The Best Patio Covers to Extend the Comfort and Value of Your Home

What is the purpose of the patio cover?

Adding a patio cover to your home is a great way to extend the comfort and value of your property. Patio Covers can provide shade on hot days, shield from the rain, and a place to relax outdoors. Anyway, it is still a stunning idea to claim a small tropical paradise in the backyard of your home or any other convenable area in your residence;

We could only imagine that the only properties allowed for such amenities are those located in Beverly Hills or Hollywood!

The backyard of a modern residential villa with comfy bamboo furniture and tropical plants all set within a patio cover, Photo by Skylar Kang from Pexels

Where to locate your patio?

➤ You may need to read also: 11 Home Improvements That Add Value To Your House

Another great Patio layout perfect for your relaxation session, Photo: Pinterest

Some Benefits of Using Patio Covers

Custom-made pools and landscaped zones covered with grass similar to golf courts and fancy playgrounds bring your outdoor landscape from imagination to reality. This is, of course, a great investment in the long run, that will beautify your home by creating green and artificial meadows.

Moreover, the advantages of those surface covers are multiple and various, among them:

• The hot weather is annoying somehow and the excessive usage of power can result in a high electric bill once using the traditional methods of refreshing and conditioning the air. Alternatively, having an outdoor living space can help lower these costs by spending the hot summer afternoons entertaining outside and playing in the swimming pool, and enjoying special time with family. This makes landscaping and the multiple water activities a necessity for you and your family as well.

• Outdoor kitchens and barbeques are wonderful benefits to your home and help you save your indoor kitchen when your guests arrive. It is worth the time and effort of cooking outdoors.

• There is nothing more relaxing than sitting outside on a nice day. According to recent statistics, more and more people are spending time outside, dining or cooking in an outdoor kitchen, or just relaxing in the sunlight. If you do not have sufficient shade for your various outdoor activities, a covered patio or deck can be a good choice to enjoy the outside air without the full impact of the sun.

• If you already have a swimming pool and always have guests and kids running in and out of your home, this will ruin your floor covering and rugs. Therefore creating a covered area in between the pool and the indoor will effectively help in reducing any potential harm to your in-home fixtures.

• You may save costs by not heating your home: Truly, creating such a covered mid-area will perfectly adjust the ambient temperature before reaching the inside of the house and thus reduce the need for air conditioning or other heating systems.

What type of patio covers is best?

You can find patio covers in various types and styles, where every choice has its characteristics that differ from others. If you are looking for outdoor space, there are many options. Outdoor structures can provide shade and nicer weather, or just a relaxing area to come and hang out outside.

There are two main categories of covered patios: ATTACHED to the house or DETACHED from it.

• Note: However, the detached type discussed in this article, means “freely standing” and not attached to the house or another built construction.

The most popular covered patios include Pergolas, Gazebos, and Ramadas. To decide among them, some different options may help with the decision. Each type of patio cover has its unique advantages and disadvantages.

• Let us have a glance at their best characteristics and their usage: Pergolas are generally manufactured from wood or vinyl and provide decent shade coverage. Gazebos are typically made from metal or wood and offer excellent protection from severe weather. Ramadas are standing structures that provide shade, usually roofed over with shrubs or branches.

1- Pergolas

A pergola is often an open structure that can be used to delimit a shaded walkway or seating area in your landscaped yard. A pergola is most of the time altered with a patio cover, although a pergola is a structure that can freely stand on supports or columns. It is designed to let sunlight pass through it because of the existence of a blade that covers the roof overhead.

Often plants such as vines are allowed to climb the structure and thus create a beautiful natural luxurious and inviting canopy. We can categorize it as being an attached element to the house. Likely, a pergola can also be designed as one of the two categories specified at the beginning of this article freestanding over a walkway or in the yard.

Throughout history, a classic pergola was referred to as an outdoor structure with an open roof. It was typically erected on columns or similar architectural elements. Usually, Pergolas are designed to accommodate sneaking or vine-like plantations. Modern pergolas haven’t been modified since and remain at much the same specifications.

An open roof often made with a wood grill, is placed above columns or vertical supports, sometimes pillars which are massive supports used frequently in the old times in various edifices.

Pergolas are the perfect choice if you have walkways in your yard and for vine-like plantations, Photo from: Pikist.com

Pergolas are the right solution for homeowners who appreciate an open, airy feel and wish to combine plantation with their entertaining area such as planting pots next to each column. (See Fig. below)

Pergolas are the right solution for growing vine plantations, Photo: Pikist

Vine plants can grow up the strong supports and begin to produce fruits in the open trellis-grill of the roof structure. If you do intend to utilize your pergola in this classic setup, make sure that your contractor utilizes materials that are designed for the plant growth process.

A pergola that won't be used for planting purposes can be made with less durable materials and still last. Yet, for the sneaking plants' growth, select the best quality possible.

2- Gazebos

The Gazebos are closed structures with a roof and walls. See the Figure below for more clarification.

Gazebos are closed structures with a roof and walls, Photo from Pikist

Remodeling your home doesn't necessarily mean to cost you a big budget. Practical and simple designs save money. A small splash pad, pool, or an original and unique-shaped pool can without any other additional accessories add beauty to your home.

The gazebo is probably the most known outdoor structure that is used in landscaping designs, especially with traditional and popular architectural styles. Since their appearance in History, 5000 years ago in the Egyptian civilization, Gazebos were often built as circular or hexagonal geometric shapes, therefore they benefit from a magnificent 360° view. They are usually found over hills, or next to a beach view.

Nowadays, any outdoor structure with at least five sides and covered by a roof is designated as a Gazebo. Most frequently, a hexagonal form is used. However, the roof is often entirely shielded and domed. As mentioned above, when choosing a gazebo for your detached patio cover, it's by far a good idea to take advantage of a gorgeous view from any angle. A gazebo fits well in much more traditional landscaping than modern designs, with a lot of trees, gardens, and various plantations.

The Gazebos match Victorian architecture, as well as other traditional styles. It is ideal beside waterfalls, and other water elements, such as a pool or a fountain. Also, if your property fronts a forest or a wild greeny hill, it is the perfect choice to take advantage of that magnificent view. A beautiful gazebo can help bring shade to a sunny patio. The cooler the patio gets the less heat gets in your home if your patio is attached to your house.

3- Ramadas

An open walkway or porch is also known as a Ramada. In modern construction, however, a ramada is a structure used to provide shade, with a fully covered roof. It usually matches the architectural style and material used in the home.

A ramada is ideal for outdoor spacing that is designed to be an extension of the living room or the relaxing area. Thanks to the robust structure they are made of, it is easy to include more extra outdoor functions such as a fireplace or barbecue area.

Therefore, some homeowners include an outdoor full-equipped entertaining wet bar in their ramada. In addition, the usage of bricks and stones in each of its fixtures such as seatings and tables is common in designing this small area of recreation as well. This brings ramadas to the top of the list among other covered patios.

A ramada is similar to a pergola in many ways, which means that it is a freestanding structure. However, it is fully covered to keep water from raining out and provide a complete sunshade. Ramadas are commonly built over an outdoor kitchen to keep the outdoor kitchen functional and well-organized, even in severe weather. Some designers refer to these structures as pavilions.

The Materials Used in Patios’ Coverage

A covered yard or patio is usually annexed to the house structure that provides a sunshade and/or rain shield protection for the whole building. The patio’s coverage can be aligned as a grilled texture which can be also topped with a solid cover made of light material such as special thick and resistant tissue or else. This option is to let sunlight get to your relaxing area or on the contrary limit it from reaching the inside.

A Pergola and Gable Roof combined each other, Photo: www.ptlandscapeinc.com

They can be designed to look like the original structure of the house or match the existing one. There is a wide range of designs with a variety of selected materials, such as wood, metal, vinyl, and more. Using multiple materials together can produce stylish and functional patios always ready to host your unexpected visitors.

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Choose The Type That Meets Your Needs

The functions of the patio of your dreams may differ from others; This is why you need to discuss with your local contractor exactly what you intend to do.

Many options you may afford here:

• Do you want your covered patio and relaxing area to be freestanding or attached to your existing residence?

• Do you need it completely filtered out from the sun or with a little sunlight emerging through?

Parasols, Photo: pexels

• Moreover, you may have a favorite destination you would like to re-live; Your construction contractor or designer has plenty of related ideas that can help you create an outdoor space that carries you back to your beloved memories. They can easily set you up and put your imagination onto paper and design it the right way, with the relevant size and style.

• A well-managed yard with a covered patio or deck will add comfort and value to your home that you will enjoy for years to come. Don't wait - call your local construction contractor and begin to enjoy your new covered patio today!