Pulling Out a Carport or Lean-To Without Damaging the House

On a carport added to the side of a house, the order of cuts decides how much wall repair follows. The running record shasta county house demolition renew grid mag holds shows that most damage during a teardown like this comes from pulling a beam before the ledger board is freed. Around Shasta County, CA, carports and lean-tos were commonly added to older homes without permits, so the attachment details differ from one lot to the next.

Finding the attachment

A ledger board is usually lagged or bolted through the siding into the house framing. The crew opens the siding at the line of the board and finds the fasteners, since some carports are nailed to a stud wall and others sit on a post alone. A lean-to on a load bearing wall needs extra care because cutting there changes how the roof loads travel.

Roof panels and beams

Metal or polycarbonate panels come off first, unscrewed from the purlins. Then beams are supported on the way down, with two people or a mini excavator on the heavy ones. A reciprocating saw cuts the post bases free from their anchors and the posts are lowered in order.

Posts, footings and slab edges

Carport posts in Redding usually stand in a concrete footing or on bolted base plates over a slab. A footing is broken out with a breaker or demo hammer and the hole is filled and compacted, otherwise it holds water against the house. A thin slab under a carport is cracked and hauled, and the edge against the house foundation is cut with a saw so nothing pushes on the wall.

Repairing the wall

Removing the ledger leaves a row of bolt holes and a stripe of unpainted siding. Holes are filled and flashed, the siding is patched, and any exposed sheathing or drywall at an interior opening is dried and repaired. A stud wall that was notched for the attachment gets sistered before it is closed.

Weather and access around Anderson and Palo Cedro

Carports along gravel drives near Anderson and Palo Cedro are tight, with fences and trees close by. A skid steer with a grapple often does the loading, and the crew works dry days so the roof edge stays clear of wet siding.