Backyard #10 - Adirondack Chairs & Creek

This post isn't on anything specific - I just took a break from yard work to take some pictures.

I built a couple of adirondack chairs a few years ago, and I moved them down by the fire pit earlier this week. They have weathered to a silver gray and are actually fairly comfortable. We have been spending a lot evenings out here since the weather warmed up.


I took some pictures of the creek this morning, while I was mowing the adjacent field. This sits below our house, about 40 yards away. The kids spend quite a bit of time down here in the summers. I put a big rope swing in a tree that allows them to swing out over the water.


This picture was take from the creek looking back up at the house. One of our challenges is to do something with the hill besides letting the weeds and grass grow. I am thinking English Ivy, is it chokes out everything in its path, but it can get hard to control.


I like the way the new patio cover fits between the two decks.

The deck on the left, our main one, will get a also cover next summer. It's going to come out as a gable-end and cover about 200 square feet (half the deck area). Unlike the one I am working on now, this one is going to require formal drawings and permits, since it's on a second story and cuts into the existing roof. The building department told me I could draw these myself, and I am looking forward to figuring out all the details and requirements.

This is conceptually what it will look like...

Backyard #9 - Rippin' Hardiplank

I spent a little time working on the patio cover this afternoon. I cut and installed the hardiplank fiber cement boards into the sides of the posts...


I like the results, but ripping the hardiplank to width was not a lot of fun.

I tried a carbide blade, which lasted for three boards and then gave out. I switched to an abrasive masonry blade, and it worked OK, but the cutting was slow. Also, I am not very comfortable with all the cement dust on my table saw - it can't be very good for it (or me). These post-sides are the only things I need to rip, so it's not too bad.

I used my coil nail gun to fasten then it place (1.25 inch roofing nails), which worked well.

Backyard #8 - Patio Cover Posts

Today I worked on the wooden posts that sit on the stone bases for the patio cover. I wrapped the existing 4x4's to make them 8x8, which gives them the correct proportions...

I have tried to keep the "green" ethic through all of my remodeling. In this case it meant using up many of the left over 2x4's and 2x6 pieces to enlarge the post to accept the final exterior pieces.


The next few photos show how I'm protecting the posts from water damage over time. The wood here is kept about 1/2" off of the cap.


Here is the first piece of flashing between the masonry base and the wood post. The main function of this is as a capillary break, which stops water on the stone cap from wicking up into the exterior wood. Even though the wood is rated for ground contact, I think that water could still cause some damage over a number of years. Flashing 4 posts cost under $5 and took less than 30 minutes to install - a good investment (especially in western Oregon)


The corners have overlapping metal...


The posts sit tight to the flashing, so it's not very noticeable:


This picture shows the detail I decided on for the top of the posts. The beams and sides of the posts will get covered with Hardiplank.


I chose not to do the typical detail with a trim cap that sits under the beam, but rather run the boards all the way up to the top of the beam. This basically matches the detail on both the decks on either side of the porch.

backyard #7 - Patio Cover Roof and Gable Ends

I completed roofing the patio cover just in time to avoid a huge downpour. It was a perfect day to work on the roof - cloudy and 70 degrees.

It took me about 6 hours to flash, paint the trim and roof. This is not fast by any means, but everything went smoothly with no mistakes on my part. Here is a picture of the top flashing nailed up to the house. This will get covered over by a trim board under the window.


What really made the job go easy was using my coil nailer. I bought this a couple of years ago from Harbor Freight for about $70. I have used it for a number of projects, and it's always worked very well. I plan on using it again on the house siding and my upcoming garage project.


We decided to do an open design on the gable ends...


These give the patio cover more of a craftsman look, and they will allow for good airflow on hotter days. I had to individually fit the uprights, toe-screwing them into the ceiling beam. I still need to add a 2x8 to the hotizontal beam on the inside, and then wrap it in hartiplank.


Details like this usually cost almost no extra money ($10 for wood), but take quite a bit more time. If you are not on a tight schedule, I recommend taking the opportunity to add things like this when possible.

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Roofing Costs: It cost about $260 to flash, paper just under 200 square feet of roof, with 30year architectural asphalt shingles.
- $180 for the roofing
- $20 for 200 sq ft of 30# roofing paper
- $40 for metal flashing
- $10 for asphalt / rubber flashing tape

Backyard #6 - Stone Posts Done

I finally finished the stone post bases for the patio cover. It took a few extra weeks (it always takes a few extra weeks!) due to travel and family activities. Anyway, I am pretty happy with the results...


I ended up laying about 50 feet of stone on both of these, and used up all the large corner pieces I had. The large corners give the posts a more substantial feeling.

The tumbled stone pavers made nice post caps, and cost significantly less than cap pieces from the stone yard. Once I filled the joints, I cleaned off the pavers with a water and vinegar solution to remove the mortar stains.


I am going to look at my stone pile and see if I have enough of this mix to lay veneer across the back of the house to match. If I need to buy a few more boxes, I'll keep a look out on Craig's List and buy some leftovers cheap.

I also had time to get the rake and fascia boards installed. I used 2x fir and my DW painted it form me before we attached it.


I really like the look of the 4x6 beams, now that they are in place. Our house is built with 2x4 trusses, that have rafter tails that extend 29 inches. I am considering fabricating and boxing these in with faux tails that will give them the look of 4x6's.

Backyard #5 - Patio Cover Roof and Stone

I had the day off yesterday - the weather was great. I was able to get the roof deck on the patio and some stone laid around the post bases. Here is a picture of the roof deck:

It obviously takes longer to lay a solid wood as opposed to plywood roof deck - but this picture shows why it's worth it.


I decided to go with straight 2x6's as opposed to tongue-and-groove roof deck. The cost is significantly lower, but it takes a bit more planning and work. The look is slightly more rustic than T&G, and fits in well with the changes we are going to make to the exterior of the house.

A 10' 2x6 costs $2.50 right now, while T&G costs $11. The difference here was $100 vs. $440.

T&G can span quite a distance (at least 4'), but this would probably not worked well for 2x6. I made the spacing between the the rafters 32" - which took two additional pieces ($11 each). As noted in an earlier post, I like the look of this better anyway.

I did have to sort through the pile to get the good boards, but I always do this anyway. We stained the sides of the boards without the mill marks (ink stamps) while they were on the ground. This highlighted a few bad areas, which I cut out.

Is it going to be strong enough? No problem - you can put 1/2" OSB on 24" centers with little metal clips to help strengthen the joints where the pieces come together. This is 5x to 10x (my guess) stronger.

What about the small gaps between the boards? With black roofing felt on top of the deck, you won't notice any gaps. I did make sure they boards were tight together before nailing. They may shrink a little over time, but I don't think it will be significant.

The picture above shows the block bases I built around the posts. These are about 2 1/2 feet high. I used brick to bring them up to the right height, and make a solid base to mud the caps to.

Here is one of the posts with the stone applied. I did the same general pattern as I did on the fire pit, so it would all tie together. I plan on capping these off with 2" thick tumbled pavers to make a flat surface for drinks, etc.


Once the caps are on, I will build out the posts to about 8x8 to give them the right proportions.

Backyard #4 - Patio Cover

Now that the fire pit is done, and the patio has had a chance to cure, I have moved on to the patio cover. I was able to get the main structure in place this weekend - here is a rendered image of what I plan to build...


It's a pretty simple design:

Ledger attached to the house

Main beam to support the rafters

Four posts (two on each end) with stone bases

Large 4x6 rafters, on a 4/12 pitch (same as the rest of the house)

Solid wood roof deck, stained on the under side for the vaulted ceiling

Total area is about 160 square feet

Here is the progress so far...


The main beam is built up of three 2x8's glued and nailed together. Here is how I calculated the needed beam size:

The span between the two inner posts is just under 12 feet, and the rafter span from the beam to the house is 6.5 feet.

The general load requirements for Portland, Oregon are 10lb dead load / 25 lb live load (for snow). Even though there are no formal requirements for patio covers under 200 sf in my area, I of course want my project and my house to last (not sag).

I looked at various span tables for patio covers (I will link to these below) and determined that I needed either a 4x10 or a 6x8 beam. I wanted a thicker looking beam anyway, so I chose the 6x8. I built it from 2x8's since I am going to wrap it in hardiplank later on. Doing 3 pieces also allowed me to easily leave mortice holes for the posts.

The rafter requirements are very light - 2x4's on 24" centers. I think going that route would save a few dollars, but the cover would look light-weight and cheap. After looking at 2x6 and 4x4 rafters on other houses, I decided to go with 4x6's. They are substantial enough to give the cover a "craftsman" feel, and not really much more expensive. These are painted the brown color that we are going to paint the house trim. They should contrast nicely with the stained roof deck. I put these on 32" centers - the spec sheets say I can go up to 48", but I like the look of them closer together. At $11 a peice for 10' long ones, it only cost me $22 extra.


The ledger on the house took longer to get in place than I thought it would. I took my time to make sure it was square, level and centered with the beam I put up. I attached it with 1/2" lag bolts on 32" centers. If this isn't installed very level and even, then getting everything else lined up later on will be painful.

I decided to go with a 2x8 ledger, so I could attach a 1x2 lip at the bottom for the rafters to sit on. I did this for two reasons: It makes holding the rafters much easier when you are attaching them, and it covers the bottom gap where the rafters meet the ledger. I noticed this on a number of patio covers I looked at.




The rafters are attached to the beam with L-brackets and then lag bolted through the tops in to the beam.

Helpful documentation that I used to design the patio cover:

This patio cover building permit form gives a lot of design information. Note that is for a 10lb live / 10lb dead load (no snow)

This document is for patio covers in Fort Collins, CO - 30lb live / 10lb dead loads (lots of snow).

Finally, here is a good middle of the road one at 20lb live / 10lb dead load.

From these three sources, you should be able to spec an appropriate cover for your area and design choices.

Backyard #1 - Patio extension and fire pit.

Since my son is home and helping me out for a few weeks, I am trying to get a whole bunch of heavy work done in our backyard. Here is my "master plan" for things I want to add this summer:

Extend the patio along the back of the house, and make it about 10 feet deep.

Cover the patio with a roof (asphalt comp) that matches the existing roof - 18 ft wide and about 8 feet deep.

Put an under-deck rain cover under our main deck (10' x 30'), and possibly under our bedroom deck (8' x 14').

Build a fire pit

Build a series of terraced stone walls for a raised-bed garden up the hill to our garden shed.

We started off by pouring the patio, and extending it over to the stairs that lead to the upper deck.


This ended up being about 180 sq ft at 4" deep, which translates to 140 bags of 60# quikcrete. It basically took a full day to mix, pour and finish it all. We are keeping the concrete wet and covered with tarps for a week, so that it cures properly.

Luckily, I have a small cement mixer. Mixing all that by hand would have been way too much work.



Here is the portion of the patio we will cover over. We also tore out the old sliding glass door and put french doors in. The pre-hung units actually go in fiarly easily.


Here is the foundation for the fire pit...


It's not very pretty right now, but its round, level and solid. The rain-drain line that we put in the yard runs directly under this (about a 18" down), and is back-filled with gravel. This will become the drain path for water put, once we dig the cover dirt out and fill the bottom with gravel.

This picture shows where the fire will be located - about 20 feet off the deck with a good view of the woods.


I am still deciding what material to build the fire pit out off. Most likey it will be covered with some extra stone I have from other projects.