Enclosed Patio over Stamped Conctrete

[RoadBeater]

We have a 18' X 18' stamped concrete patio that we poured in 2010. The wife is now wanting to cover and enclose it. I've seem some of the patio companies that put the aluminum extruded rooms over them, they seem expensive for what they are. I was wondering if there was any way to build walls off of it to enclose it and then use scissor trusses to make it roomier. The concrete is 5" thick, still in good shape. The other option is to dig and put a foundation around it, then this would be the crawlspace, but that seems more work than necessary? Wondering if anyone has done something like this? Thanks!

 

[rsanter]

Kind of depends if you you will be supporting a roof with the walls or is there allready a roof and you are just building walls?

if you need the walls to support the roof then you will need to pour a footing for those walls. I think you can still leave the concrete there as it should not hurt a thing.

at that point you should just m
be able to run flooring joists and even have a few center supports installed if you want/need.
personally I would look at the I joists to save a few bucks and you are more assured they will stay straight

option: what about saw cutting the stamped concrete into sections that are moveable and relocate them to another place in the yard. You can place them with a little bit of a gap between them that you have grass or gravel in (or wood). That way you can still make use of the concrete you paid for

 

[RoadBeater]

We will be adding walls and a roof. Not sure how well the concrete would take any moving, but that might be a possibility.

 

[Adaylate]

Where I live a permit would be required for that project.
Have you checked with your AHJ?
Would your enclosed patio attach to the house?

Good luck with your project!

 

[Shiftless]

Are you just looking for a shady sheltered space with nice furniture to enjoy the outdoors or do you need an actual enclosed room that can be heated and cooled and furnished like the rest of your house?

It would be WAY simpler and WAY less expensive to buy a gazebo kit and screw it together and untilize that nice stamped concrete as a floor in your new outside “room”.

That‘s the project I’m in the middle of right now. Just 10x12 but that’s all the room we have here on a quarter acre city lot. Our patio surface is individual pavers. The one we chose has netting and also opaque curtains that can be drawn across the sides or left open and tied to the support posts.

 

[RoadBeater]

We are out in the sticks, no permits or inspections required. I still plan on doing whatever I do correctly.

I had suggested the covered pergola idea, as there's not much shade in the evenings, but yeah, she's looking for somewhere that she can read in in the wintertime. I am thinking of a mini-split to help moderate the temperature.

 

[carcruse]

Even though no permit or inspections are required, I wouldn't put an enclosure over a patio slab without a rat wall.

 

[CraigStu]

Is the edge of the slab strong enough to support walls and a roof? Usually the answer would be no but, since you had it done yourself, you know what is under it.

 

[RoadBeater]

That's kind of the main issue I have, it's 5" of gravel and another 5" of concrete. I'd need a way to level the pad to seal the bottom of the walls. I had also thought about putting corner posts, and then having a header that supported the roof trusses, that would minimize the wall weight on the concrete slab. Similar to a Barndominium that's popular now.

 

[CraigStu]

Especially since the slab is at ground level I think I'd pour short walls around the slab. Maybe bring them up a foot or so. Or pour additional footers outside the slab, pour them flush with the slab and then come up w/ a row or 2 of block. This gets all wood away from ground contact. I don't know enough about block but I suspect there exists some suitable block w/ some type of decorative outer surface and in a color that would work w/ the nice existing slab colors. Treat the project like you are building a garage w/ a decorative existing floor.

 

[Professor Fate]

That's kind of the main issue I have, it's 5" of gravel and another 5" of concrete. I'd need a way to level the pad to seal the bottom of the walls. I had also thought about putting corner posts, and then having a header that supported the roof trusses, that would minimize the wall weight on the concrete slab. Similar to a Barndominium that's popular now.

No footing. Need to address this if you want walls and a roof.

 

[firebirdparts]

Probably depends on the authority what you can do. Their rules will reflect somewhat the demands of the weather. Practically, you don't have to use much weight and it's not like it's going to frost heave if it doesn't already. Where I live, I could enclose it and be fine. And of course if something goes wrong with my little sun room, so what? No sane person would care. So it depends on where you live.