Archive for the ‘Tip & Ideas’ Category

Connecting Columns

Question on decorative columns

“the directions provided with the columns appear to be for a load bearing application, without internal posts.”

Correct, These columns are designed to be load bearing, but our engineering does not allow connecting direct to the column.  You will have a 3″ post in the center of the column to carry the load of the cover.  Basically the cover will be attached to the 3″ posts just like a standard post application and the column will be slipped over the post to be an architectural element of the design.

When we design columns with a cover we always include a “double header” design.  This looks better than using the standard single header and matches up with the column cap much better. 

We also don’t like the connecting instructions that come with the columns. The suggest using small “L” brackets and screwing into the column and into the concrete.  This is not a good connection and I have seen many columns crack when attached like this.

I like to drill 1/4″ hole, four sides of the column (low enough so the base will cover it) and use four long sheet metal screws screwed into the 3″ post to hold the column in place.  At the top, four screws in the cap, each corner, to the header holds it there. I will also add expanding foam at the top and bottom of the column, this really locks it in. Be careful not to use too much, once I came back the next day after “foaming” the column and it had raised it 2″!!

Below is a page out of the engineering. 

 

 

 

Post Spacing and Overhangs

We have had many inquires regarding post spacing for our Alumawood patio covers. You may find the post spacing in the engineering on the “Resources” page at alumawood.com.

The maximum post spacing for an Alumawood patio cover varies depending on many factors. The projection of the cover, the overhang, the type of cover, the type of header being used, the snow and wind loads all effect the post spacing.

In the engineering the “Tributary Width” is used to calculate post spans, footing size gauges of aluminum needed, post type, etc. To calculate the Trib width you may use the chart found in the engineering on sheet 3 of 21 for the Newport (solid) or sheet 3 of 9 for the Laguna (lattice). Simply find your overall projection (that runs across the top of the chart) and the desired overhang past the posts and header (running down the left side of the chart) and find where they intersect on the chart, this is your “Trib Width”.

Once you find your Trib Width you go the the chart with your snow (or live) load, wind load and type of header. Standard covers are 10lb snow load and 90 mph wind load with a 0.042 x 3″ x 8″ box beam. Find this chart, find your trib width and your maximum post spacing is to the right of it.

You will find that many times, with the maximum post spacing, you will not need to set the post that far apart to work for your cover. You will have some “leeway” in placing your posts, just stay within the maximum post spans

You will also have leeway in determining the side overhang. This can never be more than 25% of the maximum post span. A 20′ post span can have a 5′ side overhang, whereas a 4′ post span will have only a 1′ side overhang.

Remember to take into account the aesthetics of your cover when determining the post placement of your Alumawood patio cover. The decorative Corbel and Scalloped ends look better with a 18″ overhang. If you are using large columns you may want even a 24″ overhang. Check out our picture gallery and notice some of the different overhangs.

Above – side overhang too short, projection too big?

Above – side overhang good, overhang (projection) too short

Above – nice balance of overhangs

Regards, Robert Pinnell
contact@alumawood.com
1-888-alumawood (258-6296)
www.alumawood.com

Wood Ledger boards

 

Hello,

I’m very interested in your DIY kit, but I do have a question. I saw the following comment on your website: “All of our DIY Kits come with all the material and hardware you will need to do the installation yourself. All you will need to provide is the labor and the tools”However, when I looked your installation instructions, the very first step was for installing a ledger board, which I’ll need. It gave a suggestion on what type of wood to use, which implied to me that it was not included in the kit. Which is correct? Does the kit come with all the material I’ll need or not?Thank you,K.D.Thank you for a great questionMany of the Lattice covers do not need a ledger board (ones attached to the fascia board and ones attached to the house where each rafter hanger can be bolted to solid wood @ 24″ on center, such as into a header over large windows or second floor joists) The Newport covers (solid) do not need ledger boards at all as their “Roll Form Hanger” is continous and lag bolts can be put anywhere needed to hit solid wood, usually every 16″.One option on the “Quick Quote” is “with ledger board” and yes you do supply the wood part of it. We could ship it but it would cost more for shipping than the price of the 2×8 board. If you need it shipped, we can arrange this for you. We provide an Alumawood wrap to cover the ledger board. There are other options besides the 2×8 ledger board, to see more options look at the other blogs on “Ledger Boards”.http://www.alumawood.com/blog/tip-ideas/wood-ledger-boards/Caulking comes with the solid covers. The ledger board should be caulked also, but we do not send caulking with a Lattice covers.  You will buy the caulking, lag bolts and ledger board if indeed you need a ledger board. All the other materials, hardware and fasteners are provided.Thank you again, Bob

Flush mounting light fixtures

Here is a question we received about lighting an Alumawood patio cover:I have a quick question. I want to put lights up on my post. My question is, do I make holes on the post for boxes, or a hole just be enough to run the electrical cable? Any information you have would be great.Thank you for your interest in Alumawood.First let me add a disclaimer and word of caution here. The running of electrical can be a very dangerous undertaking, even for a professional electrician. (that’s why they are so expensive) If you run the wrong type of wiring, wrong gauge, connect the wires wrong, etc…., someone could get hurt or even killed. That is why most cities and countieshave requirements for permits and inspections for electrical and many types ofconstruction work, for your safety and the safety of others. Actually I believe it was the insurance companies who got the first electrical buildings codes written and enforced, not really for your safety but for the safety of their profits!The following ideas are for the electrical contractor who may have particular questions regarding Alumawood. As always, check with your local building codes before beginning any work.  Now to the question. Usually an electrical box will be flush mounted (in the wall, post or whatever) This makes it a bit more difficult running the wiring on a finished product, like Alumawood but usually comes out with a cleaner look.You will need to “pre-wire” as much as possible. Route your wiring inside as much of the Alumawood as possible. Come out of the source, usually at the house and into an Alumawood rafter (for lattice) or into the roof pans (for solid). You may want a light switch here or you may be running off an existing switched circuit. You can then run the wire out to the header, along the inside of the header to the posts you will be mounting the lights to. You can gain access to the rafters and header by removing the Alumawood caps. After removing and replacing the caps a small screw in the top of them or a drop of glue will keep them from falling off or someone getting in there and accessing the wiring. Use an electricians “fish line” to get from one end of the header to the other . Any holes punched in the Alumawood for wiring to pass through should have some type of protective covering in place so the wire does not come in contact with any sharp metal edges. Also any splices in the wiring must be accessible as per code.Run your wiring into the light box, leaving extra to make the connection to your fixture. Secure the wiring to the box as per code and then put the box in the post and secure. You should now be able to mount your light fixture. Keep in mind the material you aremounting to and do not mount anything too heavy.We also offer “Permatrax” lighting systems. This is a “strip” lighting system and looks great on the Alumawood covers. “Permatraxx” is a low voltage lighting system, much safer for an unlicensed electrician to install. You may order them at alumawood.com along with your Alumawood cover. Just note it in the comments section Check out diypatio.com for more information or ordering them seperately. 

Ledger Boards

Question:

We are specifying your product on a current project, and wanted to know if Alumawood makes a structural ledger piece that can be fastened to the exterior wall to support a trellis structure?

Answer:

No, we do not make the structural part of the ledger.

You will need to use a sealed (primed and painted) wood 2×6 or 2×8. Recess the lag bolts into the wood ledger so they are flush and caulk around it the entire ledger board. You can then cover the wood ledger with an Alumawood ledger wrap. The Alumawood rafter hangers will hold the ledger wrap on. The only thing you will have to do is leave an extra 1-1/2″ at the end of the ledger board to cut and fold over the end.

Another option is to use an Alumawood 2×6 or 3×8 and fill it with wood. This then can be mounted to the wall. The nice thing about this application is we do have end caps that can be used giving it a nicer finish than the folder over ledger wrap. The problem with this is you will see your lag bolts that mount it to the wall.

There is one more option, more work, but the best results. Use the 2×6 or 3×8 Alumawood piece with the end caps as in the above application but rip the Alumawood to make a “C” shaped ledger wrap. This way you can still recess the lag bolts so they won’t be seen and you can use the Alumawood end caps to finish it off.

Well there you go, I hope this was a help to you and good luck with your project. As always you may email any questions to us at alumawood.com, send them to info@alumawood.com.

Regards, Robert

Crown Molding

One very nice and custom option for the solid Newport cover is to delete the Alumawood “rafter tails” and install a PVC or other exterior grade crown molding. Crown molding is available from local hardware or lumber supply stores.

This crown molding was attached through the back side of the Alumawood 2×6 fascias with long screws, an exterior grade construction adhesive was also used.  Paint codes are available from alumawood.com  to match all existing Alumawood covers.

Another option not used in this picture is to delete the down spouts and use Alumawood scuppers.  With the scupper option you don’t have the down spout conflicting with the elegant round columns.

Ceiling Fan Questions

 How do you install ceiling fans in lattice and what height does the lattice need to be for a standard ceiling fan?

Thank you for your question.

We do have a ceiling fan beam that is used for solid covers that costs about $75.00. It is a very heavy gauge 2″x2-1/2″ unpainted, aluminum box beam. This may be Incorporated into the lattice style covers but we do not have engineering for it. The fan beam may be put in the rafters or along the lattice. Some customers have put wood 2×6’s inside the rafters spanning the length from the house to the header while others have used 2×2 metal tubing between the lattice tubes.

The challenge is to find a flat, secure location to mount the fan to, this is not a problem with the solid cover but is a challenge with a lattice cover. Some installers will “double up” the 2×6 rafters, there by giving a larger area to attach the fan to. Other installers will mount the fan up at the lattice level, between the rafters. This gives you a higher starting point for the fan. You should check any instructions that come with the fan for head room clearance but I believe you will need at least 6′-8″ under the blades.

As with any custom project, there may be many ways to accomplish the job and get the same results. I have attached a picture of one way a customer has solved this problem. He actually used a 2″x2″ metal tube, primed and painted it and then set it in between the lattice tubes spanning over four rafters. He then ran the wiring and attached the fan to the metal tubes, this seems like a very sturdy application.

What about Hail?

Hereis a great question by a customer I though I’d share with you

We don’t get much if any snow here in Lubbock, but we
do get hail.  How hail resistant is the system?

Also along that line, I’ve heard there’s a competing
product called U—-Lattice which uses as a selling
point that it is thicker.  Now I’ve been around long
enough to know not all aluminum is the same and just
because it’s thicker doesn’t make it stronger.  I do
know it would make it heavier load-wise.  What’s your
opinion of the other product?

H W
Lubbock, TX  79424

HW,  Thank you for your question

Hail depending on it’s size will destroy just about anything.  Yes the Alumawood would dent in a large hail storm.

U—–Lattice is only thicker on the lattice tubes.  The header beam in the Alumawood is .042 in lieu of the .040 in the U—–Lattice.  This is the main carrying beam of the system.  The lattice tubes are a nonstructural item.  We use a 3004 alloy which is a structural alloy for the rafters and beams.  The lattice is 3105.  Which is a nonstructural alloy.  U—–Lattice engineering shows the same as we do.  So the lattice pieces are nonstructural in their engineering as well. 

Multi Level Alumawood

Here is another great Alumawood design by one of our customer.

This custom multi-level Laguna (lattice) style patio cover was designed by Phil Smith. He did a great job of combining creativity with structural function. There are actually five different levels of 2×6 rafters and headers!

Phil “doubled up” all of the beams and was able to achieve greater spans between posts and between the rafters themselves. Notice how all the rafters and headers layout to meet at a post. When a post wasn’t needed, he inserted “false posts” where the rafters and headers met. He also made a nice transition from above the roof at the garage to the existing portch at the front of the house.

As you can see, the possibilities with Alumawood are practically endless.

Installing Outdoor Lighting

Here is a nice job of outdoor lighting on an Alumawood patio cover.

Four outdoor lights were install on this freestanding Alumawood patio cover. One light was installed on the header, above each column on the inside of the cover.

Electrical conduit was run underground to the back post before the concrete was poured. This was easy because the cover is a freestanding unit, all freestanding patio covers have steel posts set in concrete footings, so the conduit was just taped to the steel post during the concrete pour.

Before the 12″ fiberglass columns were slipped over the steel posts the electrical conduit was connected to an electrical outlet and dimmer switch for the lights and then ran up to the top of the post. At this time square holes we cut in the back side of the column about 16″ off the ground and again at about 36″ off the ground to accommodate the electrical outlet and light switch.

When the 3×8 headers were installed, a 1″ hole was cut in the bottom of the header and the electrical conduit was run straight up into the header. At this point the wiring was run to the light and then down the inside of the header to the other light.

When the rafters were installed, a hole was drilled from the header to the rafter and the wire was fed through and down the rafter to the header on the opposite side of the cover. Two lights on that side of the cover were then connected.

This is a great example of how, with a little patience and forethought, a “clean” wiring job can be achieved on an Alumawood patio cover