Building a "carport" and need advice

[Wood'nMetal]

I'd like to build a cover over my slab and hoist. I'd originally planned on having a metal RV cover built but after getting quotes in the $3k range, I'm pretty sure I could build something myself for much less.

Just not sure where to start! I'm thinking 4x4 posts every four feet, mounted on brackets so they aren't touching the concrete. I'm a little stumped about how to handle the trusses.

Any input here? I don't plan on enclosing it since I don't want to run afoul of the county but I may come down the side a foot or two with metal or siding. The gable roof will be corrugated metal to match the shop.

I know this is a simple project but I'm having a bit of a design mind block

 

[HiWind]

I'm not sure if this will suit you but my second try after 10 years and it worked well as an interim step while I waited 3 years for my garage on driveway plans to get approved.

I think the pic's say enough but growing a vine over it made it look good from the street and have the curve and the pivotable top meant it was easy to clean in autumn etc...

Hope this give you some ideas

 

[Playwme]

Have you got this kind of stuff over there?
http://purlinbrackets.com.au

Get some used or downgrade purlins, some secondhand roofing iron, and you should be good to go for a good price.

 

[matt_i]

You don't necessarily have to even truss it. You could run all the metal corrugations the long way relative to the long axis of the slab. Then build the pitch into successively shorter posts and just span across with flat 2x lumber. More or less like a lean-to but not "leaning" on anything. There would need to be some triangulation for stiffness and you'd can't walk on the metal roof I'm describing with only a single cross support every 4'.

 

[Cyberbear]

If you are having trouble with code requirements, try building a cover that has legs with casters on the bottom, thus making it a "portable" not permanent structure. A company next to us used this option to build a metal rolling roof and they had no code problems. They built something that was much larger than what you need to do. Give it some thought.

 

[Wood'nMetal]

I'm not having trouble with code requirements, just a mental design block as far as the wood framing. I'd like to mimic the gable style of the main shop roof rather than do a lean to roof. Guess I'm just going to have to break out the pad and paper and start sketching!

 

[readhead]

Do you work from home? If so 3K sounds like a good deal. Would you rather be making money on customer work or spending your time doing something you don't understand or do well? If you don't work at home then never mind and good luck with the build.

 

[rieferman]

Do you work from home? If so 3K sounds like a good deal. Would you rather be making money on customer work or spending your time doing something you don't understand or do well? If you don't work at home then never mind and good luck with the build.

Readhead makes a fair point... $3K ain't a lot of dough if the result is superior to what you are capable of building yourself, and considering the time/frustration that you may experience along the way.

That said, we all support sensible DIY adventures!

What I'll caution is this... Your description makes it sound like this is a free standing car port (as opposed to attached to another structure on one side) so ensuring that the car port won't rack is important. Also, car ports are essentially big sails. I've seen a 30x40 pole barn that was pulled out of the ground and flipped upside down on a windy day when doors are left open - car ports are always open.

So, bracing to prevent racking, and locking the building down to the ground, are two key considerations to keep in mind.

 

[Wood'nMetal]

Thanks for the input. No, I don't do customer work at home, strictly for my own enjoyment!

I plan on attaching one end to the shop so I don't have to worry about it racking.

 

[rieferman]

I plan on attaching one end to the shop so I don't have to worry about it racking.

Cool, that helps your cause for sure. You mentioned building a dual pitched roof (rather than "lean to" style) - which side of the car port (gable end or eve side) are you attaching to which side of your existing building (gable end or eve side)?

 

[readhead]

Put a diagonal brace on the bottom cord of the trusses and you should be good to go. Uplift and wind load will be a major consideration as mentioned above. Some hefty chunks of concrete with substantial connections at both the top and bottom of the posts are in order.

 

[Voi]

I'm a little stumped about how to handle the trusses.

It's hard to tell exactly how things line or vertically and laterally in those pics but it looks like a saltbox style truss may work well if the centerline of your lift is offset from the roof peak of the barn.

If you used a truss with a horizontal bottom chord would the roof of the carport end up being higher or lower than the roof of the barn? Or would it be close?

I can't say I have seen a saltbox truss built with a raised bottom chord or in a modified scissor or parallel chord fashion but I would talk to a truss designer about it. Just from the way it looks like things line up in the pictures you'd want some sort of raised bottom chord or maybe try to eliminate it altogether with a section of raised collar ties or whatever.

I assume in a perfect world you'd want the new roof to tuck in under the gable overhand on the barn?