Keeping the rain out
April 7, 2014 6:37 AM Subscribe
We live on the bottom floor of a double-decker home. Our back decks are similarly stacked, so the upstairs deck provides some cover from the harsh summer sun. Unfortunately, it still lets rain in. Is there a way we can cover the "roof" of our deck so that we can use it even when it rains?
Our double-decker home has double-decked... decks. The two decks are stacked on top of each other, and ours is on the bottom. It's quite nice for keeping the deck cool in summer, but it's a typical beam-and-plank construction and the gaps between the decking upstairs lets the rain drip down on to our deck.
I'd like to modify the "roof" of our deck (so, underneath the beams of the upstairs deck) so that the rain doesn't fall on us. Is there a way I can easily do this without causing standing water to build up or rot/mold to form? I had thought I could just install some plywood or rigid plastic at a slight slope to draw water away, but then I got concerned that if the upstairs neighbors drop stuff through the deck cracks there's not going to be any way to retrieve it (or food scraps/plant matter will build up and attract animals). What do you guys think?
Our double-decker home has double-decked... decks. The two decks are stacked on top of each other, and ours is on the bottom. It's quite nice for keeping the deck cool in summer, but it's a typical beam-and-plank construction and the gaps between the decking upstairs lets the rain drip down on to our deck.
I'd like to modify the "roof" of our deck (so, underneath the beams of the upstairs deck) so that the rain doesn't fall on us. Is there a way I can easily do this without causing standing water to build up or rot/mold to form? I had thought I could just install some plywood or rigid plastic at a slight slope to draw water away, but then I got concerned that if the upstairs neighbors drop stuff through the deck cracks there's not going to be any way to retrieve it (or food scraps/plant matter will build up and attract animals). What do you guys think?
2nd the corrugated roofing. I wouldn't worry about stuff that gets dropped on top of it, future rain should wash it away.
Do you know your upstairs neighbors? Can you ask if you could spend a couple hours filling in the gaps in their deck with some caulking, or pounding in some old rope?
What about nailing some thin boards underneath their decking, filling in the gaps?
posted by bondcliff at 6:47 AM on April 7, 2014
Do you know your upstairs neighbors? Can you ask if you could spend a couple hours filling in the gaps in their deck with some caulking, or pounding in some old rope?
What about nailing some thin boards underneath their decking, filling in the gaps?
posted by bondcliff at 6:47 AM on April 7, 2014
What would they lay the corrugated plastic roofing on? They can't lay it on top of the upper deck because then those people would be walking on it, right? So it would have to go under the deck -- what would the structure be that it would lay on top of?
I was thinking of bypassing the roof/deck and installing a retractable awning into the side of the house, but the idea of nailing some boards on the underside of the deck works too.
posted by DMelanogaster at 6:50 AM on April 7, 2014
I was thinking of bypassing the roof/deck and installing a retractable awning into the side of the house, but the idea of nailing some boards on the underside of the deck works too.
posted by DMelanogaster at 6:50 AM on April 7, 2014
Response by poster: We have access to the underside of the upstairs deck, so we can (and have for other things) bolted things directly into the joists.
posted by backseatpilot at 6:52 AM on April 7, 2014
posted by backseatpilot at 6:52 AM on April 7, 2014
The corrugated plastic could sit on a simple frame of pressure treated lumber. You could even get creative and put it on a hinge so you could lower it down if you wanted to clean it.
posted by bondcliff at 6:53 AM on April 7, 2014
posted by bondcliff at 6:53 AM on April 7, 2014
A cheaper and less loud alternative is to attach a sail shade to the underside of the upper deck with bolts, again at an angle. That would be my preference.
posted by DarlingBri at 7:00 AM on April 7, 2014 [6 favorites]
posted by DarlingBri at 7:00 AM on April 7, 2014 [6 favorites]
Do you know your upstairs neighbors? Can you ask if you could spend a couple hours filling in the gaps in their deck with some caulking, or pounding in some old rope?
This is a Bad Idea - the water needs to be able to drain in a controlled way, or it will rot the deck or do bad things to the foundation of the house (why we have gutters on houses.)
The sail shade idea above is probably the easiest and most landlord/neighbor friendly option - just make sure water draining off of it is directed away from the foundation of the house or the support joists of the deck.
posted by Slap*Happy at 7:22 AM on April 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
This is a Bad Idea - the water needs to be able to drain in a controlled way, or it will rot the deck or do bad things to the foundation of the house (why we have gutters on houses.)
The sail shade idea above is probably the easiest and most landlord/neighbor friendly option - just make sure water draining off of it is directed away from the foundation of the house or the support joists of the deck.
posted by Slap*Happy at 7:22 AM on April 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
just make sure water draining off of it is directed away from the foundation of the house or the support joists of the deck.
This is really, really important. For your purposes, you should consider your back porch as part of the foundation -- if your ground level were, say, a concrete slab, the increased concentration of the runoff could dig out the edge of the concrete slab, and significantly (read: expensively) damage it.
posted by Tuesday After Lunch at 2:32 PM on April 7, 2014
This is really, really important. For your purposes, you should consider your back porch as part of the foundation -- if your ground level were, say, a concrete slab, the increased concentration of the runoff could dig out the edge of the concrete slab, and significantly (read: expensively) damage it.
posted by Tuesday After Lunch at 2:32 PM on April 7, 2014
This guy used corrugated metal (usually used for the walls of pole barns) plus screws with rubber washers, and a gutter and downspout on the low side.
posted by mgar at 7:16 PM on April 7, 2014
posted by mgar at 7:16 PM on April 7, 2014
What you want is a deck drainage system.
TimberTech sells a system, Trex, DrySnap, and numerous others are available as well. They're designed for retrofit applications and will attach to the existing joists. All the parts will fit together, they have kits and pieces that help you set up a proper drainage path, and they can integrate with a gutter and downspout system so you get the water away from your home and deck foundations.
posted by dhartung at 1:21 AM on April 8, 2014
TimberTech sells a system, Trex, DrySnap, and numerous others are available as well. They're designed for retrofit applications and will attach to the existing joists. All the parts will fit together, they have kits and pieces that help you set up a proper drainage path, and they can integrate with a gutter and downspout system so you get the water away from your home and deck foundations.
posted by dhartung at 1:21 AM on April 8, 2014
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by DarlingBri at 6:40 AM on April 7, 2014 [1 favorite]