Preparing the wall for the Patio Cover

Patio Remodel: Episode 12

All the demolition work, repair to the electrical, and siding replacement were done. I’d stood the support columns for the patio cover. I turned my attention to where it would attach to the wall. The fresh header board had been tucked in snugly under the flap of roofing I left initially long.

Roll back

The rolled roofing had concealed some old shingles as well as spanned an open gap at the edge where the old wooden cover had been attached. I realized that my new header board (Is “header” the right term?) was sitting a good inch too low. I worried that would leave a weak spot at the edge, causing the roofing to curve tightly, possibly more susceptible to wind and rain.

Mind the gap

After another one of the trips to the store that seems to happen every single step of the way, I installed a 1 x 2 along the whole length to raise it up.

I also had the idea to install a length of rolled aluminum to cover the wood that would be exposed above the roof of the new patio. Since there would no longer be a roof overhang to protect any exposed wood from the elements, I figured it would do the trick.

It won’t be visible in the end.

Next up was drip edge. Anything I could add to direct water away from the wall should help. We don’t get snow, or much rain here, so I’m not overly worried about the lack of eves along this stretch.

I attached it with some stainless nails I had left over from the siding repair.

A nice coat of a spray on asphalt primer and adhesive stuck the rolled roofing to the drip edge. After thinking about it I decided to face nail the edge of the rolled roofing down as well, with the stainless nails.

I’ll paint that whole edge with a good roof coating to cover those nail heads, just to be safe.

The roof hanger

The patio kit included a long, C-shaped hanger that the Alumawood roof panels would attach to. Luckily, I didn’t have to locate individual studs to attach it to. I had a nice, thick piece of 2x wood to attach it to.

20 feet of hanger

That thing had to be screwed on dead level. I supported it on one end with a temporary wooden jig and started driving screws along the length.

The kit included several tubes of industrial sealant to use throughout the build.

I generously caulked the entire top edge with the stuff.

Slathered with caulk

In the middle of the run was the wiring for future ceiling fans and lights. Curious that I’d popped that out above the hanger, thus the roof? Stay tuned friends, we’d get to that in one of the next episodes.

Next time Sparky.

That ugly problem corner

This had to be dealt with. The edge of a somewhat flat roof over our little office space, which was quite possibly the original 1979 porch, was a mess. I’d had to tear into the roof and “attic” space, opening it up to the elements. The slight eve would tuck under the new patio cover. I’d cut a section of that off and seal it up.

After lopping one of the rafter tails and some of the framing, I popped off the board behind the corner. At this point, I really didn’t have the thing figured out yet, but knew I’d have to close it all up somehow.

Open sesame

There was no insulation in that triangle shaped void, so I stuffed a length in the hole. That would help next summer.

The old broom handle ram-rod trick

I had to custom fit an extension to the end of the header board, just to keep the thickness right. I didn’t quite have the right size on hand, but I made it work with some scrap.

My angled plug covered the open hole. I also cut a piece of plywood to build up the shallow void below it. A piece of siding in that small space would have looked crappy, so I decided to tear off yet another entire sheet and replace it.

Sometimes I just don’t feel like setting up the camera friends. You’ve seen me re-sheet siding before, so I don’t feel like I’ve cheated you from the experience.

Needless to say, I somehow managed to measure and cut that sheet to fit on the first try. I shared it on my Instagram stories at the time, so a diehard few followers shared in my glory that day.

Nailed it!

I’m going to leave that stray piece of plywood over the corner, just as a rain edge until I build the patio cover. I’m just not sure how it’s going to line up over there and want to give myself as much room as possible. I’ll seal everything up good down the road.

Next up, I’m building!!!!