Sheathing installed

Plywood sheathing has been installed -- generally. There's still a lot of detail to button up at every seam, corner and edge before calling it complete and calling for the next inspection. I'll try to have the electrical ready at the same time, too. But the basic roof-to-beam connection has been achieved according to plan. It's the continuity of load from sheathing to rafters to top plate to steel beam that's structurally important. Both directions must be considered -- downward gravity force and upward lifting force (of wind).

I'll probably improve the cosmetics of the design by adding a fascia board and closing the soffit. Just minimum requirements are shown in the drawing.

End of beam

Where the steel beam meets the house, I didn't want to cut into the existing siding and introduce unnecessary moisture-control problems. There's no structural requirement to connect there. So the detail becomes a cosmetic one.

As such, a half-inch air gap is maintained for expansion-contraction or other movements, and later trim pieces will be attached to the siding to fit snug with the wrapped beam.

Rafters installed

Rafters have been installed. It's now taking the general form of the design. The current bright open airy feel, however nice it seems, is only temporary. It's not a trellis. The materials are not weather resistant, and the structure still needs the strength of plywood sheathing for rigidity. It'll be covered like a regular porch roof, but there will be a skylight near the door to brighten it back up.

Roof tear-off

Removal of the metal tiles reveals an older roof underneath. It's a wood shake roof in there and probably original to the house (1964). Some metal tiles show numbers that indicate they may have been manufactured in 1987 (in New Zealand), which puts their age at 19 years (or a little less, given the import and installation time). Or maybe the numbers don't mean a thing. But it's reasonable given the longevity of wood shakes.

The metal tiles typically have 50-year warranties if kept intact with the manufacturer's installation standards. Now the concern for me is how to blend it in with the new low-pitch roof because of the extra thickness.

Steel beam is welded

Long beam is now welded to the columns.

This guy was more proficient and had an assistant, but he still ran his grinder overtime. His machine is yet the same small type like the first guy's. I'm beginning to think that they have both underestimated the heft of ASTM A36 structural steel. The actual welding took no more than 30 minutes, but he was here for over two hours making it look good. I didn't tell him that it'll all be covered up with wood siding. At least maybe the building inspector will be impressed.

Penetration is always the question when it comes to welds. Once ground to a smooth concave fillet, the evidence is gone. It might as well be a surface weld -- it could look the same. But here it should be no problem because the structure was quite over-engineered. It's a very small, low, lightweight roof after all. In the past they would have just used wood. So the only hurdle here is to please the inspector.

For $160 he promised to fix it if it doesn't pass inspection. Wow.