Motion to redirect roof

JWF Langley

Posted initially on construction topic and not very specific so here goes.
The new roof I need to build over patio has caused me some difficulty in planning. I wanted to anchor my beams to the second floor plate but this makes the roof too high outside. As such I have reluctantly agreed to use columns against the wall to support my beam spans. Unfortunately the only locations available (6' sliding door plus glass windows on either side) make it wider than they should be and therefore beams way too far apart for the rafters.
A neighbour suggested going with the column location against the house but adding a header over the door on which the spanning columns would sit and thereby allowing me to place the beams basically wherever I want them according to best suited for rafters, etc.
Comments would be appreciated.
JF

Bonus

You can certainly put columns on headers, they will have to be sized appropriately by an engineer and the loads carried through to the ground, but the concept is sound. Is that what you wanted/needed?

JWF Langley

It was what I was looking for. Thanks. I will be getting an engineer to look at the span but my next question is, if I place a diagonal brace on the outside (furthest) columns coming back to the house does my span become the column minus the diagonal brace?