How to Build a Plastic Mesh Patio Cover

Assemble the Ridge Support

• 1

  Create the center supports for the patio cover by twisting a peak center down fitting -- which is a five-way fitting with two bent arms, two straight horizontal arms and one straight vertical piece -- onto one end of two of the 2-foot pieces of galvanized steel conduit.

• 2

  Twist a flat five-way fitting -- which has four straight horizontal arms and one straight vertical piece -- onto the other end of the two pieces of 2-foot conduit. Align the horizontal and angled arms of both fittings with one another and tighten the bolt to secure them to the conduit.

• 3

  Create the end supports for the roof of the patio cover by twisting a peak end down fitting -- which is a four-way fitting with three bent arms and one straight piece -- onto one end of two of the 2-foot pieces of galvanized steel conduit.

• 4

  Twist a flat side fitting -- which is a four-way fitting with three straight horizontal arms and one straight vertical arm -- onto the other end of the two pieces of 2-foot conduit. Align the horizontal and angled arms of both fittings with one another. Tighten the bolts on each fitting to secure them to the conduit.

• 5

  Create the center ridge support. Have two helpers hold the center support poles upright, about 10 feet apart. Turn the support poles so that their peak center down fittings are on the ground, with their bent arms angled toward the sky.

• 6

  Turn the support poles so that the straight arms of the peak center down fittings point toward each other and slide them onto the ends of your first 10-foot conduit.

• 7

  Slip a second 10-foot pipe into the straight arms of the five-way flat fittings of each center support. Tighten the bolts on all four fittings to create the first part of the center ridge support.

• 8

  Have a third helper hold one of the end supports with its peak end down fitting on the ground, with the bent arm pointing toward the sky and the straight arm pointing toward the center ridge support. Slip a length of 10-foot conduit into the socket on the straight arm of the peak end down fitting and tighten the socket bolt.

• 9

  Slip the other end of the 10-foot conduit into the horizontal socket of the peak center down fitting on the center ridge support. Tighten the socket bolt.

• 10

  Slip a fourth piece of 10-foot conduit into the horizontal sockets between the flat five-way fitting on the center ridge support and the flat side fitting.

• 11

  Hold the second end support with its peak end down fitting on the ground, with the bent arm pointing toward the sky and the straight arm pointing toward the other end of the center ridge support. Slip a length of 10-foot conduit into the socket on the straight arm of that peak end down fitting and tighten the socket bolt.

• 12

  Slip the other end of the 10-foot conduit into the socket of the peak center down fitting on the center ridge support. Tighten the socket bolt.

Finish the Roof Support Structure

• 13

  Face one of the peak center down fittings on the center ridge support. Slip a piece of 10-foot conduit into the angled socket of that fitting and tighten the bolt. Repeat for all four angled sockets on the peak center down fittings.

• 14

  Face one of the peak end down fittings. Slip a piece of 10-foot conduit into the angled socket in that fitting and tighten the security bolt. Repeat for all four angled sockets.

• 15

  Repeat for all of the horizontal sockets on the peak center down fittings and the peak end down fittings. Stand at one end of the center ridge support to verify that each center support post now has one horizontal and one angled piece of 10-foot conduit pointing from it to the left, and another horizontal and angled piece pointing to the right.

• 16

  Hold a peak side reinforced fitting in your hand so that two horizontal sockets point left and right and one horizontal socket points away from you.

• 17

  Face one of the peak center down fittings. Align the angled socket of the peak side reinforced fitting in your hand with the conduit sticking up from the angled socket of the peak center down fitting.

• 18

  Secure the peak side reinforced fitting to both the angled conduit coming from the peak center down fitting and the horizontal conduit coming from the flat five-way fitting by tightening the security bolts.

• 19

  Repeat Steps 4 through 6 for all four peak side reinforced fittings.

• 20

  Hold the first peak corner reinforced fitting with its vertical socket facing the sky and its angled socket facing the angled socket of one of the peak end down fittings.

• 21

  Connect the peak corner reinforced fitting to the peak end down fitting by slipping a piece of 10-foot conduit into their angled sockets and tighten the security bolts.

• 22

  Repeat Steps 8 and 9 for all four peak corner reinforced fittings.

• 23

  Connect all remaining pairs of sockets between the peak side reinforced fittings and the peak corner reinforced fittings. Connect the remaining sockets between the flat side reinforced fittings and the peak corner reinforced fittings as well, to finish creating the support structure for the roof of the patio shade cover.

Finish the Patio Shade Cover

• 24

  Secure a foot pad to each of the remaining eight pieces of 10-foot conduit to create the patio shade cover legs.

• 25

  Slip a patio shade cover leg into each remaining vertical socket of the patio shade cover roof support structure to finish creating the patio shade cover frame. Tighten the security bolts.

• 26

  Lay the plastic mesh shade canopy flat on the ground, next to the patio shade cover frame.

• 27

  Position one assistant at each leg of the patio shade cover frame. Have each helper bend his knees while keeping his back straight, grasp the frame at the corner or side fittings and stand.

• 28

  Walk the patio shade cover frame over the plastic mesh cover. Center the 30-foot-long center ridge support on the 30-foot length of the cover.

• 29

  Secure the plastic mesh cover to the patio cover frame by threading a ball bungee through the grommets, around the conduits and back over the ball.

• 30

  Attach a stake-down strap to the horizontal conduits of the patio shade cover frame, 2 feet to the left or right of each leg.

• 31

  Have four helpers stand on the left side of the patio cover frame, grasping a stake-down strap in their hands. Have the remaining four helpers grasp one of the corner legs about 4 feet from the foot pads, while standing to the right of the legs.

• 32

  Have the strap-holders pull while the leg-holders push on the legs from the right side and pull the patio shade cover onto its feet.

• 33

  Twist the metal ground stakes into the ground and attach the tie-down straps. Fold each 25-foot rope in half. Push the loop end of the folded rope through one of the holes in each concrete block.

• 34

  Pass the loose ends of each rope over the top of the stone block and back through the loop. Pull tight to create a lark's-head knot.

• 35

  Sit each stone block at the foot pad of one leg of the patio cover. Pass the loose end of the rope up and over the horizontal conduit near each leg, then knot the rope to itself.