2x4 Or 2x6 Small Deck Roof
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When a house is being built the most common method in new england is stick framing which is using pre cut machine milled wood as the main support for the house.
2x4 or 2x6 small deck roof. Two by four construction is by far the most common and is based on the ubiquitous 2x4. The footings for porch decks must be larger than deck footings. Maybe keep a center post if the 12 span concerns you so the smaller lumber is only spanning 6. Some good information on deck construction from the american wood council can be found here.
I want to build a low profile deck at the back of my house but i don t have enough room from the door sill to the ground to use 2x6 joists. The general rule of thumb is maximum span is 1 times the depth of the joist in feet so 2x6 can span about 9 but that does vary depending on the type of lumber used. Trim the 2x8 for head clearance. If you have a roof with a pitch that is less than 3 12 you should not use 2x4s.
If you do opt to use 2 4 shed rafters for your roof construction you will always use a 2 6 ridge beam even though the rafters will be 2 4. I d be tempted to run 2x8 perpendicular to the house with a 2x8 at the house 2x6 in the middle and doubled 2x4 out away from the house parallel to it. Remember this advice applies only to shed roofs that have a pitch greater than 3 12. Typical decks are designed to support 55 psf lbs per square foot.
This type of construction has two main types. As a result most decks have inadequate footings to support a new porch roof. Low profile deck using 2x4 joists. I d also up the foots to 4 per beam to drop the span there to 4.
The maximum joist length would be 12 0.