Not all challenges occur on a bike.
I have been meaning to install a patio in the backyard for several years. When I finally got around to it, all the contractors were busy and the wait time would be long. So, I decided to do it myself. I have never built a patio, or even seen one built, so the effort would be mental as well as physical.
I spent a couple of days drawing up and rejecting plans, until I had one that I thought would work. I had a long very thick metal “T” shaped Bar that had been part of an old garage door opener. I planned to cut it up into brackets for the 2x6 connection to the 4x4 post. I thought lifting the 2x6x10s up to the 9-foot and 8-foot post by myself would be a challenge for this 76-year-old, but that turned out to be one of the easier parts.
The hardest part was drilling the ½ inch 3-inch-deep holes in the concrete required for the 4x4 post anchors. Once I replaced my cheap $22 hammer drill with a professional drill, the hole drilling was easy. However, getting the holes drilled in exactly the right place was a problem, a big problem. Skipping the details, I will just say that I had to manually modify the shape of the holes in several of the thick metal anchors with a rat tail file to make it work. LOL.
I cut the T-Bar brackets with an angle grinder, and predrilled all the holes. I used a light 2x2x10 to measure and set the level for all the heavy 2x6x10s. With the brackets bolted in place, positioning the heavy 2x6x10s was easy. I ended up bolting the support structure together, and very few screws were used in this part.
After 7 days of mostly 7 AM to 7 PM work, I had the post and the outside support structure in place. I worked at a relatively slow pace, but I was careful not to hurt myself. On the 8th day, help arrived, and was fully appreciated. With help, the 2x4x10 rafters were quickly installed, with the 2x2x8 panel supports installed on top of them. We then installed the plastic formed supports for the smoke-colored roof panels. The panels were screwed on top of all that, and we were finished.
I learned a lot, mostly what not to do, but overall, a useful project.
The pictures of the build are located HERE