How to attach a pergola or awning to sleepout with small clearance?

Hello everyone 🙂

I recently bought an old weatherboard house with a sleepout at the back. The back of the house receives a lot of afternoon sun and ideally we would like to shade it with a pergola. We also need to provide cover to the back door somehow, given that it gets pelted with rain and sun throughout the year and has warped (we will replace it once we figure out a solution to shielding it from the elements).

The problem is that there is basically no clearance above the doors and windows to be able to attach a pergola. There is about 7cm above the door until it reaches the gutter which is sitting on rafters which have been cut to accommodate it. I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions about how to deal with minimal clearance when trying to attach a pergola/awning. Ideally we would have a pergola covering most of the back wall, but would settle for a cover over the door if that is all we can manage. The only solution I can think of is just going without the screen door so that there isn't the issue of it opening outwards and hitting an awning - but there would still be other issues to contend with!

Thank you 🙂

Close up of rafters that have been cut to accommodate gutter and windows.

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Comments

EricL

Hello @Wrenblue

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about attaching a pergola to your house.

In this particular instance, I suggest building a free-standing pergola with part of the pergolas roof overhanging the top of the gutter. In this manner the door and window are covered from the weather. Plus, this also has the benefit of protecting the entire area the pergola covers. Having a free-standing pergola also means that you won't have to put any stress on the house or roof framing.

Let me call on our experienced members @Dave-1 and @Nailbag for their recommendations.

I also recommend having g a look at this guide: How to build a pergola.

If you need further assistant, please let us know.

Eric

Dave-1

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/44688#Comment_44688

Good Morning @Wrenblue

Id like to say howdy 🙂 and welcome the Bunnings Community 🙂 Its a good place for ideas and solutions for sure just like yours.

@EricL has beaten my to the punch, same idea same reasoning with an axtra reason thrown in.

With a free standing roof/pergolla the door wont need to be changed/taken away. I Like the idea of overlapping by a foot (300mm ish) the roof, that way your are shiled from the sun, rain and you know its fixed solidly. Also means taht your guttering wont have to be moved as thats the only way I could see if you were going to attach the new pergolla to the house. The distances are all below minimal to really make me happy in the connection between house and pergolla)

Look at your pic one last time, if the pergolla is that one foot higher then the edge of the roof then your laundry will also be able to be covered and you will be dry! 🙂

A couple of questions so we can come up with ideas on that type of pergolla/awning.

The size length by breadth.

Drainage on the outside of the house (may effect posts you need)

Stormwater points for existing gutters/downpipes

Potential deck outside, wether its a paved area or deck now is the time to factor that in withe the overall height of the roof.

Dave

Wrenblue

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/84460#Comment_84460

Thanks @Dave-1 and @EricL! That is great advice.

The length of the back wall is 8.5 metres and the wall height up to the top of the gutter is 2.36m. I would want the pergola to extend about 3 metres out from the back wall, as this is probably the maximum we can get within council rules.

There is a downpipe right next to each end of the wall. I did a terrible drawing of it in Paint, which is below. Unfortunately, I'm not too sure about stormwater drainage and which way the pipes are going. The property is pretty level, without any noticeable slopes or low points. I live in Perth, and haven't had any issues with flooding or really strong winds at our property, if that is of any help.

The area is paved with concrete pavers interspersed with bricks. We aren't planning to install a deck at the back, at least not any time soon!

back of house.jpg

Dave-1

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/107265#Comment_107265

Evening @Wrenblue

Nice profile 🙂

So 8.5m wide = Id want 5 posts against the house and 5 of for 3m away from the house.

Min height of a room is 2.4m, so the way I would calculate the height of the new pagolla would be to measure up from the floor at the back door up 2.4m and then add at least 300mm or 400mmm height to the posts against the house so the roof line will be over the top of your existing roof.

The line of 5 posts away from the house could then be 2.4m min height from your floor level to give the pagolla a sloping roof.

You will have to add the height from the ground to the height of the posts to get the overll height.

You will have rafters and support beams to include.

Footings for each post, Id suggest concrete filled hole with a stirrup in the concrete so the posts always stay dry.

Include a facia on the low side to give yourself something to attach the gutter to.

The new gutters downpipes at either end you could connect into the existing downpipes underground.

Since the area will be paved then you need to have somewhere for that water to drain to as the hard surface will force the water somewhere in a downpour. (Currently planning a paved area in my backyard for future work and yep, you just made me think of drainage as well)

Try sketching out the design on a piece of paper (If you have issues let us know and I will see if I can sketch what Ive described but you know your place best 🙂 ) The reason I say to sketch is it really builds up in your mind things that need to be done first, things that you need to factor in (the door swings range)

One last thing, your local council will have the rules allowed for this type of structure posted online for sure. Really worth while spending some time to verify what is allowed as every council area is a little differant.

Dave

EricL

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/107265#Comment_107265

Hi @Wrenblue

I believe @Dave-1's suggestion is very intriguing. If you raise the pergola roof high enough you could even cover the entrance to your laundry area. But even if it does not reach the laundry rooms height you can still have it close enough so that the distance between the pergola roof and the laundry door are minimal. Drainage is something that you'll really need to think about as the roof you're about to build is an extra load on your storm water drain. If you have a plumber you can speak to, I suggest getting their opinion on what to take into consideration regarding the drainage from the pergola roof.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

Nailbag

Hi @Wrenblue

a design worth considering which I really like and is very commonly seen in Qld is upright supports up the roofline. These supports can go through the tiles with waterproofing flashing that attaches directly to your rafter or trusses. Master beams are attached to these which then allow battens to span directly out to facia beams supported by posts in to the ground. This design provides a very effective near weatherproof outcome.

It's not really a DIY project without assistance from a carpenter or builder. It will also require a building permit, but so will any other form of pergola.

Nailbag.

Screenshot 2024-11-15 at 10.35.54 pm.png Screenshot 2024-11-15 at 10.36.11 pm.png

Nailbag

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