Metal & Polycarbonate Bike Rain Shelter

Leaving your bikes out in the backyard means rusted chains, ruined cables, and lots of maintenance due to rain and weather. To fix this once and for all, I decided to build a strong, wall-mounted roof. It features a solid steel frame and a blue translucent polycarbonate top to keep the rain off while looking great in the yard.

Before cutting any metal, I sat down and drew the whole project in Autodesk Inventor. Planning it on the computer helped me make sure the size was exactly right, choose the right slope so the water drains perfectly, and calculate the cuts so I didn't waste any steel.

This is everything I used to get the job done:

Materials

-30x30 mm Square Steel Tubing (2mm thick)

-Translucent Blue Polycarbonate Sheet

-Self-drilling metal screws with rubber washers

-Anti-rust black paint

Tools

-Autodesk Inventor 2026

-MIG Welder

-Angle Grinder

-Drill, Tape measure & Spirit level

Following my plan from the computer, I marked the 30x30 mm steel tubes (2mm thick). Getting the lengths right is super important so everything lines up perfectly later.

I grabbed my angle grinder with a thin cutting disc and cut all the pieces. I also cut the angles for the top part so the roof would slope down nicely. Once done, I used a flap disc to clean up the edges and remove any rough spots

This was my first time ever using a welding machine. I was pretty nervous because working with 2mm thin tubing can be tricky—it is super easy to burn through the metal if you aren't careful.

I chose a MIG welder for the job, and after practicing a bit on a few scrap pieces of steel to get a feel for the wire speed and distance, I started on the main frame. I laid all the pieces out on the floor, checked that the corners were straight, and made some quick tack welds to hold everything in place. Once I saw the structure was holding together, I went for the continuous seams. They aren't the prettiest welds in the world, but they are super strong and I'm really proud of how they turned out for my very first try!

This roof is going to live outside under the rain forever, so protecting the steel was an absolute must. I took the angle grinder again, put on a grinding disc, and smoothed down all the weld joints. This leaves a flat, nice surface so the polycarbonate sheet can sit flush on top of the frame. After cleaning off all the dust and grease, I painted the whole frame with a good coat of black anti-rust paint.

For the top, I chose a translucent blue polycarbonate sheet. It stops the rain but still lets the daylight filter through beautifully. To attach the plastic sheet to the steel frame, I used self-drilling metal screws that come with a rubber washer built-in. These rubber washers squash down just a little bit to seal the hole completely, stopping any water from dripping through without cracking the plastic sheet.

Once the roof was ready, it was time to hang the whole shelter on the outside brick wall. Because the frame is made of solid 2mm thick steel and sticks out 1.5 meters, it's pretty heavy and needs a really strong hold so the wind doesn't rip it off. I drilled the wall, put in some strong wall plugs, and screwed the frame tight. It feels incredibly solid, and the bikes are finally safe and dry!

Conclusion And Acknowledgments

Looking back at the whole process, this project was an incredible learning experience for me. Going out into the workshop, hearing the noise of the angle grinder, and managing the heat of the MIG welder to join real steel was a completely new experience.

I learned that things don't always line up perfectly like they do in a CAD model, and that welding takes a lot of patience, practice, and respect for the tools. In the end, the shelter turned out incredibly strong, and knowing I built it with my own hands makes it ten times better.

I also want to give a huge shout-out and a special thanks to my uncle! He shared his workshop wisdom with me and made the whole build a lot more fun.

Thanks for reading my first ever instructable, and I hope this inspires other beginners to grab some tools and start making!