Polycarbonate is an innovative building material that has already become quite popular. In a short time on the market, he pressed the film, glass and wood that were so recently in demand. At first, polycarbonate was used only in the country for the construction of greenhouses and greenhouses due to the fact that it perfectly transmits sunlight, has a good margin of safety and is easy to install. But later landscape designers paid attention to its other advantages.
Why polycarbonate
When designing a suburban area, one of the most pressing issues is the arrangement of a comfortable recreation area that would be located outside the house, somewhere on the lawn, as well as shelters for the car. These problems can be solved in different ways. But the main one is still the construction of the pavilion. A polycarbonate canopy is the easiest to make, and besides, mastersit is not necessary to call - everything can be made by hand. In addition, this design provides its owner with maximum benefits.
Types of material
So far, only two types of polycarbonate are known, which are used for the construction of canopies - this is a cellular and monolithic thermoplastic. The first is a panel consisting of several layers of transparent or matte plastic, which are interconnected by vertical stiffeners located along the fibers of the material. At the same time, the voids are filled with air, which gives polycarbonate excellent thermal insulation properties. Cellular sheets bend well even in the usual, so-called cold state. Therefore, a polycarbonate canopy can be made even of the most complex and bizarre shape.
Monolithic polymer has its advantages. It absorbs ultraviolet well and has rich colors, and for all its strength it has a fairly light weight. It is used not only in construction, but also in other industries, which include high-tech systems.
The advantages of this material
A polycarbonate canopy can be of any design, but each will have distinct advantages that should be mentioned. And the most important thing is the durability of the structure. Also very important is the fact that this material is easy to install and does not require any special care. It provides high transparency or opacity of the structure, depending onneeds, and also performs protective functions against the harmful effects of ultraviolet rays.
The material has a beautiful appearance, and most importantly, it is produced in a wide range of colors. And another very important aspect is the low cost. Canopies made of polycarbonate, the price of which varies depending on the size, will still be cheaper than those made of wood or metal. One sheet of material costs from 1,400 to 10,750 rubles. Such a spread in prices is due to its size and thickness.
How to choose the right one
When deciding which polycarbonate to purchase, you need to decide on three parameters. These are thickness, color and quality. In order to do this correctly, you need to determine the purpose of the building. To select the thickness of the material, snow and wind loads are taken into account, as well as the crate step. A few practical tips about this will not hurt:
- four-millimeter sheets are suitable for arranging greenhouses, greenhouses, as well as various advertising structures;
- from a plate of 6-8 mm you can make a partition, roof, canopy or canopy to the house from polycarbonate of your chosen color;
- 10mm panel is commonly used for vertical surfaces;
- Slabs 16mm thick or more are suitable for structures that must withstand truly enormous loads, such as car parks.
As for the color, this is also a very important nuance, since the color of the plates can be of different intensity and transparency. For example, sheets of turquoise, blue andgreen colors are suitable for a canopy over the pool. But these tones cannot be used as a visor above the sales counter, because they will distort the original color of the goods placed inside.
The quality of polycarbonate depends only on its manufacturer. Products of well-known companies are always distinguished by reliability and environmental safety, and also have a protective layer against ultraviolet radiation, which is applied to the front surface of the sheet.
Required tools and materials
To install a polycarbonate canopy with your own hands, you need to make a calculation and purchase everything you need for the production of these works. You will need the following materials:
- press washers and anchor bolts (the latter will only be useful when the pavilion will be installed on a solid surface);
- galvanized self-tapping screws;
- a mixture of cement, sand and gravel, if you need to mount supports for support;
- pipes for making support posts with a square section of 60 x 60, 80 x 80 or 100 x 100 mm;
- cellular boards 8 to 10 mm thick;
- pipes for lathing with a section of 20 x 40 mm and for runs - 40 x 60 or 60 x 60 mm;
- bearing arch, which you can make yourself, but you must remember that in such structures you need to withstand a ten-degree or greater angle of inclination of the roof.
Tools that will be needed for the production of work: a welding machine, a screwdriver, a circular saw with discs, an electric jigsaw,level and shovel.
Calculations
Very often, the owners of country houses do not invite craftsmen, but prefer to do almost everything on their own. To quickly and beautifully carry out work on the arrangement of the territory, you need to know how to make a polycarbonate canopy yourself.
Before the installation of such a structure will begin, it is necessary to make its project with drawings. To do this, you need to calculate the size of the frame and the load that it will withstand, taking into account the level of precipitation and wind strength characteristic of your region. Based on this, the necessary material is selected. A simple drawing of a polycarbonate canopy is presented in this article.
Installation of the structure, first stage
When building a canopy, the main thing is to mark the site where it will be located. After that, they dig recesses 0.5-1.5 m long, in which frame racks will be mounted. The depth of the pits depends on the height of the pavilion itself. In them I install the parts to which the frame racks will be attached, pour them with concrete. Next, the soil is removed over the entire territory of the canopy to a depth of 10-20 cm, and instead of it, the so-called pillow of sand and gravel is poured, and it is carefully rammed. Then they lay the finish coating in the form of a lawn grate, paving slabs, or simply make a concrete screed.
A polycarbonate yard canopy is usually mounted on a frame made of material that has already been used for other outbuildings to maintain the style of the interior. The basis can bewood, aluminum or steel blanks.
Assembly of the structure, second stage
The final stage of the installation is to fix the sheets. First you need to prepare the panels of the desired size (see the drawing of the polycarbonate canopy). To do this, they are cut with tools. In this work, it is important that after cutting the length of the slab should be 10-15 cm longer than the perimeter of the arch. It is important to know here that after cutting the polycarbonate sheet, the protective film applied on its front side should not be removed.
Now you need to attach the bottom of the profile to the arch so that its step is equal to the layout of the sheets. Next, fix the panels with self-tapping screws. To do this, drill holes 2 mm smaller than the seat size of the press washer itself. Then screws are screwed, and their hats are hidden under protective caps.
After two adjacent plates are fixed, the docking profiles are closed with a lid. At the very end of the installation, the side parts of the sheets must be protected. This is done by installing end profiles, which are either fixed with screws or glued.
