Problems mounting a retractable awning on standing seam metal roof

2 years ago

last modified: 2 years ago

Help! We have a standing seam metal roof and are trying to install two (heavy) full cassette retractable awnings to it (see pics of brackets in place; one bracket has been removed in this pic but there are 12 total). Instead of an awning, we now have internal cracks in our house!

The first screw in the bracket hit no problems. When tightening the second and third bracket screws (going back from gutter), a crack seemed to form in 3 out of the 12 bracket locations (between wall and ceiling) in the internal wall underneath where the awning would sit (see pic below). Awning provider says that it is due to the metal roof having some give (maybe the rafters are not perfectly level so small gaps in certain spaces are causing the screws to pull the roof up and creating this gap).

Has anyone encountered this? What is the right fix for this? Could we simply seal this and no further issues (i.e. the pull has happened and there's nowhere further for it to go) or will this gap continue to grow over time? We want to make sure there is no long term issue with the structural integrity of the wall and roof!

Roofing plan indicates 2x10 roof rafters spacing @ 16" (see pic of what it looked like in construction). The brackets aren't symmetrical because some of the rafters map up to where the seams are so they couldn't install brackets there.

Unfortunately we can't install the awnings to the wall (which was our first choice) as the i beam above the glass doors wouldn't support the wind load and weight of the awnings (see eave / i beam details below).

THANK YOU!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (8)

PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
2 years ago
If it doesn't leak at the new bracket/roof connection, the gap inside won't be a problem after some color-matched caulk. Let's see that detail please.
n s
Original Author
2 years ago
Thansk, Joseph. It rained last night and thankfully we didn't see any water coming out of the internal gap. The bracket holes are sealed with silicone. Are you looking for a detailed picture of the gap or roof or other? If you let me know what would be most helpful to assess, I'm happy to share... Thanks!
Related Professionals
Louisville Home Remodeling · Albany General Contractors · Dayton General Contractors · Sault Ste. Marie General Contractors · Jacksonville Bathroom Remodelers · Spartanburg Bathroom Remodelers · Decatur Home Builders · Juneau Home Builders · Rock Springs Home Builders · Vincennes Architects & Building Designers · Lewiston Architects & Building Designers · Madison Home Builders · Salinas Home Builders · Belleville Design-Build Firms · Wichita Design-Build Firms
millworkman
2 years ago
I can see nothing good coming from attaching those brackets thru a roof. In my opinion you possibly just compromised the roof's integrity. Darker color will move in the sun quite substantially and may continue to tear.
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
2 years ago
Silicone isn't flashing and I'm inclined to agree with millworkman. You can't just drill a roof, silicone, and call it good. There must be some sort of mechanical integration.

I'm looking for the roofing manufacturer's instructions for such an installation.
cat_ky
2 years ago
I also agree with millworkman. A roof is definitely not the place to install a heavy awning. You may have compromised your metal roof, drilling holes into it, like that.
n s
Original Author
2 years ago
Sorry I should have clarified. The brackets aren't held on the roof with silicone. They are integrated into the roof rafters with bolts and nuts. The silicone is sealing the connection around these points as an extra layer of protection from water penetration.

Awning installation on roofs is pretty typical. In this case our installer is saying that the roof rafters beneath the plywood aren't uniformly level and so there may be small gaps between them and the top plywood which sits under the metal roof. When inserting the lag screw through bracket, the gap seems to close and is causing the underneath plywood to open slightly thus creating that gap pictured inside our home (second picture in post).

I'm just trying to understand if there is any risk of this gap increasing over time or if sealing/caulking that gap now is a long term solution.

Thank you
millworkman
2 years ago
" I'm just trying to understand if there is any risk of this gap increasing over time or if sealing/caulking that gap now is a long term solution. "

" Awning installation on roofs is pretty typical. "

Of course there is, as I stated putting holes in a metal roof for those brackets is not a good idea. Silicone caulk is a Band-Aid, not a gasket or a weather seal. As I mentions dark color metal roof's move, ALOT, and I can see this being nothing but issues in the long term.
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
2 years ago
"The silicone is sealing the connection around these points as an extra layer of protection from water penetration."

No it's not, not for long anyway. millworkman is again correct about metal roof movement. That movement will be the end of the silicone. There needs to be some sort of mechanical flashing that accommodates this movement without leaking. Who knows what or how that would be, but it isn't silicone.

You're worried about a cosmetic interior gap when you could have or do have a disaster on your roof.

Awning installers aren't roofers. There needs to be a General Contractor coordinating between the two, and it looks like that's you.