How di I make a "roof" under a deck?

Hi Karen, Here's a video that may help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9WUiPOl9co

I'm sure there are other ways, but it's a start!

Good luck~

Hi Karen. To make it drain properly, you must have it slope in the direction you want it to drain.

Example; https://youtu.be/xImoM8liPtw

i hope this helps.

If you have the room to work you could install the metal corrugated panels which can overlap when installed giving you a solid sheet underneath. Slope it away for your home about an inch from the wall to the outside.

Hi Karen! I found this great article that seems really helpful:

https://www.familyhandyman.com/decks/building-a-deck/under-deck-roof/view-all/

You do not want nor need a 'Roof'. I know what you mean, you want a Slope° to drain water away from the deck like a roof drains water off of itself.

That said, you are overcomplicating the matter.

You cannot construct a deck over a roof.

You can however construct a Patio or Deck over

A. a Slope°

B. a slop of a mess if you do not accomodate A.

The question only is:

Do you need a gentle slope less than 12.5 Degrees or do you need something more on a line of 22.5°?

Unfortunately, It is hard to say without actually seeing the lay of the land and neighbors land.

Usually most wiuld recommend a drain anyway.

So, greater likelihood of success would be to take the Drain approach:

A. Observe the water or flooding you are getting.

B. Measure that as best you can, in either quarts or litres.

C Because each foot of 3" PVC holds approximately 1 litre of fluid, you need pipe not by the foot really, but more by the litre.

D. You ideally want this runoff to direct away from the deck and the home to a Dispersion tank or several, that is buried and is where the drain leads. These are easy to build, it is like building a small 4 sided cube without a bottom, or rear, or like making a cave, [Funny: Promise your husband he can get a man cave, then assign he to construct 5 small caves you bury in the garden, LOL] you pour concrete over something like a Bag or 4 of Charcoal in a Garbage Bag to slide the Charcoal out of the trash bag when the concrete is set, [or start saving your quart milk containers for 6 months], voila, even if you pour over a full budweiser 30 pack or a heavy duty trash can, it is a 3 sided or 4 sided cube, perfect for water dispersion away from the deck.

It does not need be smoothed concrete as it is poured in the hole, and not moving out of the hole, nor on display, but buried under at least 6 inches of soil.

It does need to be thick: 5 inches of concrete on all sides, or it may cave in.

E. To make a drain, just like in a Phys. Ed Shower you need slope towards the drain. So you need to:

1. Dig a hole at the center of where the deck is

2. dig a trench to that hole.

3. Using a 2×4×72" carve out the soil from the hole in a radius all around, like you were making a mini golf course 18th hole putters green.

As long as you place the Tanks first, then the pipes leading to the drain, then connect the drain last, you will do fine.

It looks like alot of work on paper, but really it isn't much extra work, and compared to work involved in replacing all rotted wood of a deck, it is best to spend 4 to 14 hours of:

1. Dig the primary drain hole

2. Slope towards that as E.3 mentioned

3. Dig 2 or 3 trenches not less than 10 feet away from the place where the puddles are.

4. Dig the huge holes for 2 to 6 tanks.

5. Mixing and pouring concrete, cement or quikrete over the whatever something large.

6. Place the pipes

7. Place the drain

8. Bury the entire system except the drain.

Before you place the deck.

It is easy, even if the deck is already there, all you need do is support the deck, so you can dig beneath it enough to create a drain pool.

You can do it.

And when you are done, you have fewer mosquitos nearby the deck as a Bonus.

And because those will breed under the Tanks, it is easy to just bugbomb each tank twice annually, 4 hotshot flea and bedbug bugbombs for $8 at walmart, kill mostly any garden insect or pest.

Enjoy your project!