Creating an Attached Porch or Carport


Reference Number: KB-01179
Last Modified: July 16, 2021

The information in this article applies to:

Chief Architect Premier or Chief Architect Interiors



QUESTION

I want to add an attached carport to my shop or house. How do I go about creating that in Chief Architect?

Garage with a carport


ANSWER

You can create an attached porch carport very easily in Chief Architect using upper and lower pitch values within the wall specification and automatic roof generation tools.


To set the defaults

  1. Select Edit> Default Settings from the menu.


  2. In the Default Settings dialog, expand the Walls category, select Deck Railing, then click on the Edit button.

     
  3. On the Rail Style panel of the Deck Railing Defaults dialog:

    The Deck Railing Defaults with changes made to the Rail Style panel

    • Move the radio button to Open under the top section.

    • Move the radio button to Post to Ceiling under the second section.

    • Change the Start Type and End Type to Auto Post None (Full)

    • Clear the checkbox for both Include Top Rail and Include Bottom Rail


  4. On the Newels/Balusters panel, set the Width and Spacing to your preference.

    In this example, the Width is set to 4" and Spacing is set to 144".

    Deck Railing Defaults, Newels/Balusters panel, Width set to 4 inches and Spacing set to 144 inches


  5. Click OK, then click Done to apply the changes and close the dialogs.


To draw railings

  1. Go to the Build> Railing and Deck> Straight Deck Railing , then draw three deck railing walls off of the existing structure to create a Deck room, as shown in the image below.

    Deck drawn to the left of the main structure


  2. Select the left deck railing, and use the temporary dimension that displays to set the railing to be a specific distance from the main structure.

    In this example, we have specified a value of 12'.

    Temporary Dimension used to set distance of 12 feet from garage to deck railing

    Note: If you do not have temporary dimensions set to display, select View> Temporary Dimensions to toggle the feature back on.

  3. Using the Select Objects  tool, select the newly created Deck room, then click on the Open Object  edit button.


  4. On the General panel of the Room Specification dialog that opens, use the Room Type drop-down menu to change the room type to one of your preference.

    In this example, we have changed the Room Type from Deck to Porch, as shown in the image below. This will replace the deck framing with a 4" concrete slab.

    Room Specification dialog with Room Type set to Slab


  5. On the Structure panel, ensure that Roof Over This Room is checked, uncheck Flat Ceiling Over This Room, check Use Soffit Surface for Ceiling, then click OK.

    Room Specification dialog with Flat Ceiling Over this Room unchecked and Use Soffit Surface for Ceiling selected


To build the roof

  1. Using the Select Objects  tool, click on the front horizontal wall of the main structure to select it, then click the Open Object  edit button.


  2. On the Roof panel of the Wall Specification dialog, select Full Gable Wall, then click OK.

    Repeat this process on the opposite parallel wall, as well as to the two short parallel deck railings.


  3. Using the Select Objects  tool, click on the single vertical railing, then click the Open Object  edit button.  


  4. On the Roof panel of the Wall Specification dialog, specify the desired lower Pitch.


  5. Click the box beside Upper Pitch to enable the settings that follow: 

    Setting the left railing to have an Pitch of three inches, an Upper Pitch of six inches, and In from Baseline at 144 inches.

    • Specify the desired Upper Pitch

      In this example, a value of 6" in 12" is specified.

    • Specify where tostart the upper pitch by specifying a value in the Starts at Height or In from Baseline field.

      In this example, the carport is 144" deep, so this value is specified in the In from Baseline field.

    • Click OK.


  6. Select Build> Roof> Build Roof  from the menu, and in the Build Roof dialog, specify the desired default pitch for your roof, check either Build Roof Planes or Auto Rebuild Roofs, then click OK.

    The roof that results will have the default pitch over all non-gable walls except those for which you specified a different pitch.


  7. Finally, select 3D> Create Perspective View> Perspective Full Overview  to see the results.

    Perspective Full Overview showing carport or attached porch


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