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It's a roof that lets the sun in - excerpt from Sunset Patio Roofs and Gazebos

Sunset, Nov, 1988

The multilayered structure shown above, called a "space-frame" roof, can define an outdoor area with a minimum of wood and overbead coverage. Two overlapping grids of squares and rectangles float above a deck to suggest a roof without blocking sun and also add a dramatic architectural element to the garden.

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This deck and roof structure were designed by Portland landscape architect Michael Whitmore for the American Wood Council. Made of pressure-treated lumber, the structure sits at a 450 angle to the two-story house. The frame jogs in and out, creating a random, serrated edge. Some overhead sections cantilever well beyond the supporting 4-by-4 posts. The posts rise from perimeter points of the deck's foundation; some extend almost 10 feet high. The first level of the space frame starts 8 feet above the deck, As the drawings above show, each post is flanked by 2-by-6s, which extend and join other pairs running at right angles to them. The second 2-by-6 layer rests on the lower layer but doesn't mount to the posts. Instead, it attaches to short connector posts sandwiched between, and rising

from, the lower layer of 2-by-6s.

This structure is one of 30 different garden structures in the new Sunset book, Patio Roofs & Gazebos (Lane Publishing Co., Menlo Park, Calif., 1988; $7.95). With photographs and plans for each project, the 96-page book offers a wide range of designs-from simple space frames and covered entryways to backgarden gazebos and shading trellises.

The book is divided into three sections: a short course on how to plan and design your own structure, a main section consisting of 50 pages of pictures and plans, and a section covering specific building techniques. Practical how-to advice includes useful information on buying lumber, estimating and ordering materials, and on finishing details.

Starting with a good base Patio Roofs & Gazebos explains that whatever the style of a garden structure, its roof will typically rest upon posts rising from piers embedded in concrete footings. Foundations can be built in three different ways: you can pour the footings and piers at the same time as a single unit, place ready-made piers into wet concrete footings, or bond ready-made piers in dry concrete footings. The sketches above illustrate the first two techniques.

Before adding any concrete, you must dig a suitably sized hole, deep enough to allow for about 6 inches of drainage gravel beneath the concrete. First tamp the bottom of the hole, add gravel, and add any necessary steel reinforcing bar, then add the concrete. Plan to fill the hole with concrete to within 6 inches of ground level.

For contiguous footings and piers, first pour the footings, then place and level forms for the piers over the wet concrete. If necessary, insert additional reinforcing rods to strengthen the link before filling the forms with concrete. If you're going to use ready-made piers, soak them first, then work them into the wet concrete of the footing.

It's a roof that lets the sun in - excerpt from Sunset Patio Roofs and Gazebos

Sunset, Nov, 1988

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