ᐅ Forgotten wooden beam above the main entrance (for canopy/roof covering)

Hello everyone,

First of all, I am actually quite satisfied with our house construction company. There were no major issues (a construction supervisor from the home builders’ association was involved during the building phase). We built a townhouse. The handover was a few weeks ago. The exterior wall consists of a large autoclaved aerated concrete panel (about 16 cm (6.3 inches)) and thermal insulation (about 16 cm (6.3 inches)) with a thermal conductivity class of 035. On top of that is a silicone resin render.

We did not include an entrance canopy in the construction contract, as we wanted to decide on that later and install it ourselves. However, the builder suggested installing a solid wooden beam above the entrance to attach the canopy later. It seems they forgot to install this wooden beam (this is currently being clarified). If it really was forgotten, I now have the following question:

Is it possible to install an entrance canopy without this wooden addition? The concrete should easily support the weight with the appropriate anchors. But the screws will always have some movement in the insulation. I imagine that wind, weather, and snow might slowly wear away the concrete around the anchors and screws over the years, causing the canopy to eventually become loose or wobbly.

What do you think? Should I insist on a retroactive installation? That would mean reopening the exterior facade. Or will it hold securely without the wooden beam, allowing me to avoid additional construction work (the cost of the wooden beam would of course be deducted)?

Thanks in advance.

Best regards

That should not be a problem when you look at how modern awnings are installed these days and still hold up in the wind. Keyword injection mortar: Fischer even offers special systems where the insulation around the hole is milled away to prevent contact and later breakouts. You should be able to easily attach a typical canopy using this method.

A good tip regarding the awnings and the injection mortar. I also do not want the facade to be reopened. I will ask the site manager again and then leave it as it is. Maybe I will have the installation of a future canopy done by a professional instead. They will know how to handle it properly with that wall type (concrete + insulation).

Even though I understand the procedure, I would always hire a professional for this kind of work. It’s not worth saving a few dollars when building a house. Besides, to be honest, I’m not entirely sure what the wooden block would improve, since in the worst case the block along with the canopy would break off if it’s not secured in concrete.

K1300S schrieb:

Even though I understand the procedure, I would always hire a professional for such work.

Exactly! Otherwise, you can also get advice from Würth on the available mounting systems. The type of fastening largely depends on the shape of the roof. Some have a support underneath, others are hung with cables. And others are free-standing.

You don’t necessarily have to attach the entrance canopy directly to the house – it would certainly be possible to have two posts installed next to the house instead. Your construction company might also be willing to do this as a courtesy.