Question: The back patio at our Santa Barbara Mesa home has a very nice arbor that was built by the previous owner of the house, but it doesn’t provide much shade or any protection from rain.
My husband and I would like to know what type of roof could be put on it that would make the patio more pleasant to use on hot days and give some shelter to our dogs and patio furniture in rainy weather.
Your Handyman: There are several issues that need to be considered to determine what type of roofing, if any, can be correctly installed onto your arbor, which are adequate slope for drainage, strength of the structure to safely support the weight of a roof, and the spacing of the support pieces that the roofing will need to be fastened to.
Most baby boomers who grew up in the Sun Belt will remember the wavy corrugated fiberglass panels that covered countless patio roofs in the 1960s and ’70s, but after 30 years of exposure to the sun became brittle and cracked.
These fiberglass roofing panels were very popular because, when installed correctly, they provided a weather tight, lightweight, inexpensive roof that was easy to install, and filtered out about a third of the sunlight.
This same style of corrugated roofing panel is now made from polycarbonate (PC) and PVC, is available in many different colors and levels of light transmission, and are virtually inert from ultraviolet damage caused by exposure to sunlight.
These PC and PVC panels have all the benefits of the old-style fiberglass panels but will far outlive the homeowner if installed correctly per the manufacturer’s instructions.
All roofs need a minimum slope to provide drainage, otherwise rain will pool and leaves and dirt will accumulate, eventually causing damage to the roof.
Your arbor was probably constructed without any slope. However, there may be an easy way to unfasten the cross members of your arbor and then reinstall them with a positive slope draining away from the house.
The roofing panels typically are available with a width of 26 inches, which allows for a 2-inch overlap horizontally when supported by rafters that are placed every 24 inches.
If the spacing of your rafters is greater or less than 24 inches, the job may still be possible but will require some special efforts to ensure that the roof is rainproof.
The connection where the patio roof and house meet needs to be sealed in a correct way depending on if the panels meet the house at the roof edge or at the siding. You may want to consult with a roofing contractor to get this important detail correct.
Most arbors are constructed with larger dimensional lumber for appearance and to provide support for vines and hanging plant baskets, so it probably is of adequate strength to support PC or PVC panels, both of which are very light in weight.
You can look at these panels at most any of the building supply stores in Santa Barbara and be sure to go online to read the manufacturers’ requirements for installation if you are planning to tackle this job as a “do it yourself” project.
Otherwise, you should not have any problem finding a local contractor with experience installing this type of patio roof.
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Question: Our kitchen has long fluorescent light tubes in the ceiling hidden behind plastic panels.
One of the fixtures stopped working months ago. I replaced the old bulbs with new bulbs, and it still doesn’t work. Now one of the other bulbs isn’t lighting and I need more light to see what I am doing when cooking.
Why don’t the new bulbs work?
Your Handyman: Fluorescent light fixtures have a small transformer called a ballast, which regulates the voltage that the tubes need to initially warm up the neon gas inside the tube and then to stay at full brightness.
After 15 years or so of frequent use, and especially if the lights are turned on and off frequently, it can be expected that the ballast will wear out and need to be replaced.
In a typical ceiling-mounted fluorescent light fixture, the ballast is concealed behind a metal panel that is easily removed by loosening several screws.
The model number of ballast should be printed on a label affixed to the ballast, and it should not be hard to find the same model of ballast at most any hardware store.
This is not a difficult project for someone who has basic knowledge of electrical wiring but should only be attempted when the wall switch is off for the lighting circuit you are working on.
If you are at all uncertain about how to make the proper electrical connections, it is time to call an electrician to do the job.
Fluorescent light bulbs, even the compact twisty style (CFL), contain small amounts of mercury and are classified as a HAZMAT.
It is illegal to put them out in your regular trash or recycling bin. You can take your old bulbs to the MarBorg Industries recycling centers and, as a homeowner, will not be charged for disposal.
