Decks, Patios, Porches and Docks - Is my pergola going to fall on me?

Hello all,

I have a large (24'x10') wood pergola covering my patio. I'm in the process of repainting and, after tearing into things, have begun to wonder if was built right. There are ten 4"x6"x10' beams connected to the house with metal brackets and four 4"x6" posts and a 4"x6"x24' cross beam holding things up at the other end. My concern is where the beams are connected to the house. The metal brackets holding the 4"x6"x10' beams were simply nailed into the existing 2"x6" that runs under the eve. I'm assuming that when the house was built, this 2"x6" wasn't designed to bear a lot of weight. Can anyone comment on the structural integrity of this?

I've tried to attach a picture, but don't know if it will work.

Thanks for any help.

Whoever built it should have used 2X6's for the joists (not 4X6's).

How is the 2X6 ledger attached to the wall? That attachment is the weakest point of the enitre cover.

Thanks for the reply Lefty. The ledger is actually a 2x8, not a 2x6 as I said in my original post. It's nailed to the end of the roof truss along the outside edge of the eve, 32" from the wall.

Weak, REALLY weak!

Cut 2X6 blocks to fit between each of the tails on the trusses -- 22-1/2" long. Use 16d nails to secure these blocks between the truss tails, tight against the ledger. Then use 3/8" through bolts to secure the ledger to each of these blocks. That will improve the situation, but it still isn't up to code.

With a 32" overhang, the pergola should have never been attached to the tails in the first place. The joists should have been run to a ledger mounted to the wall of the house.

Thanks for the help Lefty. I was afraid that your answer would be something like that. I pulled a soffet cover off and looked up in there to see if any additional support had already been added and it hadn't. The 2x8 ledger is just nailed to the truss tails.

A couple of other quick questions: What size nails should be used in the face mount hangers (10 holes/hanger plus 2 in the 4x6 joists)? I think that there are 8d's in there now. This seems like another week point. Lastly, we bought the house less than three years ago and hired a licensed home inspector before we bought. Should he have inspected the pergola? Obviously it's attached to the house, but isn't part of the original structure. Thanks again.

Rick

What "should" have been used to attach the hangers to the 2X8 are Simpson N10's (Teco nails) that are the diameter of a 10d common nail, but are only 1-1/2" long. 16d sinkers should have been used to attach the hanger to the 4X6's.

Yes, the inspector probably should have caught it, but that is probably a dead issue at this point. Another dead issue is that the realtor should have disclosed that the cover was built without a permit. But, after 3 years, it's probably too late to try to go back on either of them.

You COULD consult an attorney who deals in real estate and contractor law in OR, but don't be surprised if he tells you what I just told you.

Best thing to do at this point is to get the situation corrected so the cover DOESN'T fall on your head in the next wind or snow storm.

Thanks Lefty. I have no intention of trying to go back on anyone. I'm more concerned about the safety aspect and also what may happen when I go to sell the house some day. Thanks a lot for your help.

rward,

I agree totally with you. What HAS been done is done.

For the time, money and frustration it would take to have somebody else correct it at this point -- (IF they could even be made to fix it, would they do it RIGHT????) -- simply not worth it! Just make it safe and be over it. (This is what I think is your attitude about the whole thing.)

You've got my 2 suggestions.

The EASY way to fix it (although still not code) is the blocks between the rafter tails and the through bolts. That is better, and SAFER than what you've got.

The RIGHT way would be to replace the joists with ones that run under the overhang to a ledger mounted on the house wall. More expensive, and certainly more work. But SAFEST, and legal.