How to Frame a Roof for a Side Door

Measure the distance between the studs that surround your door to determine the length of the ledger that will support the upper end of the rafters. A stud finder may work if your siding is thin; however, you may have to remove siding to locate studs. Ideally, the ledger's ends should align with studs, usually the door frame's king studs or the nearest common studs. Mark a piece of 2-by-6 lumber for the ledger and cut it to size with a circular saw based on your measurement.

Drill pilot holes and countersink holes through the face of the ledger with a power drill and wood bits. Place two holes at each end and one hole per stud, staggered, for each stud across the ledger's field. Select a pilot hole bit roughly equivalent to the diameter of your bolts' smooth shank and a countersink bit slightly larger than the diameter of the bolts' heads. Attach a nut driver to the drill.

Level and align the ledger at the desired height above the door. Your choice of height determines the slope of the rafters and roof covering; higher placement equals steeper pitch, whereas a short height produces a low slope. Use the drill and nut driver to anchor the ledger to the wall's studs with a lag bolt at each predrilled hole.

Measure, mark and cut six pieces of 4-by-4 for the two knee braces: two pieces that span the distance from the wall to the end of the canopy projection, two that mount flush and plumb against the wall and two that form a diagonal brace between the projection and wall-mount pieces. Design your knee brace so that the diagonal members attach to the projection and wall-mount pieces at 45-degree angles and the upper ends of the diagonal braces fall directly beneath the beam that will rest atop the projection pieces.

Assemble the braces on the ground, using a butt joint to face-mount the projection pieces perpendicular to one end of the wall-mount pieces. Use the power drill to bore pilot holes and countersink holes; join the pieces with lag screws. Align the angled ends of the diagonal brace pieces between the previously joined top and wall pieces. Join the diagonal braces to the L-shaped assembly with countersunk lag screws.

Set the assembled knee braces against the wall. Plumb the braces with the ends of the ledger. Level the tops of the braces; the tops of the braces should clear your door's trim. Fasten the plumb, wall-mount piece of the knee braces to the wall's underlying studs with lag screws. Drill starter and countersink holes for each bolt. Use two to three bolts per knee brace, with at least one bolt at each end of the wall-mount piece.

Cut a piece of 4-by-4 to span between the braces as a beam. Mount the beam to the braces with a lag screw directly above the upper ends of the braces' diagonal members. Cut rafters to length from 2-by-4 lumber, using a rafter or carpenter's square to mark plumb cuts at the rafters' ends.

Lay out joist hanger and joist saddle installation locations 16 inches on center along the ledger's exterior face and beam's top face. Install joist hangers and saddles at the marks with a framing hammer and 10d framing nails. Set the rafters into the hangers and attach the rafters to the hardware with 10d joist hanger nails. Install roof sheathing and roof coverings to complete the canopy.