Phase 1 of the build was a roof to provide protection from both sun and rain/snow. If I was going to make the effort to build an outdoor kitchen, I wanted to be able to use it any day of the year–when it was blazing hot in August, or when there was 2 feet of snow in January.
I was also starting this project at the tail end of summer and knew I’d be working into the rain of fall, so I figured a roof over the build area would let me continue working even after the fall rain came.
The roof provided a few tricky problems to solve.
First, the paver patio had been settling for 20 years, meaning that in addition to a grade away from the house (good), I had to account for smaller areas of unevenness when setting posts to get the correct height for level.
Second, the house has both a massive roof surface and marginally effective rain gutters–you can’t tell in the above photo but that right side gutter runs something like 60 feet… and the only downspout is on the left side of that short run… and that long run has no evident pitch. So water collects in both gutters instead of draining completely, which means more overflowing, etc.
This corner of the house in particular had problems historically–water would often splash and leak from that inside corner and soak the step in front of that door. Aside from the obvious problems with that, I really didn’t want water there because I knew I’d be running various electrical stuff in the area.
Third, asphalt roofs shed particles that collect in rain gutters and have to be cleaned out since it exacerbates the above problems.
All of this meant that whatever roof I built would need to both shed its water into the gutters and allow access to those gutters for cleaning. I also added another downspout on the far end of the long gutter run to help reduce the amount of water in the barbecue area… which was a pretty sketchy job because of the location.
Add to that mix the fact that this house has protruding false rafter tails and you end up with quite a few factors to try to keep sorted as you work out a plan.
The next problem to solve was the footprint. I wanted a large roof area, but I needed to keep the posts in a relatively small area so they didn’t obstruct walking space and the like, which was restricted by the shape/size of the existing paver area (that I didn’t want to change… not only because it’s a massive amount of work, but because trying to match 20-year-old weathered pavers is damn near impossible), and it couldn’t block the door in the back corner. This meant a large roof with relatively small support and not even symmetrical post placement, all on an uneven and unlevel surface.
It also had to fit the actual kitchen pretty precisely–the L end of the main counter would be between the two outer side posts, and the pizza oven would need to fit between the other two while also not blocking the door.
Finally, I wanted a lot of coverage for shade, but not that much for rain/snow so it was dark and gloomy under there.
I’m not exaggerating when I say designing the roof kept me up at night… every time I thought I had the solution, I’d think of a new problem it didn’t address. Plus, I had to be able to build it alone, which limited certain things.,
I finally arrived at something a bit reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright… a 2-level, part flat, part pitched, cantilevered setup.
Base Structure
After doing the math and measurements a couple thousand times, I determined post base placement and post height for each location. I much prefer practical methods over mental calculations, so I laid a 2×8 on the ground between each post base location and leveled it to determine the variation in heights I’d need to reach the even/level height at the top that aligned everything as needed with the rafter tails and gutters.
To set the posts, I just used your basic metal 4×6 post bases and concrete wedge anchors. I wasn’t concerned with anchoring into pavers, which are not attached to the ground by anything other than gravity and friction… this roof was going to weigh thousands of pounds, and having built another roof with a similar base structure previously, I knew it would be more than heavy and secure enough to withstand the high winds we get here sometimes.
The rim joists are 2x8s and the angled braces 2x6s. I could have used 2x10s, but because the roof itself wasn’t going to be particularly heavy, I figured I’d save a few bucks and years on my life handling the larger lengths.
You can also see here the outside border of the pavers and why I had to keep the posts in a relatively small area so there remained space to walk around the outer corner post.
Cantilever Section
Once the base was in, I had to build the cantilever section. For this I went down to 2x6s since it would only need to support its own weight and some shade cloth, and it made sense to reduce weight the base would need to support, and the cost of materials.
This section is what would extend out to the full dimensions and be covered with shade cloth to provide the break from the summer sun while still allowing it to remain light.
I mirrored the inner rectangle in the base with 2x6s that were attached to the base with metal straps and act as the anchor for the inner ends of the cantilevered rafters, and serve as a base for the vertical pieces that would support the upper pitched roof level.
Two sections would have rafters extending equidistant at 90-degree angles to cover both the front and side. Just took a bit of measuring and math to determine spacing to get the outer dimensions I wanted, reasonable rafter spacing, and equal spacing all around.
Pitched Roof
Next was to frame the pitched roof section. The purpose of this was to protect the actual cooking area from rain and snow so it could be a four-season affair (and just generally reduce weathering/wear on everything… plus I’m not putting covers on and taking them off all the time).
An 8-foot depth was adequate conveniently, which made materials and building simpler–8′ rafters covered in 8′ lengths of corrugated metal roofing panels. Then it was just a matter of figuring the total width with 24″ on center rafters to attach the panels.
To determine pitch and exact placement, I temporarily affixed 2 vertical 2x4s and then clamped and screwed an 8′ 2×6 to them where I wanted it. That let me easily measure angles and figure out the notching for the rafters, and the lengths for the front and back vertical supports, instead of doing actual math.
Once I had all those measurements, I built the front and back beams that would support the rafters and create the pitch. These were 2x8s held up by a series of sistered 2x8s–the longer board spanned from the bottom of the lower joist to the top of the upper joist, and the shorter board filled the gap between the two joists so the top joist was supported directly rather than just with screws, and would have some lateral stability as well.
Final Framing
The final framing step was adding the rafters, notched front and back to create the pitch, fit snugly and create more structural integrity. These then got a rim joist on back and front.
Final Steps
Last steps were to add the corrugated roof panels on top, paint (the worst part of any project), add shade cloth, and dress up the post bases. For that, I used PVC trim to never have to worry about rot.
Next Up
Framing the main kitchen counters. Read it here.
That’s really nice work on the roof, not sure I would have tackled that part on my own. Well done