclusive product to order.
- The most common and relevant building is a canopy made of round or profile pipes. The size of the pipe directly depends on the size of the building.
- Prefabricated finished model made of aluminum.
The main advantage of an iron canopy is its durability, but despite this fact, it is easily susceptible to corrosion.
To avoid such a nuisance, it is recommended to first clean the product with a stiff brush from possible rusting and scale, then treat the entire surface with abrasive and wipe with a solvent. The next step is coating with primer or paint.
Please note that the railings of a porch or gazebo should be made of wood, since metal quickly heats up from the sun and cools down from frost!
- Lawn laying
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Forged canopies over the porch
Forged canopies over the porch will not only protect you from bad weather and natural embarrassments, but will also decorate the entrance to your home. They are made to order by special companies. You can purchase both ready-made versions of products and make your own to order.
The features of the visors are obvious:
- Strong and reliable - bad weather is not a problem for them.
- Attractive in appearance thanks to hand forging.
- They do not require a foundation; they are attached directly to the wall using anchors. But there are exceptions to any rule.
- The price is higher than regular canopies made from a profile pipe, since the forging is done by hand.
- Combined with professional pipe. The top is made forged with a polycarbonate coating, for example, with the help of pipes (buried 30-50 cm into the ground) the structure is strengthened.
There are a large number of companies on the market selling wrought-iron canopies over porches; this segment is competitive. When purchasing ready-made solutions, we advise you to pay attention to reviews about the company on the Internet on special specialized sites.
Stone and brick as a base
All types of polycarbonate roofing with a stone, brick and concrete base look very luxurious, rich, but at the same time do not lose their lightness, which is ensured by a transparent canopy. Such supports are easy to maintain, resistant to fire, cope well with natural precipitation and are resistant to mechanical damage.
However, their installation will require significantly more time, effort and financial costs. Moreover, this building is being built for a long time, since it cannot be dismantled, that is, moved to another place on the territory.
Laying polycarbonate
Before laying polycarbonate, you should decide on the choice of its type: monolithic is heavier, but cellular is used most often because it is light in weight. To build a canopy over the front door, a honeycomb sheet with a thickness of no more than 10 mm will be sufficient. Its location on the frame should be such that in case of rain, all the water flows out along the internal ribs.
Each polycarbonate sheet has a protective film, which increases the resistance of the material to ultraviolet rays. It is necessary to make holes on the sheets that will be slightly larger in diameter than the fasteners themselves, and place rubber washers and gaskets under them to prevent dirt from getting in.
When joining two sheets, special connecting strips are used, with the help of which it is possible to hide the expansion joint. The ends are covered with linings to remove condensation. If the canopy has an arched covering, then it must be bent on the frame perpendicular to the internal channels.
Thus, it is not at all difficult to build a canopy over the polycarbonate entrance door with your own hands. If you follow all the instructions, even a beginner can cope with the task. If the frame is assembled correctly, the canopy will last for many years, protecting the front door from wind, rain and other negative weather conditions. If you don’t have the time and energy to build a frame with your own hands, you can always purchase a ready-made one.
