Patio Covers

My favorite room at our friends’ new house overlooking a golf course is not an indoor room. It is their deck. They have built a huge deck, walled it in clear Plexi-glass and covered it with an automatic retractable canopy. It is delightful.
Whether you choose a simple umbrella over your deck area or an intricate wooden gazebo, covering your patio will bring you hours of enjoyment in the shade of your patio cover. Just as our friends did, you can add additional entertainment space to your house by installing a patio cover.

A simple patio cover like this open wood structure can be the form for ivy or trumpet wine which provides shade and beauty. This is a lot of value for not a great outlay.

However you choose to cover your patio, you have a dizzying number of choices in design and materials. Simple designs allow the do-it-yourselfer to undertake this project him/herself.

You can choose from roofed to partially enclose (like a gazebo or pergola or a tiki bar) or totally enclosed. In selecting your design think about personal preference, purpose of the space and cost.

If you opt for a covered patio, you are thinking about areas like the traditional 1970s ranch houses where the patio area was an extension of the back of the house.  You can take this perfectly good—but dated—idea and modernize it by using paint and furniture items to give it the feel of an outdoor spa.

Completely enclosed patios are a great option for areas that get very hot or very cold. I would call these porches or sitting rooms or sun rooms or solaria. TheyThey are obviously more climate controlled and more costly and ambitious. They are an actual additional room. Beware when you add one of these patios. I have seen those patios become extra bedrooms, music studios and home offices! Popular in the eighties, these patio options are making a comeback with the added environmental efficiency of solar heating/cooling.

If you are in love with your open patio area as I am but want to provide more protection from the elements, why not consider retractable or motorized awnings? That way you retain the open-air concept with the option to enjoy your space for a longer time each season. You can also make open areas seem and look enclosed by using pillars and drapes.

Whether you choose an open latticed roof, a cover, a semi-enclosed space or a totally enclosed patio area your goals are the same. You want to get maximum use you’re your outdoor patio space and you want to be able to spend as much time as possible outdoors.  Entertaining outdoors under your new patio cover will leave your guests spellbound.  Whatever type of patio cover you choose, your new canopy will be a haven for friends and family. This could well become your favorite space!