Awnings and Patio Covers Manufacturing Information

The Carport Cover Kit from Awnings Patio Covers you can be assured that your purchase will enhance, protect, add value to your home along with more useful area.

When purchasing a Carport there a few things you should pay special attention to. By doing so, then you can be assured that the carport you are purchasing will give you many years of reliable service for your needs. We encourage you to view our Gallery of Standard Aluminum Carport Covers and our Gallery of Alumawood Carport Covers to see what true quality aluminum carport and patio products look like. Our Carports are made of the same high quality material with a higher minimum engineering standard than patio covers.  We also have awning parts for your outdoor awning. The awning aluminum parts and awning supplies in cases are available to you depending on your awning style.

Awning Patio Covers will supply a set of engineered drawings and spans. Please take note of the states that are listed with an approved stamp. If your state isn't listed contact your local Building Dept. to see if they will accept a state that is adjacent to you. Not all areas require a permit to install a patio cover.

Patio Cover Materials:

The thickness of the awning "pans" depends on your particular application needs. The thickness for an awning pan is generally .018 gauge. This thickness works well with most awnings where there is little to no "snow-load" possibility or shorter spans. A thicker awning pan may be required or the use of beams must be used for heavier snow loads or longer spans.

Awnings Patio Covers offers four pan thickness in the Alumawood. The .018, .024, .032 are available in the embossed pattern; the .036 is only available in smooth finish.  The thicker pans are priced at a slightly higher price. Several types and sizes of beams are also available for your special needs. 

***  Steel C-Beams in 8" is used for our insert into the 
 embossed 3" x 8" alumawood beam. The embossed aluminum material has a woodgrain look.

***  Steel C-Beams in 10"

***  Aluminum I-Beams in 4", 7", & 10"

***  3" Steel Cloverleaf Beams
All of the beams have different weight and span ratings depending on the carport, patio cover or awning design you are seeking.

The Roof "Pan" Designs:     

At Awnings Patio Covers, we offer the "W" pans, Super 6 Alumawood Flat Pans and Alumawood Arbor Lattice. Standard Aluminum "W" pans are available in 2 colors.   The Alumawood Super 6 and Arbor Lattice are available in 5 colors. In order to give our customers the durability we make our carports stronger by design! When you receive a quote from us you will get the complete Alumawood Style. The Standard aluminum will be quoted with an extruded perimeter if the type you are requesting does not cantilevered roof pans.

Strength in an aluminum awning pan is accomplished by shaping or  "bending" to form the roof pan. Each manufacturer uses a particular roof pan design. The more bends formed into the pan the stronger the awning. The number of bends which give the awning more rigidity will of course require more metal will be use to form the finished product.

The strength of a "Flat Pan " which is our Super 6 V-Groove has a greater span using the same thickness of standard " V "pans. Our "W" pan is even stronger still because it has still more "bends".

Post Style and Strength:

The Alumawood style cannot use what is called scroll posts: which are nothing more than two pieces of  " 1-1/2 " square aluminum tubing connected  together with an aluminum scroll.

Awnings Patio Covers uses a minimum of a 3" square .024 thick aluminum post.  For snow prone areas we use a 3" x .030 or 3" x .040 aluminum colonial post which depends on engineering. The Engineering of the larger projections, heavier live loads, and post spacing will require either a 3" x .040 aluminum colonial post or a 3" x .048 steel colonial post. If this is needed for your carport cover the alumawood standard embossed .024 post is slid over the heavier post to keep your alumawood style look. 

All freestanding carports and patios require a minimum of a 3" x .048 steel colonial post. Using these types posts we achieve a better engineered system. Freestanding carports, patio covers, lattice or awnings require the post be poured into a concrete footing for stability.

Perimeter-Integral Raingutter 

There are 2 different types of perimeters. Rollform which comes from the aluminum coil stock. The aluminum coil is put through a series of rollers to form the finished shape. The rollform is the type of gutter that is quoted with our alumawood carports.  The thickness of the coil stock used to form the rainguter - header is between .035 - .040 gauge. We recommend using the extruded type gutter Extruded Alaskan Gutter except when a cantilevered system is needed or wanted.

Rollform perimeter is used as our side fascia also. This type of perimeter requires a little more work when forming the outside corners see instructions.

Extruded raingutter - header comes from using a mold and pressure to press the molten aluminum in a form to create it's shape. The thickness of an Extruded raingutter - header is .070 gauge.

An Extruded type gives you a little easier access to clean gutters.

Delivered Carport comes complete:

With an Awnings Patio Covers carport kits you will receive all the necessary components to assemble. 

Engineering:

There are some companies that are unaware of the engineering that is required to install a carport correctly. For those of you who are required to apply for a Building Permit (This will vary from town to town) we have Engineering for 37 states (approved engineering for climates such as Florida, California, Colorado, Maine).

If your state is not among the 37 states you may not need a permit or your building department usually will accept the engineering from other states due to the similarities of weather conditions and proximity.

Alumawood Carport Covers in Great Earth Tone Colors

Awnings Patio Covers alumawood solid (watertight) patio covers are available in the same great range of colors with a Baked Enamel Finish as the Arbor Lattice. The same colors are offered in lattice to match. This allows you to have part of your patio cover watertight with our Super 6 pans and part with the Arbor Lattice cover to allow more sun.. 

We generally recommend to order white. White is our most versatile color to match any color your home is now or in the future you may paint your home.

Snow

Awnings Patio Covers engineered Carports conform to National Building Codes in 37 States.  Below you will find a list that gives you specifications that the patio needs to slope for a given span and maximum spanable distance per Live Load to pass inspection for most parts of the United States. Your local Building Department can and will inform you as to the Snow and Wind rating codes for your area. You want to tell them it is an Open Aluminum Patio Cover.  These will be the same as for your local company. They should have this information close at hand. Remember this information is for your benefit. A local non-direct third party is your best attempt as to what is required in your area, ie; if possible your local building dept.---you and your families safety is a concern of ours also.  Span in general is the unsupported distance between the structure. With our standard aluminum raingutter - header or an intermediate positioned "C" or "I" beam.) Slope, that is required minimum in inches of drop ( .40" per foot of projection [allow ½" per foot of projection as a safe margin ) An intermediate positioned "C" or "I" beam with posts can be placed at mid-span of projection. By doing this you will reduce the span between supports and this will allow for thinner pans to establish your projection. This sometimes will require you to install concrete footings for the patio cover posts.
Our Patio and Carports can be designed for Snow Loads of up to 60 lbs. per square foot and Wind Factor of up to 90mph.  Snow weights approximately 5.25 to 5.5 pounds per cubic foot of snow ( 12" x 12" x 12" ) which is +/- = 1" in depth of water on a 12" x 12" area. Some areas may have a slightly higher water content than 1".  The Patios and Carports Designed slopes below are based on the 2 1/2" Super 6 Pan ( Alumawood Patio Covers).
Minimum Inches of Slope required for a projection ( the distance you want your awning to extend from your home ) = 3 -1/4 ", 9' = 3 - 5/8", 10' = 4" , 11' = 4 - 7/16 " , 12' = 4 - 7/8" , 13' = 5 -1/4", 14' = 5- 5/8 " , 15' = 6" , 16' = 6- 7/16 ". Remember your concrete patio slopes also. 
Examples are for a 10 pound per square foot and 90 mph wind factor design:
Patio pan thickness for the following projections .018 will span up to 13 '- 3", .024 up to 16' - 3", .032 up to 18'- 8" and .036 up to 19' - 4". The .036 pans are available in smooth only. We can engineer up to 90 MPH Wind Factor. This may seem quite an extreme for wind but this is designed to protect against the Blustery umbrella effect of the wind. 

Note: 
Exposure "B" has terrain which has buildings, forest or surface irregularities covering at least 20 percent of the ground level area extending one mile or more from the site.  
Exposure "C" has terrain which is flat and generally open.  Extending one-half mile or more from the site, in any full quadrant.