DIY Network

New Orleans Cafe Patio: Attach Posts, Headers and Railings From "Weekend Remodeling" episode WKR-206

	In this episode of Weekend Remodeling, host Fuad Reveiz converts this backyard patio into ...
	a dazzling New Orleans style cafe.

Host Fuad Reveiz attaches the posts, headers and railings in this segment.

On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the most difficult, this project rates a 2.

Materials:

Custom awning and frame
Cast-iron columns, railings and headers
Exterior ceiling fan
Non-metallic building electrical wire
Conduit
Drill
Masonry bits
Level
Framing square
Hammer and nails
Chalk line
Tape measure
Pencil
Screwdrivers
Wrenches
Wire strippers

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	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E
	Figure F

Attaching the Posts and Railings

1. Start by setting the corner post first. Double-check the distance to the outside corner from both the walls of the house (figure A).

   Note: Assembling the cast-iron pieces is a two-man job. The corner post alone weighs approximately 90 pounds!

2. As the corner post is held in place, mark the exact sports where you want to pre-drill the concrete pad.

3. Set the unit out of the way, then drill out the holes with a masonry bit and a hammer drill. After you set the unit back in place, check to make sure it's plumb.

4. To shim it up add washers under the tabs at the bottom of the post, and then use drive-pin anchors to secure it to the pad (figure B). Just place the pins in the holes then hammer them into the concrete. Reveiz used a sheet-metal hammer with a flat head.

5. The post at the side wall, under the soffit, goes in the same way. Check to make sure it's plumb, mark the holes, and if you're lucky the post won't need to be shimmed.

6. Pre-drill the holes, set in place and secure it to the pad just like before. Check the plumb at the wall and screw a decorative bracket to the house (figure C).

7. Attach the post to the bracket with self-tapping screws.

8. With the two front posts in, it's time to install the front header, but on this particular project, Reveiz had a small problem. Over time the soffit had begun to sag on the outside edge, so it's lower than the height of the wall. So he notched the aluminum trim using some tin snips. This wasn't a big deal, and it'll be hidden by the awning.

9. Set the header on top of the posts.

10. Attach the header to the post (figure D) with self-tapping screws.

    Note: Make no mistake, cast iron is authentic to the look you're going for, but it's also a lot heavier. Wrought iron is just flat iron bent and shaped, whereas cast iron is actually poured into a cast and molded. It makes a big difference to the size, weight and even cost of a project like this.

11. Now that the front part of the pad is finished, it's time to connect the rest of the cast iron down the side to the house. There's one more main post to install on the other wall of the house. Make sure it's plumb while lining it up on the chalk line. Then use the hammer drill to drill out the holes. Then re-check the plumb and pound in the anchor pins.

12. Install another mounting bracket along the wall and attach it to the post. The header along this side goes up a lot easier. Attach some bar clamps to hold it in place. Then install some bolts in the corner using a wrench to hold the two headers together.

13. Attach the header to the posts with the self-tapping screws. At this point you can now set the rest of the posts and railings that go in-between them (figure E).

14. Mark and set the first inside post just like you did for the corners. Once it's in set the railing on spacers and attach it to the posts using self-tapping screws -- first at the top and then the bottom.

15. Work you way across the front, skipping the section that will be the doorway. As you round the corner you should be in a good rhythm, which means the sections will go up faster.

16. Because there's a slope to the concrete pad to all the water to drain, the clearance underneath the railing gets smaller as you move toward the back wall. This means that you'll have to install the last few by hand. Just continue by installing another post, then a section of railing, and before you know it the last railing goes in.

17. With all of the cast iron up, use a small paintbrush and touch up (figure F) any rust spots and any of the areas you may have scratched during the installation process.

At the end of the first day of this level 2 project, you've basically done everything you can do at ground level, and in the next segment Reveiz will be putting up the brace for the awning and then the awning itself.

RESOURCES :

Fabrication and Cast-Iron Information

Jenkins Fabrication & Cast Iron
Phone: 865-376-6366

GUESTS :

Christian Cain
Camel Custom Canvas Shop
Toll-free: 800-524-2704
Website: www.camelcanvas.com