my scary carport...

nadams

I have to think twice about parking under this thing when there's snow on it... It bows under its own weight....


From the front...


From the back


Noticible bow. Guess that's what you get with a 10 foot span supported by 2x4's.


We don't need no stinkin' joist hangers!


Not sure what they thought was going on here...


Quite a bit of gap... bet that's holding a lot.


Hey look! A 2x6!


Showing the main "supports"


The metal ones are "okay", I guess.


But what the hell is the 4x4 doing? Nothing!

*sigh*... Just another thing on the to-do list for the house. Do I rebuild the carport, or hold out for a garage? I don't even know that I can build a garage there due to setback lines and such. I don't know what our borough allows.

obieone

My recommendation would be to contact the governing office (tax assessor?)for your town/ county and check to see if any restrictions apply. IF PA is anything like MA, your probably gonna find the local politburo with their hands out-permits, surveyors, 'right of way' waivers, town board/council meetings, etc.
NOT saying it can't be done, just recommending finding out 1st before you start soliciting bids and making plans.
Good luck.

nadams

Chances are, for as long as I plan to live in this place, a garage isn't in the budget, or really necessary. I wouldn't see the return on it, that's for sure. I only paid 43k for the house... a garage would be probably half that

George Grand

No guts, no glory.

It'll be fine.

BlueMDPicker

You could "strongback" the 2x4's to eliminate the sag and provide more load bearing capacity.

Buy some 3 1/2" flashing roll and new 2x4's, screw jack each existing 2x4 up in the center, one at a time, to eliminate sage, tack the sheet metal to its side, then attach an equal length 2x4 over the metal by through nailing or ****.

Couple of hundred dollars, top end, plus some sweat equity = peace of mind.

shadowofnight

Seen worse that was still hard as hell to tear down on purpose...looks like it should be fine.

Not like my rotted fence outside...bought the house brand new 14 years ago and we knew we needed a new fence like 2 years ago. Didnt know how much we needed it till my friends came over to put up the new fence ( I would have done it myself , but no can do at the moment ) and one of them grabbed it at one end and a 60 foot length came down in about 4 good pulls :eek:

Looking at your pics...your neighborhood has no fencing between properties or even the street ? How do you guys keep dogs ? I mean if I let my monsters out and my neighbor let his out at the same time there would be an epic battle. What if you have an **** for a neighbor ? What if you wanted to swim naked or get busy in the hot tub ? I can think of a hundred reasons to HAVE fencing and 0 not to have fencing.

And your house is smack on the corner....main traffic route for cars and pedestrians as well. Does anybody buck the trend and put up fencing, or is it illegal to do so there ?

BaggedLancer

I agree, double up the 2x4's and do the work yourself. For 43k you can't beat that house.

avelanchefan

There are certain home improvements that you actually see a return investment on. Garages and usually kitchen improvements (within reason) are the top two.

But like you said at a buying price of 43,000 a garage would cost a lot. But a single car garage may not be as expensive as you think.

nadams

shadowofnight wrote: »

Looking at your pics...your neighborhood has no fencing between properties or even the street ? How do you guys keep dogs ? I mean if I let my monsters out and my neighbor let his out at the same time there would be an epic battle. What if you have an **** for a neighbor ? What if you wanted to swim naked or get busy in the hot tub ? I can think of a hundred reasons to HAVE fencing and 0 not to have fencing.

And your house is smack on the corner....main traffic route for cars and pedestrians as well. Does anybody buck the trend and put up fencing, or is it illegal to do so there ?

I'm planning on putting a fence along the alleyway to close off my yard from the alley, as well as between me and the neighbor. I don't have a dog, so that's not an issue for me. The greenish house behind mine, and several others on my block, have chain-link enclosing their back yards. I'm going to go with a nice 6 foot wood fence. It's mostly to keep trash and other undesireables out of my yard. Or at least discourage them.

SKsolutions

Was that metal piece once a bedframe?

Cool old house. How sweet is having a home, for the price of a car.

Currently $43,000 @ 5.25% for 360 months = Monthly Payment $237.45

Smart.

schwarcw

Sorry about your carport woes Noel!

BlueMDPicker had a couple of good ideas. They should work. The basic problem is the span is too wide for the 2 X 4 joists. 2 X 8 or even 2 X 10 beams would have been better. The header and support are also questionable. There are some relatively simple calculations that you can perform to determine the beam (joist) thickness is you know the span and weight of the roof. You also have to assume some snow and wind load. You could use the help of a couple of local Amish boys. They don't have much professional training but could sure tell you how to fix it so it won't fall down.

Good luck!

ohskigod

christ, that looks like a carport I would build. this is NOT a good thing mind you

probably can just add support as others have mentioned. it has lasted as long as it has, which is saying something I suppose

phipiper10

Ditching the carport will raise the value $10k

jdhdiggs

I'd follow Mike's advice: Get rid of the sag, put togther some shims and get the 4x4's against the roofline, basically spend $200 and fix it.

If you need some help one weekend, PM me and I'll try to head up there to help.

madmax

I would just tear the thing down. My guess is your property value would raise if it were not there.