A cover is what turns a patio you use twice a summer into a room you use most of the year. In Colorado it also has to carry snow load and stay put in a downslope wind, which rules out most of what you'll find in a big-box kit.
What Matters
A structure attached to your house has to be engineered for the snow it will carry and anchored for the wind it will take. Kit pergolas rated for a mild climate come apart here, and the failure usually takes some of your fascia with it.
We design to the load requirements for your elevation, tie into the house structure properly rather than lag-bolting into siding, and detail the connection so water still runs where it should afterwards.
Engineered for the snow load and wind exposure at your elevation.
Ledger connections made into structure and flashed, not into siding.
Footings sized and set below frost depth.
Rooflines and materials matched to the house they attach to.
What We Build
Open rafters for dappled shade and structure over a patio, in timber or low-maintenance composite.
A real roof over the patio, so the space works in rain and snow and the furniture stops weathering.
Detached structures out in the yard, over a fire pit, seating area, or outdoor kitchen away from the house.
Operable roof systems that open for sun and close for weather, for people who want both.
Questions
A pergola gives you structure, partial shade, and a lighter look. A solid cover gives you a genuinely usable room in bad weather. If the goal is to eat outside in October, you want a roof.
It can, particularly on a south-facing wall. We look at which windows sit under the cover and can adjust depth, pitch, or add skylight panels so you gain the patio without losing the room behind it.
Almost always for an attached structure, and usually for a freestanding one above a certain size. HOA architectural review is common too. Both are part of our scope.
Usually. Footings for the posts generally go outside or through the existing slab, so we look at the patio's condition and thickness first and tell you if it needs work before we build on it.
Timber looks warmer and costs less initially but wants refinishing every few years at this UV level. Composite and aluminium systems cost more up front and ask almost nothing of you afterwards.
Related
We'll work out what will actually get used, then engineer it for where you live.
