~o~
Friday 25th 42F/5.6C. Overcast. Mist clearing. A similar forecast to yesterday's. With later brightness after a cloudy start.
Up at 5.30. I was awake and had been warned of an early delivery of my carport construction set. Not this early it seems. I hope the driver rings me before dumping it on the verge or in the drive.
Only last week a large parcel was just dumped in the drive. A potential blockage for my neighbours returning from work. Or the builders renovating another home. The recipient had not been warned of its arrival and was grateful that I told him it was there. Placed foolishly out of sight of his home behind a hedge.
6.37 I just had a phone call to say the carport is half an hour away. I asked him to ring me again when he arrives.
07.30 The carport has arrived and is resting safely in the parking area. The helpful young driver delivered it for me on his amazing, tricycle, fork lift truck. Which could drive sideways or straight ahead. With a high lift to go over Scrapman's overgrown hedge. At yet another of his countless, abandoned building sites.
I quickly cut the webbing to release the components. Very impressive packaging and construction throughout. There is nothing flimsy about any of it. All the component parts are sturdy, kept as simple as possible for DIY-ers and disturbingly heavy. It's no wonder they recommend a minimum of two workers to assemble it.
The unit is arranged within two pairs of welded bridges for safe support in transit. For which the customer pays a very modest sum. As they are non-returnable. These allow easy handling of the packaged carport with a fork lift. Making it as compact as one could possibly wish for. With only a few straps and protective cardboard, protective pieces to dispose of. All the minor parts are stored safely within the gutters. The galvanizing looks really excellent.
Somebody really thought this whole thing through. The gutters are generous in proportion and one piece to avoid any risk of leakage. Rainwater is fed down a pair of the uprights. To exit via helpful stub pipes at the bottom. So the owner can easily arrange hoses or rigid pipe to suit their own location. The gutters have numerous cross-braces for extra stiffness.
The roof consists of clear, 10mm twin-wall, UV protected polycarbonate. To help to avoid condensation and dripping onto the vehicle below. The five panels are sealed with bright aluminium strips. With screws going down into pre-drilled holes into the arched roofing spars. Which are not pre-drilled for the cover fixing screws. These holes are to be drilled through the existing aluminium strips.
The curved roof spars bolt between the hefty, 5.2m long gutters. The width is 3m between upright centers. With the four upright poles bolting to the undersides of the gutters. It could not be any less simple. No midway uprights to guarantee damage to vehicle doors! As is common and completely unforgivable in vastly higher priced carports. Many of which are narrower than this example.
I have yet to discover any printed instructions. Though they are readily available online. For downloading and then printing if desired. Which I have already done of course. 16 sides of A4. The instructions are clear and in correct Danish. They are very well illustrated and show the entire roof is built first. Which means that there is vastly reduced stepladder work of the fiddliest parts.
With obvious safety advantages and incredibly easy access. The downside is the considerable load to be lifted. Which must be well into the hundreds of kilos. Albeit halved by being in contact with the ground. Temporary, but sturdy, wooden props would seem a really good idea to take the loads. While the assembled roof is tipped up at ~45º and the first pair of uprights fixed.
Finally the already assembled parts are tipped fully upright. So that the last two uprights can be bolted onto the underside of other gutter. Rubber gaskets are supplied to ensure a seal on the pair of rainwater uprights/downpipes. The finished structure is 2.5m to the peak of the arched roof. Higher still if plinths are built to adequately support the completed carport. Normally the sturdy foot plates would be bolted to a concrete pad or concrete footings. The carport is rated to wind gusts of 25m/s and EU approved.
I am delighted with everything so far but slightly confused by two extra long pieces of aluminium angle profile. They aren't listed amongst the components. Nor shown during assembly. They match the length of the gutters. So could be covers for the ends of the polycarbonate roofing panels. To prevent unsightly insect and algae intrusion into the channels. A little research suggests I need diffusion tape. To allow moisture to escape from the channels. While preventing insects, dirt and algae to enter.
I have now moved all the components over to the house. To free up access to the demolition site. While simultaneously clearing the turning space for the car. Everything feels very heavy!
14.00 60F/15C. Sunny afternoon as promised. Back to demolition. I am splitting and removing the terrace/deck flooring from the 2x6 floor joists and 2x10 beams of the old observatory. It is now light enough that I can move it about as a whole.
The few remaining boards beyond the main beam are next. I am breathless and sweating profusely again. Am I having fun yet?
15.00 Finished dismantling the floor, joists and beams. Which mean there are no more large and heavy bits to worry about. It just needs to be sorted into timber sizes and moved well out of the way. First I need a rest!
15.30 110F/43C in the greenhouse! I forgot to open the internal door to the house. Presently 67F/19.4C indoors. The heat transfer from greenhouse to indoors is very inefficient without fans to move lots of air. I have opened the greenhouse roof lights as well.
18.00 I went shopping. Then had a blast around with the mower on its highest setting. The grass was at least 15cm high on the west lawn and full of weeds. I ran the batteries down and have put them on charge.
Dinner was fish fingers, peas and chips.
~o~
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