How to Install a Metal Patio Roof
- 1). Design your metal patio roof; measure width and length of your patio and decide how you want your roof to run. You can make a flat roof (with a very slight slope to let water drain), a slanted roof which falls away from the house or a peaked roof, which works well if your patio is big enough to require center posts between the corners. Any style can be built with either galvanized steel or aluminum panels.
- 2). Install your posts and build a roof frame. Wood posts are easiest --- dig holes a depth about a third of the length of the post, sink the post and fill the hole with concrete, making sure post is vertical and plumb. For a flat roof, make posts the same height; for a slanted roof, make one side slightly longer for a slope of at least one inch per foot; for a peaked roof, make center posts longer than corners. Frame the outline with 2 by 4 board. You can also use steel or aluminum posts, with framing of square or rectangular tubing connected at the corners with angle connectors and then screwed to the posts.
- 3). Cover your roof with steel or aluminum panels. For flat or slanted roofs, start at the bottom and work up, overlapping panels about 2 inches. Attach panels with galvanized steel or aluminum screws. For peaked roofs, run panels from edge to peak and cover the top with a peak ridge cap. Overlap panels at the seams; some galvanized aluminum panels have interlocking seams, with one panel sliding into the slot of the adjacent panel to eliminate overlapping. Cut panels to fit with tin snips or a metal saw.
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