Expert: Dan Griffin - 8/26/2009

Question
Good evening sir,
We are adding a breezeway (6x20) to a detached garage (slab foundation) and the house(footing and slab). My question is I realize the breezeway should not be attached to the Garage because we live in Canada(-50 and frost with ground shifting) So how should I make the roof. The house(roof is front to back) the garage(roof is side to side) without a diagram I hope this helps. My concern is also the drainage in between the garage and the breezeway? Any ideas would be of great help. Thank You.

Answer
Marcel, in any work like this, drainage and water issues take priority.  YOu must have or create a way for water to get away from structures.  This can be done with piping, pumping, or surface drainage (best).  There are various expansion joint products that you could use to isolate the structures,  This expansion would need to include the slabs, walls, and roof.  The actual movement of the structures will probably be minimal, but you are correct to not make a rigid connection between the two.  You should decide early which structure to duplicate to which you will tie your breezeway.  It certainly adds a degree of difficulty to the solution.

If your goal is to have a covered walkway/patio your best approach might be to make the breezeway totally independent and free standing.