As summer is starting to wind down, it’s a wonderful time to be enjoying your outdoor space– lounging on your deck, grilling, or sitting around the firepit as the leaves begin to turn. Even with the changing seasons, however, it can really disrupt a relaxing day to find yourself with a sunburned nose, or be forced to hurry inside when an unexpected shower hits. For this reason, many homeowners choose to add some protection from the elements when they update their decks. This gives coverage from sun and rain in the warmer months and keeps some of the leaves and snow off the deck in the cooler ones. There are lots of great options to choose from when adding coverage to your deck. Here are a few to consider.
Pergola
A pergola is an outdoor structure with vertical posts supporting an open roof, typically cross beams or a lattice. They can be very simple or quite ornate depending on the taste of the person. Pergolas provide gentle sun protection while still maintaining the feeling of being outside, and they can have vines trained on them or outdoor fabric placed over them for more coverage.
Eagle Construction recently completed this beautiful cedar pergola for a home in Pennsylvania. Here is a quick summary of the project.
What was the client looking for in the remodel? (Ex: extra space, modern features, etc.)
A new deck with a cedar pergola
What was Eagle responsible for doing in the photos?
Building the cedar pergola, digging footers, grading the deck area, and installing the Trex deck
Where was this project located?
Fleetwood, PA
When was it started and completed?
April
Did your team run into any challenges?
Locating high grade cedar and covid supply chain issues
Any other highlights or specific information you can provide?
This was repeat business, as Eagle was responsible for building the home
What were their final thoughts?
They loved it all!
Arbor
An arbor is a great choice for anyone who might have more limited space. They are essentially just smaller pergolas, although they have vines trained onto them much more often than pergolas do, and are sometimes used as garden entry gates. If you only have a small area you want to give some shade to, like a favorite chair, bench, or patch of garden, or if you’d like a small swing with an attractive shade, an arbor is a wonderful solution.
Extended Roof
This is a more permanent and much more weatherproof solution for shading your deck. Sometimes you’ll see a home that already has this done, and the roof just continues right over the outdoor space. Some houses with multiple stories will even have a balcony from an upper floor doing double duty as coverage for a patio or deck. However, it is possible to build an extended roof as a later addition to the home. Some people choose to emphasize the “indoor” in indoor-outdoor space, putting lights and ceiling fans into extended roofs, whereas others keep it very understated.
Fabric Awning
Simple but protective, a deck awning is a great way to add character to your yard and coverage to your outdoor space. For a chic and modern sunshade look, a large tarp or sail can be attached to posts and to the house, or you can choose classic-looking retractable awnings mounted to the side of the house. One of the great perks of a fabric awning is that they don’t give permanent coverage, so depending on the day and the weather you can choose to have the awning up or not. If you like the best of both worlds, or the weather where you live can be pretty variable, it’s worth considering an awning.
Gazebo
If you really want your outdoor space to look like a picturesque park, you can install a gazebo. These can be any shape, not just the classic octagon, and like pergolas they can be as fancy or simple as you like to fit into any style. Since they typically have fully enclosed roofs, they’re great weather protection, and depending on the style they can even be screened in for protection from insects.
With these beautiful coverage features for your deck or patio, you can utilize your outdoor space so much more, whether you’re enjoying the cool shade on a sunny day or watching a storm roll by without getting wet. If you’d like to add something like this to your home, Eagle Construction in the Berks County area is ready to help. Contact us today to learn about our construction and remodeling expertise.
