Proper roof ventilation is an important aspect of home construction.
Open beam metal porch roof.
Beams can be solid lumber or be built from lengths of 2 by lumber nailed together with 1 2 inch pressure treated plywood spacers in between this forms a 3 1 2 inch thick beam that is equal to the width of a 4 by post.
Roof vents help make a home more energy efficient and allow humidity and hot air to escape the.
For a porch roof the beam needs to be sized according to the maximum snow loads in your area and you must know enough about the porch design to determine how the load will be distributed and over what distance the beam will carry the load.
For heavy roofs or in areas with substantial snowfall or winds call your local building department for code requirements.
Of course all of these solutions are a little more expensive than simply nailing 2 x 10s to the sides of your existing posts.
Metal beams could also be used and would eliminate the need for most of the supporting posts across the front of your porch.
Step 1 determine the load per square foot that the roof must support.
They also can be boxed in with wood after installation.
Porch roof ventilation options.