Decks, Patios, Porches and Docks - Screened Porch Construction

Your input on this project would be very much appreciated.


I want to screen in my patio, which is about 24' wide and 18' from the back of the house to the edge of the patio.

The sides would consist of vertical 2x4's spaced 3 feet apart, with no cross pieces.

The "roof" would also be screened, and consist just of rafters of 2x10's spaced 3' apart, with nothing supporting the span in the middle.

My questions are:

Does one need to use pressure-treated lumber for any other part of the structure besides what touches the ground, as long as everything is sealed and painted?

Considering there is no real roof to tie the structure together, will this essentially topless box twist or suffer wind damage, and what should be done to make it stronger?

What size roof rafter should I use to minimize if not eliminate bowing? I was thinking of 2x10.

The second story of the house overhangs the patio by about 3'. Should I attach the roof beams to the front of the overhang, or to the brick beneath it (I saw a post earlier about not attaching to the brick if clay - how do I tell)?

Thanks for the help!

Larry

first- the walls why no blocking?helps keep the screen in one piece.second,the roof why no blocking?will pretty much eliminate twisting and warpage.and last i think i would put posts in the ground to support the house edge of the roof run a beam 2xwhatever across instead of tryin to attach it to anything like what you are asking.possible i didnt understand your post but if you have more questions post back and someoone will help you out good luck

By blocking I assume you mean the cross ties between joists?

Doing so on the roof is no problem...doing so on the walls would be a problem only in that my wife really does not want horizontal pieces!

Would not blocking the walls result in a potentially hazardous structure?

sorry,i don't think i follow you with the hazardous thing.we build screen porches quite alot.we use all salt treated(pressure treated for all the yankees reading)and about 30 32 inches up from the deck you run a 2x4 horizontal,gives the screen more stability.another thing i dont quite understand is the roof thing-you are'nt going to put anything on it to keep the rain out? i guess if your wife really doesnt want the blocking it wouldnt hurt not to use it,just be prepared to change out your 2xs every couple of years due to twisting etc.also figure on changing the screen pretty regularly if you get any kind of weather.now that i think a little more about this i guess it makes a huge differance in where you live,eg arizona etc hot and dry instead of on the ocean where i live.hope it works for you and you enjoy your screen porch for many years

Hazardous structure as in the wind blows and the thing collapses.

We do not want the roof permanently solid-covered but if there were a way to build a removable covering (but leaving up the roof frame), that would be ideal.

My biggest problem is trying to figure out how to get the roof beams attached to the house.

Putting it to the brick will make the front wall too low due to the slope.

Attaching it directly to the house would involve breaching the siding and I am afraid of water/ice problems.

Would a peaked roof that spans from side to side (instead of front to back) be better?

larry,can you take 3 4x4 posts dig a hole and place them every 8ft on the back of your patio?then use a 2x8-10 nailed to the face of the poles thus relieving the problem of nailing to the brick or siding?attach your 2x whatevers every 16oc with joist hangers?without seeing what ya got i cant really tell you but there is a way to do it -just have to figure it out.as far as blowing over if its put up right it will be just as strong as any other structure