How to Make an Overhang

The Frame

• 1

  Measure and mark out the area of the overhang, making sure that the ground is level. Place a concrete footer at each of the front corners with a post anchor in each one.

• 2

  Measure up eight feet from the ground on the wall of the structure and mark out where the header for the overhang will sit. Remove any siding where the header will sit, using a jigsaw to cut through the siding and a pry bar to remove it.

• 3

  With the help of a friend, put the header – an eight-foot length of pressure-treated two-by-four lumber -- in place. Check with the level, then drill holes 24 inches apart along the length of the header. Secure in place on the wall with bolts, using a wrench.

• 4

  Bend an eight-foot length of metal flashing along its length to make an L shape. Nail in place above the header, leaving a gap of one-half inch between the flashing and the header to allow for the roof of the overhang. Caulk along the top and sides of the flashing.

• 5

  Cut two lengths of four-by-four-inch treated lumber and place one in each of the post anchors on the concrete footers, then secure in place with nails in the anchors. Nail L-shaped framing ties to the top of each post.

• 6

  Cut a length of two-by-four inch lumber that’s seven feet, four inches long and put in the framing tie between the two upright posts. Check that it and the uprights are all level and then nail in place.

• 7

  Cut 36-inch lengths of the two-by-four inch lumber and nail framing ties on each end. Nail one in place between the top of each of the uprights and each end of the header. They will be at an angle as the front is slightly lower to let water drain off the roof.

Making The Roof

• 8

  Mark spots every 24 inches along the head and the lumber joining the uprights. Nail framing ties to the ends of the cut two-by-four inch lumber and then nail in place on the marks you’ve made to form the joists for the overhang.

• 9

  Cut a sheet of corrugated polypropylene so it’s eight feet long and three feet, three inches wide. Place on top of the joists, working on a stepladder, and push into place so that, against the house, the sheet is between the flashing and the header.

• 10

  Drill holes 12 inches apart through the polypropylene where it meets the wood. Secure in place with screws made for polypropylene, using rubber washers between the screws and plastic to stop water entering.