"Chuck" wrote in message
news:H8u7c.48396$Zp.2100@fed1read07...

I'll be building a carport in the near future. I would like to make my
own
frame to support the roofing panels. The span between the posts will be
20
feet. I'm thinking that some 2x4x.120 rectangle tube should be strong
enough
for the horizontal, but what I need to know is will the tube sag under
it's
own weight . Has anybody had any experience with this kind of framework
before, or is there some place you could direct me to find some answers?

Many Thanks,

Chuck in Phoenix



I was a steel erection contractor in Nevada for nine years. I built
carports, and did repairs for 275 apartment complexes in Las Vegas.

DON'T use the square tube. It will sag normally, and if you have any top
load, such as snow, or even rain, it can sag further.

Do it once, and do it right. Use 3 x 3 x .120 columns. Use 10 to 12" C
purlins. Use Galvanized steel sheets. You can find the materials by
googling "carport". Depending on the size of your city, you may have some
of the things locally available. If not, it is no big deal to get it sent
in. Check with metal building makers in your area, and they may have some
extra metal they will sell you at a good price. Metal carports are
remarkably simple to build, and one using the above components will have an
80 mph wind load. Snow loads are entirely different, and if you live in a
snowy area, you might want to put three purlins instead of two.

Using the materials mentioned above, cost should run you about $700 for a
20w x 18 deep two space carport. And that is using painted corrugated
instead of plain galvanized. Color trim is available to go with color
sheets, but you can use galvanized panels and colored trim. Galvanized
panels will be about 60% of color panels. Less in some areas. Contact your
local steel suppliers and see if they stock these items for carport repair
companies.

The whole key is getting the four support columns in correctly. Square and
plumb. Weld some rebar onto the base of the posts under ground level. Make
a wash on the top of the concrete pour for water to run off. (mound up the
concrete) For 18' deep spaces, allow for 2 to 3 inches of slope. Space
your purlins at 12'. Bolt the purlins to the posts once they are cemented
in and have dried for three days. Screw the sheets to the purlins with self
tapping screws WITH sealer neoprene ring. 5/16" head, and one inch long,
available at the local fastener place. Add trim. Voila! A nice carport.

If you want it electrifried, add conduit during the digging phase.

HTH. Been a while since I did them, but they are as close to TinkerToys as
you can get. Definitely NOT rocket science, but well within the
capabilities of the normal Tim the Tool Man Taylor. I did one myself, which
I will gladly e mail a picture of. It is a sun shade, and not a real
carport, though. The frame is of 1.25" .065 tube, but when you do it that
way, you have to almost make a bar joist out of it or it will really sag. I
used a row of ornamental metal castings between two parallel square tubes to
make a rigid joist. I can go and pop some pictures of a local apartment
carport that will show exactly the construction methods if you e mail me.

You will have a lifelong carport that you will never have to paint, except
the posts. It won't sag. It won't rust. It won't blow away.

Steve