New garage time!

[fatjay]

What’s on the roof of your vehicle?

Solar panel. It's electric!

 

[dodge man]

I assumed that’s what it was. Does that charge the vehicle or just help?

 

[fatjay]

The drone shots give a great perspective!!!!

Yeah, I'm liking it's perspective. I think I'm going to get a dedicated tablet for it though, I hate having to use my phone.

I assumed that’s what it was. Does that charge the vehicle or just help?

It charges the vehicle, there's a screen where it says miles added and power collected via the roof.

 

[fatjay]

Finished the siding on the garage. It looks so much better.

Now I can focus on the solar.

When I finish this I'm going to sleep for a week. I'm wrapping up at 1am every night, sleep by 3, and waking up at 9am.

 

[fatjay]

I cleaned up and pressure washed everything and the porch is ready, now it's time for the roof.

The structure is going to be an all steel design. I'm using 2" square tube with 1/4" walls, which can be seen in the image above. The legs are going to be max size to fit the patio, but the roof must be 21.6'x19.5' to accomidate the solar panels, which is slightly larger than the patio.

It will come up over the first floor roof by about a foot, and angle down as steeply as reasonably possible. The concern is it will extend over the lawn, and angled down, if it gets to low it becomes an overhead hazard.

This is going to be a "lift a 200lb beam into place and see what happens" type of thing.

Just a rough draft to play with some numbers. The 3 horizontals will be spaced in the mid section, one 7' above, and one 7' below, with a 3' overhang on each side, to "balance" the racking points.

 

[fatjay]

So I built it up to the cross members. Got them all welded. Let me tell you, this stuff is not light. I can see why they build stuff out of wood.

I did have a helper to set the beams. He wanted to learn how to weld, I got free labor. It's a win win.

The base did fall over once, 2 legs and one piece from front to back, I was on a ladder lifting a 24' section onto it and bumped it. I was pretty helpless to watch it fall. My biggest concern was watching the leg fall over the wall, because that would be a pivot point and it could come at me, while i was on a ladder, holding the the beam. Fortunately, it just fell over, missed me completely, the welds held and nothing broke, not even the block wall. Getting it back up was a challenge, but we managed to do it.

 

[Doorman63]

Get yourself some “C” style vice grips and cut some 3-6” angle iron clips.
Clamp pieces together to hold still and in plane.

I’ve fabricated tons of stuff just held together with vice grips till final welding.

 

[EddieWalker]

Now I'm curious why you are building the porch out of metal instead of wood, like the porch next to this one?

 

[fatjay]

Now I'm curious why you are building the porch out of metal instead of wood, like the porch next to this one?

Larger spans, lighter longer lasting. The wood one is being replaced as it leaks badly.

The end of the 3 month sprint arrived today. My son turned 1 today, and his birthday party went off without a hitch. My wife invited about 40 people. Tons of food, friends, and family.

It started with the yard, then the pool, then patio, and finally the roof. I didn't get solar panels up, but I did get to harbor freight and buy a tarp. The weather was great, plenty hot and the kids spent pretty much the whole time in the pool.

I'm going to take a week off, and let my body recover. I overdid it and I'm hurting. But the end result was worth it.

Also my lawn looks like hell from lack of rain.

 

[EddieWalker]

There really isn't anything better then a pool for summer parties!!!!