There is currently a canopy over my deck which looks like it was brought in from somewhere else because it is of older materials and is just sitting on the deck (the posts do not go all the way through to the ground). It basically has 2 4x6x24' beams running parallel 12 feet apart being supported by 3 4x4 posts on each beam. There are 16' 2x6's on top of that (they overhang 2' on each beam) with corrugated fiberglass panels. I want to rebuild it because it leaks and I want the posts to go all the way to the ground so they aren't sitting on the deck and am probably going to use fiberglass panels again. This canopy is against the house so I may also want to attach one end to the house so I can eliminate one of the beams. My question is, instead of using a 4x6 with a post in the middle like there is now, could I run a larger beam and eliminate the post in the middle? There won't be much weight up there with just the fiberglass and I live in Seattle so it rarely snows but this will need to have a pretty low pitch to the roof. The other option I thought about was putting a solid roof with either roll roofing or shingles to match the house if I can make it steep enough, but I would imagine that would be too heavy to do without the middle post if I go that route, right? The overall size of this canopy is going to be 24' long and somewhere between 12-16' wide.

Hi - I am installing a patio in the backyard, never done anything like this before, and will be using a combination of circle kit and regular-sized pavers, all 2-3/8 inches thick. I have received some conflicting advice concerning the final step, which is laying the pavers onto a 1-inch deep, screeded layer of sand. Both are professionals who install patios all the time. One tells me to put down the sand, screed it, lay down the pavers, and use a plate compactor to set them. The other person tells me to put down the sand, plate compact the sand, then add more sand which is then screeded. The pavers are then put down on the sand and NOT plate compacted. Can someone please chime in on this? I'm now at the point where the crusher run is coming, and I'm coordinating that with a compactor rental and, oh yes, the Boston-area weather. Thanks - Dave