I built an off grid A-frame house in a remote area of the sierras in the summer of 2016 & have been living in it full time ever since. We get A LOT of snow where I live & for that reason I regret not 'indenting' the front & back of my A-frame in the traditional sense to provide a snow shelter for the front and back doors & decks.
Im thinking I will just erect more "A's" but uncertain if setting the A's on top of the current deck structure (pictured) which consists of double 2x10x12 is a good idea? Maybe you all have some advice? Maybe I should strip the 2x6 deck boards at the edge of the deck & lay a 2x10 down to set the bottoms of the A's on?
All the A's are currently sitting atop a ~9ft cinder block stem wall. The roof sheds snow immediately so very little weight will be added to the deck structure in the way of snow, however, the snow shedding off the A's piles up on the sides to such a degree that I assume puts a degree of pressure inward.
Attached are some picture's of what I have going on.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/m9AQZXoTXQZtBrFUA
https://photos.app.goo.gl/h5ZaPpUbsC7Y4oRT8
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Q2Wou78Q9axzgUjV6
https://photos.app.goo.gl/8MXe9NJD76CcVXyi8
https://photos.app.goo.gl/uhdYoYCJrZYcdUPv9
https://photos.app.goo.gl/h5ZaPpUbsC7Y4oRT8
Nice Jeep!
As for the structure, I guess that would be a question for someone more engineering in mind. Seems to me the snow load would be minimal so I can't see an issue but I don't know.
Nice A-frame.
I would consider installing a horizontal run of rope anchors (screw hooks?) just beneath the upper window. Install a matching set of anchors on the outer hand rail. Install a (rope reinforced?) rectangular sheet of heavy tarp... just for the season. This inclined plane should keep much of your porch area free of snow, snow that now gets dumped beyond the hand rail. Probably will require a "thumping" underneath after each snowfall. ??
I would add another midspan post under the new load bearing walls to shorten thar span. I actually think it would be good to nail the rafters into the deckboards -- think of them as the joists preventing spreading or compression. Also if the deck is attached to your house with a ledger I would think about sticking a post or pilaster under the load bearing ends against the wall.
(hi again to the forum after a weird few weeks)
nice house black_edelweiss - can't help with the deck snow issues itself, but even then as for the snow piling up on the sides I would think to say to not worry about it as long as you had good drainages for the spring melt runoffs? will let someone else actually opinion on that