Santa Monica · Deck Services
Patio Covers
Solid roofs, awnings and covered porches that keep sun and rain off the deck all year.
Patio Covers · Santa Monica
Turning A Deck Into A Room
A patio cover is what you build when the goal is to use the space regardless of the weather. Unlike an open frame, a solid roof keeps rain off, holds warmth in during June gloom, protects furniture year round and lets an outdoor kitchen or television live outside permanently. The trade-off is light: a solid cover over a deck adjacent to the house will darken the rooms behind it, which is why the design usually involves polycarbonate panels, a skylight run or a partial cover rather than roofing the entire footprint. That decision is worth making on a drawing rather than after the fact. Structurally a covered patio is a roof, which means it is engineered as one. It has to shed water somewhere sensible, tie into the existing roofline without creating a leak at the junction, carry its own load plus wind, and satisfy setback and height rules that in most Westside cities are stricter for a roofed structure than for an open one. We build attached and freestanding covers, covered porches, aluminium awning systems, insulated panel roofs and full outdoor rooms across Santa Monica and the Westside. If filtered light rather than full cover is what you want, Pergolas is the cheaper and lighter answer. If the deck underneath needs building too, both get designed together under Deck Building.
Why Have Us Build The Cover
A patio cover attached to a house is a roof-to-wall junction, and roof-to-wall junctions are where buildings leak. The ones we get called to repair almost always failed at the ledger or where the new roof met the old one, because the flashing was treated as trim rather than as the waterproofing detail it is. We flash that connection properly, we work out where the water goes before we set a single rafter, and we tie into the existing roofline in a way a roofer would sign off on. We also raise the light question early, because a solid cover over a south-facing deck can noticeably darken the kitchen behind it, and it is far better to design a translucent panel run into it at the start than to discover the problem in November.
- Roof-to-wall junctions flashed as waterproofing, which is where attached covers actually fail.
- Drainage worked out before the framing, so water leaves the structure somewhere sensible.
- Light modelled in the design, with translucent panels or skylights where a solid roof would darken the house.
- Setback, height and lot coverage rules checked for your city before anything is drawn.
- Insulated panel, timber and aluminium systems all quoted on the same drawing.
- Permit, engineering and inspections included in the fixed price.
Reasons To Build A Patio Cover
The cases where a solid roof beats an open frame:
You want the space usable all year
A solid cover keeps rain off in winter and holds warmth in during the marine layer months, which turns a deck used four months a year into one used twelve.
There is an outdoor kitchen or a television
Appliances, cabinetry and electronics need real weather protection. Once they are outside permanently, a roof stops being a luxury and becomes the thing that protects the investment.
The furniture keeps getting ruined
Cushions, timber furniture and rugs all fail fast under UV and marine moisture. A cover extends their life more than any amount of storing and retrieving them does.
The rooms behind get too hot
A cover over a west-facing wall shades the glass behind it and measurably lowers the cooling load inside, which shows up on the summer bill.
The doors leak in heavy rain
Sliding and French doors onto a deck take driven rain badly. A cover over the opening keeps the water off the threshold and off the deck immediately outside it.
You want a covered porch at the entrance
A porch roof over the front door is a small structure with a large effect on how the house presents, and it keeps deliveries and visitors out of the weather.
We will model what a solid roof does to the light in the rooms behind before you commit to one. Call: (310) 564-8939
How A Cover Build Runs
Two to four weeks on site, with the permit and engineering in front of it.
1. Site visit and light assessment
We look at the roofline, the wall condition where a ledger would attach, where water currently runs, and what a solid roof does to the light in the rooms behind. That usually decides whether the cover is fully solid, partly translucent or partial.
2. Design, engineering and permit
Scaled drawings with the roof structure, drainage and the tie-in detail, engineered where required, checked against setback, height and lot coverage rules, then filed with your city.
3. Posts, beams and roof structure
Footings or through-framed connections, posts, beams and rafters, then the ledger against the house flashed and sealed as a waterproofing detail rather than a fixing.
4. Roofing, drainage and finish
Roof covering, any translucent panels or skylights, gutters and downpipes taken somewhere sensible, then lighting, fans, ceiling finish and the tie-in to the existing roof. Final inspection before handover.
Cover Types And Systems
The options, and what each one is good for:
Solid timber covers
A framed roof in cedar, redwood or painted timber with a shingle, tile or membrane finish, usually matched to the existing roof. It is the most substantial-looking option and the one that reads as part of the house rather than as an addition.
Insulated panel roofs
Composite panels with a foam core that span further, cut noise from rain, and keep the temperature underneath far more comfortable than a bare metal or polycarbonate roof. They install quickly and suit contemporary houses.
Aluminium awnings and lattice covers
Powder-coated aluminium systems in solid or lattice form, light, low maintenance and the least expensive per square foot. Near the ocean the coating specification matters, since salt exploits any breach in it.
Polycarbonate and translucent panels
Panels that keep rain off while letting most of the daylight through, used either for the whole roof or as a run along the house edge so the rooms behind do not lose their light.
Retractable awnings
Manual or motorised fabric awnings that extend for shade and retract to give the sun back, with wind sensors on the motorised versions. They cost far less than a built roof and last a fraction as long.
Covered porches
A roofed structure at an entrance or along an elevation, integrated with the existing roofline. Detailing matters here more than anywhere, because it is the part of the house people see first.
Drainage and gutters
Every solid roof concentrates water and it has to go somewhere that is not the foundation. Gutters, downpipes and a discharge point away from the house are part of the design, not an extra.
Lighting, fans and heaters
A covered structure gives somewhere to mount recessed lighting, ceiling fans and infrared heaters, which is what makes the space genuinely usable in winter. All of it is wired while the roof is open.
What A Patio Cover Costs
Covers cost more per square foot than open structures, because a roof is a roof. What moves the number:
- Size and span. Wider spans need deeper beams or more posts, and the cost climbs faster than the footprint does.
- Roof system. Aluminium lattice at the bottom, timber framing with a matching roof finish in the middle, insulated panel systems at the top.
- Attached or freestanding. Attached needs a flashed ledger and a tie-in to the existing roof; freestanding needs more posts and footings.
- Translucent panels or skylights, which add cost and are usually worth it for the light they put back into the house.
- Drainage. Gutters, downpipes and getting the water somewhere sensible is a real line item on any solid roof.
- Electrical. Lighting, fans, heaters and outlets are wired during construction and priced with the structure.
- Permit and engineering. A roofed structure is engineered and permitted in every Westside city, and setback and height rules are stricter than for an open frame.
Every quote is fixed and includes the drainage, the flashing detail, the permit and the inspections. If filtered afternoon shade is really what you are after, Pergolas costs considerably less and does that job well. Where the deck below is being built at the same time, both are designed together under Deck Design, and the full range of outdoor construction we take on is in one place.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a patio cover and a pergola?
A patio cover has a solid roof, so it keeps rain off and makes the space usable all year, at the cost of light. A pergola has spaced rafters, so it filters the sun and looks lighter but does nothing in the rain. If you want most of the benefit of both, a louvred canopy rotates open for light and closes to shed water, and a partial cover with translucent panels is the common middle ground.
Will a patio cover make my house dark?
It can, and it is the thing most people underestimate. A solid roof over a deck against a south or west wall will noticeably reduce daylight in the rooms behind it, particularly in winter when the sun is low. The fix is designed in rather than bolted on: a run of polycarbonate or skylight panels along the house edge, or covering only part of the footprint. We raise this at the site visit rather than after the roof is on.
Do patio covers need a permit?
Effectively always. A roofed structure is treated as construction in every Westside jurisdiction, with engineering, setback limits, height limits and often lot coverage rules applying. The requirements differ between Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Culver City and Beverly Hills. We check what applies at your address, prepare the package and manage the plan check and inspections.
Can you attach a cover to my existing roof?
Usually yes, and the tie-in is the detail that matters most. The new roof has to meet the old one in a way that sheds water rather than trapping it, and the ledger against the wall has to be flashed as a waterproofing element. Poor flashing at that junction is the single most common failure we get called out to on covers built by others, and it usually shows up as damage inside the house rather than outside it.
How long does a patio cover last?
A properly built and permitted cover is a permanent structure and should last as long as the roof on the house, which means decades. Aluminium systems last effectively indefinitely with the occasional wash. Timber structures need the same clean and coat cycle as any exterior wood. Retractable fabric awnings are the exception, with fabric typically wanting replacement every eight to twelve years in this climate.
Can I put a heater or a fan under it?
Yes, and it is one of the main reasons to build a solid cover rather than an open frame. Recessed lighting, ceiling fans and infrared heaters all need something to mount to and something to reflect from, and all of it gets wired while the roof structure is open. Retrofitting the wiring afterwards means opening up a finished ceiling.
Planning a deck in Santa Monica?
Tell us what you want to build and where it sits, and we will come out this week with a free estimate and a fixed price.
Or call us now: (310) 564-8939