When planning a canopy installation, one of your first considerations will be how tall your canopy should be. What many people don’t understand is that your canopy height should be carefully considered using the width of the structure. If your canopy dimensions aren’t planned properly, you could end up with a non-functional walkway. Check out these considerations for making sure your canopy is the right height.
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What is the Right Height for Installing a Canopy?
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Canopies Overhanging a Road
If your canopy overhangs a road, there are special considerations to keep in mind. Because vehicles will have to drive underneath them, the lowest member of the canopy above grade must be at least 13′-6″, which is the official recommendation of the Department of Transportation. This recommendation is for a canopy which may have any vehicle pass under any part of it.
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Pedestrian Walkway Canopies
If your canopy is meant to accommodate pedestrians only, go by our rule of thumb: the height of the canopy should never be any taller than the width of the canopy. For example, if your canopy is 9′-0″ wide, you don’t want to construct it any taller than 9′-0″. The reason we recommend this ratio is that you will get the best coverage for your pedestrians. If you construct it taller, the canopy will be insufficient in blocking the elements from the walkway, which defeats the whole purpose of the canopy.
While it’s important to make sure your canopy isn’t too high, it’s equally important to make sure that it isn’t too low, either. If you construct a canopy that is any shorter than 6′-0″, you run the risk of having your canopy become a hazard to the pedestrians. You don’t want them to hit their heads on the canopy. Because of this ratio, we never recommend constructing a canopy that is less than 6′-0″ wide, because it would be too low to the ground to be safe for pedestrians to pass underneath.
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Mitchell Metals has all of Your Canopy Design, Fabrication and Installation Resources
If you’re in need of a canopy, whether it overhangs a road or is for pedestrian walkways, we have everything you need. You have the option of using our free CAD drawings or specifications for your project, purchasing a material-only kit, or allowing our team to install it for you. Give us a call today for more information or to get started.
