Building a Low-Cost CLEAR Deck Roof

I built a cost-effective roof for my back porch with a modern, minimalist design and it transformed my backyard. It's like a covered pergola except it provides more than just shade. I used transparent, polycarbonate corrugated roofing panels from Tuftex. They allow about 85% of the sunlight through, offer ultraviolet protection, shelter from the weather, especially snow, and are water proof. (This video was not sponsored by any of the suppliers mentioned.) Home renovation.
Here's a link to the polycarbonate roofing material:
us.onduline.com/en/diy/produc...
Here's a link to the gutter build project I added to this roof after I realized the drainage sucked:
• Attempting to make a c...
Follow me on Instagram: / building_with_blake

[@eschamion]

Looks great. As items settle the fasteners on top will have a wear pattern and water may leak in from the top. You can prevent this by "capping" the screws with a clear sealant. That's the method we use on the aircraft. You can get a large washer, place it around the fastener and inject sealant on the fastener head and around its base. Once injected you can remove the washer and proceed. Kudos on your wood filter job 👏 👌

[@BuildingWithBlake]

Yes I have found that to be the case. Some of the screws have backed out a little. What type of sealant do you use? I tried one in a spray can but wasn't crazy about it.

[@eschamion]

Try GE Advanced Silicone 2 Windows, Doors, Exteriors 2.8-oz Clear Silicone Caulk. You can dip your screw in it and then install it also. That's another method to create 100% seal and keep the fastener from backing out.

[@jonphanspromotions]

First off, your video is very fun to watch. I can see the humor in you. I like how you make everything in detail for us to follow and entertained at the same time. By far, one of the best video about patio. Looks your living an American dream. You got a nice house, beautiful wife and a love patio. Well done brother.

[@stever.9925]

I liked many things about this video: 1. You did the work yourself. 2. You selected a great product. 3. You paid your friend for helping you. 4. You were meticulous. 5. Your wife helped you. 6. You beautified your home. Awesome!

[@mfb6310]

7. Created a space that is practical/useful and encouraged happy, relaxing family and friends time (pets incl'd in 'family')

[@brandonff11]

Thanks for sharing Blake! I recently poured a 16x32 concrete patio with 14 x 16 footings to accept the posts for my patio roof. This was exactly what I was looking for.

[@danielcalderon3329]

I like that you included the prices VERY convenient and the link to where you got the materials. Looking forward to your privacy screen video!

[@juneonice0222]

Thanks for the video!! I recently finished building my pergola and started to think about winterize it by adding clear roof. I'm going to try out this type of clear panels too!

[@mirandamasawiestewa9265]

I told my husband see it only took him an hour to finish 😂. It looks so easy when you watch a video. Then the work starts, its like, he didn't show this hard part of it. Lol we're getting there. Hopefully ours comes out as pretty as yours.

[@BuildingWithBlake]

This project took over a month to complete plus all the planning. I had easily 40+ hours of footage to sort through. It’s hard to show everything without making a long boring video. What parts are you hung up on? I hope your project turns out well.

[@BiggSheppTheManMythAndLegend]

I'm over here reading your comment, CRACKING UP, thinking, "Her poor unsuspecting husband." Lol. Thanks for sharing this. I needed this chuckle today! I'm praying yaw's project turns out just like yaw want it to, in Jesus' name. God bless yaw.

[@tinaknutsen]

😂 hoping your project turns out better then expected! …my poor unsuspecting husband is up next 😂 been wanting a covered porch for a long time. Right now I’m on his ass to get the greenhouse built. He calls me a slave driver and I always tell him a delegator sounds much nicer 😇

[@ryant651]

It looks very NICE! Very clean design! I've been wanting to do this for awhile now. Thanks!

[@lulzychan]

Dang I feel like finding this video was like finding gold. You did a great job not only on the build itself, but with the scripting, editing, and the bits of humor you threw in too. I watch so many other DIY videos that bore me to death and I have to skip around endlessly to get to a good part. Your whole video is entertaining. Definitely subscribing!

[@BuildingWithBlake]

Thanks man! I really appreciate the encouragement!!

[@smallblockchevy1022]

@@BuildingWithBlake @ 14:30 Lag bolt? LOL closing a hex head on a screw does not make it a lag bolt!

[@BuildingWithBlake]

@@smallblockchevy1022 My bad. Then I suppose "screw."

[@MharlynMerritt]

I was dreaming about something exactly like this! Thanks for this video. Now I know that it can be done and what to use to do it.

[@pf4773]

Fantastic video. I'm getting an Alumawood 10x20 roof for around $6600. That includes electrical outlets and a gutter. It's probably about the same height. But, of course, this vlogger just nailed it. Fantastic idea, and great skills at putting it together!!!

[@mosart7025]

Glad I found this! We just built a deck. We planned for a roofed section so the 4 x 6 posts are already in place. We have a ranch with a hipped roof so we are going above it, but not tied into the house... so no permit needed. We want to use the clear or translucent stuff like you did, so this will really help.

[@Linda-pg3so]

Looks fantastic👏🏻. Great job. Looking forward to your in depth discussion on siding😊

[@infinityroofpergolas6377]

no matter the cost, you had fun!!! I would like to make one just like it. you did a great job

[@patrickwest6876]

Great job! I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who has adjustments along the way!!!

[@jjay1137]

This is exactly what I wanna do for my deck. Thank you for your sharing.

[@phils6733]

Looks fantastic, you guys did a great job. There’s nothing worse than having an outdoor seating area with out some sort of covering from those burning hot days.

[@alanbaird6]

A trick is to add silicon to the bolt as you fix the roof panels, it prevents leaks.

[@IvanMr]

There are bolts with a rubber gasket

[@alanbaird6]

@@IvanMr the rubber gaskets dry up and shrink and let water in time, this is an extra approved method we used in Ireland. Lots of rain.

[@IvanMr]

@@alanbaird6 thanks for letting known

[@irayan-hun]

What silicon? Could you please give me a link to see the image? TYIA.

[@jdogdotme]

This is a really entertaining video!! I find myself bored with a lot of home renovation videos that are recommended to me but it’s nice to know there are still people on social media willing to show this type of work and joke about it like you can. Keep going w this!

[@gwenwade6059]

Thank you. I laughed out aloud at your intro. Then settled in for the learning.

[@rickyc0c0]

😊

[@walteradamski5169]

My friend is helping me lay a brick patio this wk. Now my wife wants it's covered as she has Vitiligo, so definitely cannot be in the sun. The patio will be right off our garage, so, we can use that for support. Luckily I live on 80 acres, really have no neighbors, so I can pretty much do what I want. I will probably re-watch this several times, thanks for sharing!

[@franceslynch8815]

You did a great job. Its very pretty and looks almost like a Japanese pagoda. My son did the very same on his house a few years ago. I only realise now how much work he did. 👍

[@nikki30md]

Great job!! I love the illusion of sky with the protection from the elements.

[@Yurkevich22]

I've been looking for this! THis is exactly the type of patio roof that I need, thank you for doing this video and being so detailed!!

[@neil.vincent]

This was amazing! Thank you! I'm looking to build a roof between my garage and home - 36 by 20 feet and this video was useful!

[@BuildingWithBlake]

Hope it goes well. That's a bigger area to cover, The panels I used wouldn't be long enough unless you pitch your roof in the middle, but there are other options that can overlap like shingles. Lowes and HD stock them if you want to check them out. Thanks for watching!

[@meyou5089]

One of the best DIY video, love the step by step detail and honesty. Great Job!!

[@ipersworld8979]

Awesome! I think we can now make our own backyard patio cover. Very helpful indeed.😃

[@siageweicjs4461]

Wait until you realize that polycarbonate is prone to cracking especially in the summer. Speaking from experience here. I've replaced my own patio's polycarbonate 2x, the 2nd one being even thicker than the first. No dice. Summer came, baked them to bits, and I ended up going back to bitumen-based roof tiles

[@davidwebb3134]

Great job sir. Soft bulb lightings for night time patio chat would be nice. Thanks for sharing your project.

[@tresboujay]

We had this done on our pergola summer of 2020. It was awesome! 😎

[@cmillerx41]

Love your video style 😆 and great looking patio!

[@kathrynmauro8673]

Really nice. I'm sure you and your family will enjoy many many years of enjoying the outdoors.

[@paulahorne2416]

Wow...amazing job. Love it!

[@desertfish1460]

Really great thorough video of this! I have been wanting this, on my wish list for at least a year! I had a 10'x 12' deck built with slatted privacy screens on all four sides off my kitchen during the pandemic- I love it, but it gets so messy from tree debris, now I want the clear slanted roof to be able to enjoy the light and the tree, but keep it clean- I would also like to enclose the sides with screen to make it really like an outdoor dining room- (I know- I ask a lot!) Thanks for giving the cost- so I can sort of base my savings on that... 2022 now, and I am in Northern CA so I guess I'll have to double my costs... :( ( Looks really nice- ! You did a great job! Hope I can find someone to do the job as well!)

[@AndrewLeeW1]

For the enclosed sides consider sliding doors. You could make em as large or as small as needed per door. You'll get the best of both worlds. Just make sure you have a locking mechanism whether open or closed.

[@helenjordan2321]

This was excellent.. hope you and your family enjoy it..

[@lindalealphamale]

Well made video. Good channel. I will advise viewers that I did a similar project a few years ago. Ripped it out two years later. Collected pollen, sap, leaves, twigs, bird shit… it was always dirty even a few days after cleaning it. You look up and see nothing but grime and it demoralizes you.

[@leelunk8235]

CUS BIRDS THOUGHT YOU DID A SHITTY JOB😂

[@greatgambino]

great video and thanks! I love how you included your mistakes!!! It is very helpful and I can identify completely!

[@ritareilly8548]

I like the idea of the clear roof because you can grow plants on your patio, especially certain garden vegetables. The cottage type roof is attractive (I can’t recall what type you said it was). Thank you for making this video!!! It was very helpful!❤

[@johnlee7085]

Great job and good choice. It’s also worth noting that a shingled roof really isn’t an option for you either in that it requires at least a 3:12 slope, which would really lower the beam or started the roof in the middle of the window 😜 An easy diy option over the epoxy putty is titebond 3 and sawdust. I always have a jar of sander dust on hand for just this reason.

[@blessonjacob3809]

Beautiful work!

[@cbrSpeedster1]

Great design and looks nice. I built mine with a metal roof because I wanted the shade... thanks for the video....

[@buccannan]

This was so entertaining. You made me laugh and answered my issued with what kind of roof to put on my screened in porch project I am going to have done. Thanks!

[@sofiabermudez5859]

a lot of information since I have to make one like this for my patio, but all this very interesting and you kept me in suspense all the time with a laugh out loud at the end🤣🤣

[@beckyscheer8995]

You have a talent for puzzles inside shoes! Made it look almost easy! Almost. Good look.

[@benwang9508]

Best DIY video I have seen. Everything was done like a pro.

[@lrparrish227]

I learned a lot and this is something I would love but use a different color maybe. Thanks so much for sharing!

[@hendrikvandermerwe4978]

I would like to get an update on the roofing. I installed a poly-carb gazebo just over a year ago and after the first light (and I mean light) hailstorm we had in Texas, it was full of small holes! Then after the second and third bit of hail, it looks horrible. Our roof looks like someone shot at it from a distance with a 12bore shotgun - tons of little holes, smaller than the size of a pea! Only the top layer's shot, not leaking yet, but I did conclude that buying a polycarbonate (honeycomb like you have on) was the dumbest thing I did. Hope your's is holding up well. Yours looks great - good job.

[@qwazy0158]

+1 update pls

[@johnsupko6615]

I wish I would have seen this before a bought a product called Brite Cover for 15 grand to cover a 16 x28 patio. It was so poorly installed I finally took it down for the second time and attached it to the house with flashing. The manufacturer’s installer attached it to the house thru the vinyl siding, every time it rained water came out of the siding weep holes under the roof. Nice job for a great price

[@jessegee179]

Well done. We’ve decided to go with single thicker panels, after the double layer went green/brown inside. I think the double panels are more for insulation on a greenhouse, don’t need that on an open air structure. We have built a side panel too, to keep the prevailing weather and side gusts out, because it only stayed dry underneath when the rain was gently falling straight down on a calm day.

[@carolroeder9032]

My word! That looks awesome guys! You did a FANTASTIC job on that bad boy!! 😄

[@LifeSurfingDude]

thanks for sharing Blake, very helpful!

[@marylloyd2342]

Great job guys and gal!

[@aavmesh]

It looks awesome!!!! Thank you sir for posting the video 😊

[@agape99ful]

Impressive. Inspired. By watching this video I gained a lot more diy knowledge. Thanks for sharing.

[@tlvance3973]

Great tips. Thanks for your explanations.

[@sheilagraves7638]

I like the finished product, and you are very entertaining to listen to.

[@ca6177]

Porch turned out great!

[@granbackdonna]

Great video - love the humor, project looks fantastic!

[@edwardperez6729]

Mann, this looks good! Great job.

[@tonydeantonydean]

LOOKS AWESOME!

[@davidervin7345]

I owned a house in England that had a carport covered with this stuff. It was fine for the 8 years we owned it (plus however long the previous owners had it). One downside was that algae grew inside the corrugations so, once, I took it all down and cleaned out the inside just like you would clean a gun barrel, except about a bazillion times. The price of this panel is very high compared with the clear panels used for steel siding so on a deck here (Iowa) I used that for a deck top. These panels are completely clear and are less stiff so they need to be fastened more often. After 3 or 4 years they are still just as they were new. They are also much MUCH cheaper and easier to get. The only downside, at least for here, would be impact rating for hail.

[@BuildingWithBlake]

Hail has been a concern of mine. We haven’t had any since installing the roof. We don’t get hail in PA as often as you probably do but if the stones are big enough it will likely dent the roof. If I live here long enough I will probably end up replacing the panels at some point. At roughy $500 for the whole roof it’s not too bad. Thanks for watching.

[@editamiciano8833]

wow, this i really need in my house, hopefully i can find somebody to do this thanks very nice!!

[@sou2375]

Now have to sweet talk my hubs to build me one. Thanks! Definitely a new subscriber. We are cautious on our spending, this helps.

[@misterman3379]

you made the video really entertaining. I'm really impressed. thank you.

[@zoisbasis7791]

Hey man, you did a fine job building this rooftop. Content excellent with details, almost perfect. Well done sir, I am looking myself for something like this for my home. 👏👏👏

[@lesleyt1700]

Excellent video. Thank you.

[@mmadden526]

Great job!

[@krehbein]

I’ve used those panels before for similar projects. You have to seal the top channels (next to house) of the poly. If you don’t water and debris will get in the channels and then it doesn’t look too good. Iirc I used a foil with a u channel from the poly company. The bottom channels of the poly need to be sealed, but may be different to let moisture out.

[@connieowens2982]

Great idea and it turned out great. Also enjoyed your humor!

[@kmw4359]

“And so I searched … day after day, year after year” (looking out window) That gave me a good laugh without costing me a dime. 😀 Oh boy do I resemble that remark.

[@gtas5744]

Great video!! Thanks for you humour and help

[@angelisajimenez3915]

thank you for the video. it's on my to-do list for my near future.

[@davidowens8419]

Great video and wonderful job

[@mercedesdaye2931]

I like it. Thanks for the video.

[@kelleyporter2192]

You are adorable and after watching your video I don't if i feel more reassured i can do this or compleatly terrified ! It was very useful ( I dispise siding as well , don't ever place a grill near it ) which I assume most sober people know !!

[@Adanos_ger]

I would personally have preferred a single board along the front, instead of multiple small ones. But ignoring that: great work, looks really great and will surely not have any trouble with any kind of weather.

[@smallblockchevy1022]

That's because you don't understand engineering. Multiple small boards is far superior in strength to just one large piece of wood. This could be seen in glulam beams. Glue and beans are much stronger than significantly larger single pieces of timber, because any flaw in any individual piece of wood things at the edge of that particular piece, as to where what's going on large timber a crack can start at a floor and overtime continue to travel all the way through the entire piece of wood until the whole piece can catastrophically fails

[@smallblockchevy1022]

There are some speech to text errors in my comment there, but for some reason my tablet isn't letting me edit it for some reason. But anyway, I'm sure you get the gist

[@joan01sessions]

Love it!

[@CapysGardenShop]

If I ever get a covered patio, this is what I want. We’re already lacking sunlight. The pine needles would be an endless job though.

[@Totally.Anonymous]

I enjoyed every bit of your DIY 😉 what a beauty! Are you sure Hollywood did not call 🎬📸

[@Gtumrths]

Good job! I was thinking about using same thing.

[@koreanature]

My best friend, that's a great video. I will always cheer for you in Korea I'm looking forward to a great video. Have a nice day.

[@robertheaney4672]

Nice job

[@sondramcguire9222]

I love your tone! I can’t put my finger on it but it sounds like something I’d hear on tv 😂

[@forcedbreathingistyranny696]

How you got Gollum to come right as the music did a surprise twist sound is the definition of perfection.

[@BuildingWithBlake]

thanks for noticing

[@tylersmith293]

Solid work.

[@Living_Ghetto_fab]

That's amazing... That's exactly what I want!

[@BuildingWithBlake]

I just set up a website with the project plans. buildingwithblake.com/

[@Living_Ghetto_fab]

@@BuildingWithBlake thank you!

[@nelyapinlive]

Well done!

[@siegridthomas9674]

LOVE IT

[@abacoejenks]

it looks really nice

[@MrPcl78]

Great work and nice video! Upvote is well deserved.

[@yrot1123]

starting the process of building the patio cover, learning a lot from this video about the ledger board installation. that's the main concerns for the roof holding up.. clear panels look nice but too hot in Texas to use the similar materials, in addition I want to collect water for irrigation.. enjoyable with all the common mistakes that could help to minimize..the next challenge is to find a good helper and a beautiful wife to boss me around...LOL

[@MegsCarpentry-lovedogs]

LOL. really love your sense of humour! 😀 This was totally enjoyable to watch. 💛You have a talent for keeping the viewer interested all through the video.🤙 Really happy for you and congrats on this successful project!👍 The editing was really well done as well. And, yes, these pandemic prices are crazy eh!🥴😳 From one DIY'er to another, 💯🇨🇦🍁

[@zuze9112]

Good stuff!

[@plar6045]

Beautiful

[@jlouutube65]

I learned some key things watching this...thanx!! ;)

[@championplayerdo7604]

👍👍👍👍👍 that looks great. fantastic

[@user-rr5sv7ey5v]

Enjoyed watching you build that terrific roof. You did a good job. I do think the back of your house would look better with a bigger deck area, though that small window might be a problem. Here in Western Australia we tend to have large decks as the warm, dry climate means we're outside alot. So I liked your choice of roofing product, keeping the UV rays out is a must. I will be watching moreof your videos.

[@lurklingX]

beautiful!

[@evinguyen4304]

Love it.... good job

[@vscanal8578]

Congratulations.. Very nice Project. Dog like to!! 🐶

[@henriettekugel380]

Great job! Greetings from the Netherlands.

[@jcschwarb]

Nice build. Very entertaining