How to Design & Build an Awning

Measure the space on your porch that you want to cover with an awning. The size of the awning depends on the space available. In this example, the space available for an awning protruding from the side of the porch measures 6 feet wide and 4 feet deep.

Drill a 1 1/4-inch hole an inch from one end of two 7-foot-long, 2-by-4-inch wood boards. Use a drill and a 1 1/4-inch wood bit.

Screw the two 7-foot boards to the porch railing using 4-inch screws and a cordless drill. The bottom of the boards - the ends without the holes - must sit flush with the floor of the porch, and the holes in the boards must face each other. The holes will hold the top bar of the awning.

Sew a 1-inch pocket seam along a 6-foot edge of a 6 1/2-by-4 1/2-foot vinyl cloth piece. This pocket seam will hold the top bar of the awning. Cut with scissors to remove excess fabric from the seamed edge, leaving just the pocket.

Make 12 four-inch strips from the vinyl cloth scraps. Sew two strips to the corners of the vinyl cloth, six inches in from the edges.

Feed a 6-foot metal tube with a 1-inch diameter through the 1-inch pocket seam in the vinyl cloth. Connect two 4-foot metal tubes to the 6-foot tube, using T-shaped tube brackets; the 4-foot tubes should be perpendicular to the 6-foot tube. Push the open ends of the brackets into the 1 1/4-inch holes in the tops of the 7-foot wood boards.

Connect the two 4-foot metal tubes to another 6-foot metal tube with a 1-inch diameter, using T-shaped tube brackets. The 4-foot tubes should perpendicular to the 6-foot tube. Make the open section of the brackets face the ground.

Tie the awning to the metal tube frame using the strips sewn to the vinyl cloth.

Insert a 6-foot metal tube with a 1-inch diameter into each of the open spots on the T-shaped tube brackets on the end of the awning. Place 1-inch diameter end caps on the tubes, and use these to prop up the awning.