Adding a deck to your outdoor space instantly transforms it into livable, useful space when it might not have been before. Putting a roof on top of your deck, though, takes that to the next level!
A lot of people hesitate at the idea of building a deck, though. Mostly because they’re not sure of what materials they can use to tackle the project. 2 x 4 materials may work on a small deck roof – but usually you’ll want to buff things up to 2 x 6 (if not larger) lumber.
In the rest of this quick guide we run through (almost) everything you need to know about building a beautiful, useful, functional – and, maybe most importantly – safe roof for your deck.
Can You Use 2×4 for Deck Roof?
While you may be able to get away with using 2 x 4 materials (pressure-treated or not, it often doesn’t matter depending on the kind of roof you are putting on), most people are going to want to opt for 2 x 6 materials instead.
Sure, a small roof in a climate where there isn’t a lot of wind, there isn’t a lot of whether, and there definitely isn’t a lot of snow may be able to be built reliably and safely out of 2 x 4 materials.
But a deck roof that is a little bit on the larger side of things, a deck roof that is expected to deal with wind, water, and snow, and a deck roof that you want to be built for the long haul should be built out of 2 x 6 materials – at least as far as framing goes.
2×6 Makes a Difference
2 x 6 materials are just a little bit beefier but they make a world of difference.
There’s a reason why 2 x 6 materials are used in exterior framing for houses, and why a lot of small sheds and garages take advantage of 2 x 6 materials – sometimes even bumping things up to 2 x 8 or 2 x 10 materials (depending on the plans).
2 x 6 boards when framed correctly are just able to better carry a load. And we don’t just mean when there’s snow piling up in the winter, either.
Larger deck roofs themselves get pretty heavy and can become wind sails in a hurry. The last thing you want to worry about is your roof coming down on top of your guests when you are entertaining just because of a stiff breeze!
What to Use Instead
As we have highlighted a couple of times already, 2 x 4 materials can generally be used for smaller and lighter roofs that aren’t going to see a lot of nasty weather – but most of the time you want to bump roof framing up to 2 x 6 material (if not 2 x 8 or even 2 x 10).
2 x 12 material is usually a little on the overkill side of things. 2 x 10s can be used reliably, though, especially when you have a deck roof that is going to have framing over longer spans. We are talking 10 foot, 12 foot, or 14 foot spans.
You don’t want 2 x 6s handling that whole load in most circumstances.
At the end of the day, though, it really all comes down to the engineering and design of your deck as well as the materials that are recommended in the plans.
Benefits of Building a Deck Roof
Of course, the whole reason you’re trying to figure out what kind of material can be used to build a deck roof is because you want to enjoy the benefits that this kind of project brings to the table.
And there are a whole bunch of them!
Straight out of the gate, a deck roof is going to immediately offer a lot of protection from sun, rain, and nasty weather.
Mother Nature
Exposed deck spaces are perfectly fine when the weather is ideal in the wind is kind of low. But as soon as Mother Nature gets a little fussy you can find yourself blown right off of your deck, washed out, or dealing with a nasty sunburn.
A deck roof eliminates all of those problems once and for all.
All year Use
On top of that, a deck roof turns outdoor space that might have been used for a handful of months throughout the year into all year round usable space – especially if you add some screens and enclose your deck a little bit.
You don’t need to go crazy to turn a one season space into a three season space, and you really don’t have to do all that much extra from there to make it a full year round deck.
Some people like the extra privacy that a deck roof brings to the mix, too.
This is especially true when you have a deck in a suburban backyard where homes are built basically on top of one another. Keeping prying eyes from second-story (or third story) nosy neighbors off of your back deck can be a game changer.
Closing Thoughts
When you get right down to it, there are a whole bunch of different reasons to add a roof deck to your outdoor space.
It’s critically important, though, that you build that roof to be strong and stable, safe and secure, and more than up to the task at hand – protecting you and your guests.
This is why so many people recommend you avoid using 2 x 4 material and instead choose 2 x 6 materials, 2 x 8 materials, and even 2 x 10 lumber to handle the framing for you.
You want something really beefy. You want something really strong. And you want something that isn’t going to look or feel flimsy when you are up on top of it putting down your roof sheathing, your shingles, and making sure that everything is weathertight.
Spring for the 2 x 6 material and you’ll be rocking and rolling in no time!
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