I’d like to build a carport. It will basically just be a shed roof extending off the front of my garage. I’ll need a beam, as thin as possible, to span 22 feet from side to side.
It looks to me like steel is the only thing that could easily do that, but the cost is high, and how thick does it have to be? I priced out some 6" i-beams. $500 each. How do I attach wood to those? Can’t exactly nail into them.
That brings me to LVLs and such. Less pricey, but very thick. I suppose I could double up on a couple of thinner ones (like 6") but they don’t seem to be rated for exterior use, and I’m pretty sure a carport would be considered exterior use, even though they’d be under a roof.
Any guidance?
To attach wood to an I-beam, you could drill holes in the flanges of the beam, then use bolts. There are also fittings that you can slide posts & beams into, with various ways of securing them to the material they hold. If you’re not using T-shaped fittings, you could bolt fittings together.
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Try an image search for “beam connectors” and you should get an idea of the types of things that are available, but a trip to your local builders’ merchant & a chat with the people there may be more fruitful.