Roofs primer

Non-insulated roofs / patio covers

We carry two styles of non-insulated aluminium prefabricated roof lines: 8″ and 24″ interlocking panels. Both can be used for the same purpose, they differ by appearance, options and price.

NP8, NP8 SL – 8″ panel system

Contemporary look, streamlined flat bottom, 8″ interlocking pan. Thicknesses.032″ and .040″. Can take 4″ skylites. Posts may be used as part of our structural aluminium railings. Comes with large integral gutter.

Front end gutter, hanging rail and side fascias made of extruded aluminium. Smooth enamel baked finish.

SUM10 – 8″ pan roof interlocking flat panel simulation.

 

SUM20-  8″ pan roof interlocking panel simulation, with skylite insert.

 

SUM30 – bottom view of 8″ flat bottom panel roof.

 

SUM40 – bottom view of 8″ flat bottom panel roof with skylite inserts.

 

SUM50 – top view, 8″ pane roof panels.

 

WP24, WP24 SL –  24″ panel system

Classic shallow ‘W’ look, 24″ interlocking pan. Thicknesses.030″.  Can take alternating 24″ polycarbonate skylite panels. Comes with an integral gutter.
Gutter, wall hanger and side fascias made of extruded aluminium. Smooth enamel baked finish.

SUM80 – 24″ panel simulation.

 

SUM90 – 24″ panel simulation with skylite panel.

 

SUM100 – detail view ‘W” pane roof

 

SUM110 – detail view ‘W” pane roof with 24″ skylite panel.

 

Patio cover configuration More on patio covers

Carport configuration More on carports

 

Insulated roofs

Used in enclosed areas or at high snow load due to their superior strength.

Two roof cores:

Foam core roof – double aluminium skin with foam core. Available in 3″, 4.5″ and 6″ thickness.

Honeycomb core roof – double aluminium skins with nested hexagon resin-impregnated craft cells. The honeycomb is stronger than the foam roof.

Stock width is 3′, length up to 22′. Panels pre-cut to desired roof size. The outside looks of both are the same  – stucco finish. Standard colour white with available optional sand colour. Roof assembly comes with a large integral gutter.

Gutter, hanging rail and side fascias made of extruded aluminium.

Panels are connected to each other with couplers or interlocking tongue and groove.

 

SUM150 – insulated roof bottom view.

 

SUM160 – insulate roof gutter detail. A similar gutter is used for the rest of solid roofs.

Insulated roof page More on insulated roofs

Clear roofs / patio covers

Available in insulated and non-insulated configuration, with two distinctive support system.

Heavy load system

5″ high heavy-duty aluminium rafter, thermally broken. Can be used with:

32mm or16mm (1-1/4″ or 5/8″) thick insulated glass.
32mm or 16mm (1-1/4″ or 5/8″) thick multiwall polycarbonate panels.
Non-insulated glass.

All parts are extruded aluminium with, smooth white finish. Gutter is optional.

 

SUM200- tinted non-insulated glass roof in HD brace system.

 

SUM210- translucent “ice” polycarbonate  insulated roof in HD brace system.

 

Standard duty system

Same support system as the 24″ panel solid aluminium roofs.  5″ ‘T’ bar system, can carry 10mm multiwall polycarbonate panels, laminated or tempered glass.

All parts are extruded aluminium, smooth white or black finish.

SUM250 – clear roof simulation – ‘T’bars and clear panels.

 

SUM260 – glass non-insulated roof in standard brace system.

 

SUM270 – 10mm polycarbonate clear non-insulated roof in standard brace system.

 

Clear insulated roofs More on clear insulated roofs

Non-insulated clear roofs More on clear non-insulated roofs

 

Pergola covers

Where all other covers are supplied with a support system, our pergola covers are installed over an existing structure. The cover kit is made of multiwall polycarbonate sheets supplied at 4′ wide and cut to the desired length, with matching couplers, trim and other installation paraphernalia. Sheets are available in 8mm, 10mm and 16mm thick- 5/16″, 3/8″ and 5/8″ respectively, in clear, “ice” or tinted.

 

SUM300 – Polycarbonate cover existing pergola.

 

SUM310 – Polycarbonate cover over solarium rafters.

 

More about pergola covers

 

Traditional permanent aluminium awnings.

Made of heavy .025″ pre-painted aluminium, with 5″ interlocking panes for strength. Can be used without support at up to 4′ projection with a 3′ drop. Smaller drop or up to 12′ projection require post or column support.

The top offered in many colours, bottom always white.

Used for front and back porch covers, door hoods and window awnings.

SUM350

More on aluminum awnings

More

Support system

All roof and canopy systems use a similar support system. As for the roofs, our support system is modular, simple to install and at matching strength. The system is made of:

Wall hanger

All our wall hanger are self-adjusting, meaning that it lends itself to the required slope of the roof. Further, if the ground heaves, the adjustable hanger will shift accordingly with no damage to roof. Needless to say that this feature is applicable for open space applications, not for enclosed areas such as sunrooms or enclosures where foundations need to be solid.

 

SUM400 – typical wall hanger.

 

Posts

Posts are 3″ square aluminium tubes, offered at .060″, .090 and .125″ wall thickness. Some posts can be used as part of our structural aluminium railings.  All are made of industrial-grade aluminium and are coated with matching enamel paint.

Cross beams

For most configurations, we use posts similar to the beams, the same material and wall thickness.  The 12″ panel style roof usees a 3″ ‘I’ beam for regular span and a 5″ ‘I’ beam where wider span needed. For extreme spans we also offer a 3″ x 8″ crossbeam. The 10″ panel roof uses ‘C’ style cross beam.

 

Connecting brackets

Standard brackets are U shaped, made of either aluminium or steel. For free-standing configurations and certain applications, we offer a heavy-duty footing bracket.

SUM410 – Typical floor / top bracket.

SUM420 – high load floor bracket.

 

Support span

SUM430 – support systems: left – simple span, right – complex span.

Cover hanging

The best is to hang the cover on a solid, appropriate wall. When the wall is too low for front clearance, there are two ways around it. Both ways need to be cleared with your local municipality, and existing structure strength verified. We strongly recommend this to be done by professionals only, under the local code acceptance.

option 1 – hang the cover on the existing roof. See the picture below.
Option 2 – reinforce fascia – see more.

SUM450- patio cover installed above the existing roof, clearance allows snow and rain to drain to gutter below.

 

Gutter

Save for our insulated clear roof structure, all our roofs come with an integral gutter. it is either extruded or roll-formed, see specific roof details.

SUM460 – typical gutter detail.

 

Mounting

On a lean-to cover, there are two mounting areas – wall and floor. Both need to be suitable and strong enough to support the cover against snow and wind load – down pressure and uplift accordingly. A typical 20′ x 10′ carport, in a mild snow area, should be able to hold over 5,000 lbs – a weight of two small cars.

We can not emphasize enough the importance of proper mounting to both wall and ground. The Wall hanger needs appropriate fasteners for each type of wall, and sometimes also added plate for reinforcement. Floor brackets need to be attached to a solid and sound footing. A good, professionally built code deck can be used. A proper concrete slab on correct footing may be used as well.  Poorly made, deteriorating, or “handyman special” decks should not be used. All types of tiles and bricks, interlocking or not, are not sufficient. Anchoring the posts to a bad surface will send the new cover to Kansas with the first storm.

If no proper footing, foundation piers (Sonotubes) need to be drilled for and poured, to comply with the code.  There are other ways such as power bolts or ground screws that can be used in certain configurations, call for details.

Free standing carports are subject to a different set of criteria and mounting principles. Contact us with your requirements.

 

Measuring

All covers, be it carport, patio or deck cover are measured the same way:

Width – the measurement attached to the wall.
Projection – the measurement from the wall out.
Back (mounting) height – the height from the ground to the hanging point.

For a porch or deck cover, it is a good practice to allow an additional 1′ at each side, where possible, so rain and snow will not hit the area to be protected.

Width – when measuring check if the whole length on the wall there is a solid area to accept the anchors. In older houses, the frieze board covers a hollow area, and the board by itself can not support anything.  In most cases brick wall or sidings are good. Stucco may present some extra work.  In older bungalows windows begin just under the soffit – check for casement, so will not open into the new cover. Most issues can be solved with a plate installed under the soffit to accept the header.

Note that in most cases we recess the posts app 1′, so a clear opening for a 10′ carport application will be 9′. This is still good, considering that a single car garage door is 8′ only.

The number of front posts position is determined by snow load, projection and mounting height. To a certain extent, we can adjust the number of posts used by using stronger posts and crossbeams

Projection – projection is finite. it depends on three factors: strength of the roof, snow load and support,as we have to comply with the code and common sense.  The support can be adjusted from simple to complex span, meaning additional row of posts and beam. Can use a heavier gauge material or bond the panels where applicable, yet to a limit. Snow load is a firm factor, so even for a DIY project is best to stay within the allowable projection for your area.

Height – most covers install under the soffit. If soffit 8′ tall, and the desired projection is 10′, the front – low – end will be app 78″ tall which is borderline height. If hanging point is lower the front end will follow suit. To keep the front end higher we can either shorten the projection or raise the hanging point. This can be done in two ways:

Hang on fascia board: fascia board and protruding rafters are not made to carry load. To reinforce this area needs to remove the existing board, commonly 3/4″ thick, double the rafters and the lateral as long as can be reached, install a new 2×6 (2×8)  fascia board to accept the new roof hanger. If existing woodwork is covered with aluminium, all have to be removed and re-installed if possible, or installing all-new aluminium.

Hang above the roof: unorthodox solution, but practical. A crossbeam mounted above the roof on specialized brackets. The roof hanger is mounted onto it, and slopes from there. Rain will be trapped in the existing gutter, as well as some snow.