I am thinking of doing a screened porch addition on my house and have seen some great stuff in the magazine. My roof will be standing seam steel. What would be a safe roof pitch for the roof (Michigan snow load). Lower than 4/12 woud be nice because it gives me more distance from the house, I just don’t want to go too low. Thanks for the advice!
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You mean safe to work on or safe to not leak?
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safe from leaks
Minimum of a 6-12 in michigan, less than is asking for possible issues. less than 6 is built everyday, if given a clean slate and your choice of what pitch not sure why you would want less.
Woods favorite carpenter
Edited 1/19/2009 8:42 pm ET by MattSwanger
The usual constraints are the second-floor windowsill above, and headroom below. Not a whole lot you can do.One cheat is to butt your rafters into the header at the eave, using joist hangers for the connection. Then you've just gained 6-8" of drop. But you have to add knee-braces to support the overhang. Another cheat is to bring the main slope up higher than the second-floor windowsills, and cut in seamless pans, with minimal slope, in front of the window(s). But then you'd probably want heat tape to get rid of the ice/snow buildup in front of the windows, because they'll fill with drift.I'd go with option 1, one continuous slope, and, since it's not a heated space, ice-guard all the way up under the metal.AitchKay
Edited 1/19/2009 9:00 pm ET by AitchKay
You need to check the installation manual of the brand/model roof you're planning on using. All steel roofs are not the same. Different brands and models have different requirements. What you asked was akin to asking how fast a car can go.
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I think it's a manufacturer spec issue. My steel roof is rated for 3/12 or steeper. Your mileage may vary.
We installed it at 4/12 on the one shed dormer portion of the house; we added a layer of I & W shield underneath just to be safe.
Scott.