Ideas for designing a patio cover

July 15, 10:18 AMBackyard Living ExaminerJane Gates

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Ideas for designing a patio cover (Photo by Jane Gates)

Patios are more comfortable in the warm Los Angeles climate if they are furnished with a patio cover. There are many different ways to provide shade for your patio. Here are some ideas on how to build that comfortable shading into your patio while creating something makes your landscape more attractive. You can design a patio cover in many different ways.

You can design a patio in the more familiar designs with vinyl or wood. Vinyl is easy to maintain being free of insect problems and rot and needing no paint. Wood, on the other hand, has a natural beauty that cannot be replicated, but does require care and maintenance. Post and slats are the typical structure but different designs can include ornamental supports like columns and roofing that can be executed with lattice or creative designs.

Variations are limited only by creative imagination. Roofs can be covered with tin, shingles, palm leaves, bamboo, welded metal tubing, shade cloth or any other material that can handle hot sun and occasional winds.

There are other shade covers you can use. You can find retractable patio covers that are made to roll up on the side of the house. You can also drape fabric over interesting supports. And if you are very patient, you can grow a patio cover with trees or strong vines training them to converge into a natural roof by pruning and guiding them with a removable frame.

If your patio cover is not self supporting (as in a retractable awning), a frame will need to be built. Frames can be built in shapes other than the traditional rectangle. Curves can soften the hard edges of your house. Supports can be sculpted, formed of brick, stone or cement, rustic beams or tree limbs, recycled wood or any other strong, stable material. Remember frames and supports must be able to safely withstand all kinds of weather. You can also extend the roof of your shade cover outward or downward with woven shades, hung windows, tapestries and more.

Your patio cover will be defined by the supports and frames as well as the shape of the patio beneath. Consider if your shade cover will be freestanding or attached to the house and sketch out your design before you actually install it. Most important is that your patio cover is built soundly and that the style and materials used will blend with both the house and the style of your garden.