Sorta OT....Hey Rodney...Carports

[Reg Evans]

Rodney,

I see you have a carport just about like the one I had installed yesterday.

I noticed yours in the photo is undergoing a snow load test. Looks like maybe 6 to 8 " of accumuation on yours. Has yours ever had more snow on it than that? The snow load where I live is 30# per sq.ft. so I had them add 2 extra roof trusses and 4 legs (seat of the pants engineering). Normally we will only get maybe 6" of accumulation where I live but one year we got 18" all at once here in Sunny Calif. I'm just wondering and worring that maybe mine won't hold up to a freak snowfall.

[BobT-47P15]

Reg, I would suggest that along with the extra roof support you are adding, be sure to attach that carport to the ground real well. Wind gets under them and they are just like a big opened umbrella.

[Reg Evans]

I poured a regular foundation and installed anchor bolts every 3'-6" so I'm not too worried about it taking off Bob

. I'm more concerned about it getting closer to the ground in moderate to heavy snow. The rafters ,even with the extra (2) I added to their standard carport design,are at 3'-6" c.to c.

Is there an Architect in the house that deals with snowloads?

Gee...I was suppose to get a bldg. permit but somehow it slipped my mind.

[Rodney Bullock]

hey I just saw your post, Mine was great with the snow, no flex or anything. I was so impressed I got another one for the farm for the other cars and let them inclose it very dry and warm. What impressed me was how fast they finished it with roll up doors. that night it rained cats and dogs and I stayed in it til it stopped. sound was deafing. bone dry!

[Reg Evans]

Rodney,

Any idea what the max. amount of snow your carport has seen all at once?

[Rodney Bullock]

we had about 8 inches that time , with the pitch on the roof you will get so much on the roof before it slides off.

[Ed Griffin]

Thats the same type carport I had built in the beginning of summer. I dont know how they build them elsewhere but the centers on these are 5 feet, not in 16 or 24 inch's. You dont need that close of centers with these. Mine is 24 feet wide by 35 long so the closed area is 24 by 10. They use 3 foot sections of rebair to anchor it down, same as they do a trailer. That was my worst fear. Living on a hill we get a lot of wind and storms can be really bad. Lost a brand new tent type carport in the same spot because of the wind, not once but twice. I put a 3/4" plywood floor in the back end with treated lumber under it but the beams used to hold it are on top of the bottom plate of the carport and screwed in with L brackets. This way the weight of the whole floor and items in it are also added to what holds it down. Even with extra reinforcement braces added I'm somewhat leary of the gauge of the metal used to cover the whole thing. I plan to go over all the screwed sections and weld them together at least with a few spot welds. If I can find a matching color at a local hardware store I plan to finish the sides myself and only have one end open. I've worked with corregated sheets before so it wont be a big deal if I can get a helper just to hold ends. When the guys were building it I watched as one fellow walked the top running screws as he went so that showed me it wasnt as flimsy as I thought it might be. I really like it and it gives me not only a place to put cars but clean out the garage. Pegboards over siding insulation sheets on the walls helped too.

[Don Coatney]

Fast Eddie;

Could you istall a lift in this? Is it tall enough in the center?

[Ed Griffin]

Just by looking at it Don I think you could but it would be close if fully up with a car. I can do some measurements if you need them to make sure. I've been thinking of how to use all that space above in mine. I'm not sure how they make the pitch of the roof when they use differant widths on these but would imagine it had alot to do with how much you end up with above. You can get these made almost any way you want and they can be made taller. I went for the basic garage look instead of the curved sides only to make it match the house and look more like a building with a facia and soffit. You've probably lived in something like these if you ever lived in a quanzit? hut when in the service. Basically the same thing just square instead of a arch.

[Ed Griffin]

I was refering to welding the main frame, not the sheets. You dont want the main frame expanding or contracting.