The days are getting longer, the temps are trending upward, the sun has come out of hiding, and blue skies are back. Spring has arrived and it’s time to get outside — and time to make sure your outdoor living space is ready to help you do just that.
With the right combination of design elements, you can transform the area beyond your back door into a secondary living space that’s just as inviting on breezy spring afternoons as it is on warm summer mornings, chilly autumn evenings, and mild wintry days. Whether it’s a patio cover, a pergola, a pavilion, or a gazebo, a covered structure that offers shelter, shade, and a relaxing place to gather is key to comfortable outdoor living all year long.
Understanding your options — and recognizing what makes each one unique — is the first step in finding the perfect covered structure for your space. Let’s explore four popular choices:
Patio Covers
“Patio cover” may seem like a catch-all term for any outdoor structure that provides shade and shelter over a backyard patio or deck, but it actually refers to a very specific roofed structure.
Defining characteristics
A patio cover is a solid or open framework roof that extends from your house over a patio or deck. Unlike other outdoor roofed structures, a patio cover is attached to your home or garage on one side and supported by posts on the other (open) side.
A patio cover serves as a visual and functional extension of your home — from roof material to post style, it’s made to blend in perfectly with its supporting architecture. It’s also designed to make the transition into your outdoor living space feel seamless.
When to choose a patio cover
A patio cover is a good choice when your designated outdoor living space begins with the patio or deck that’s just outside your door. It can be ideal for smaller backyards as well as spaces that are all about open, unobstructed landscaping.
Pergolas
With its supporting posts, open framework, and lattice-style roof, it’s easy to see why people confuse pergolas with arbors or even patio covers. But like other outdoor structures, pergolas have specific attributes that set them apart.
Defining characteristics
Pergolas are freestanding structures made of posts or columns topped by an open slatted roof. While they can be built beside your home, they aren’t attached to it like a patio cover would be.
Pergolas are designed to provide filtered shade over an entire patio or outdoor seating area. They come in a wide range of styles, sizes and shapes; most are rectangular or square, but they can also be triangular, curved, or L-shaped.
Because pergolas rarely have a solid roof, many homeowners opt to install retractable canopies or removable fabric panels for additional shade as desired. Pergolas can also support vines and other climbing plants.
When to choose a pergola
Timeless appeal and impressive versatility have made pergolas a perennial favorite for many homeowners. Whether you want to cover a large patio just outside your back door or define a seating area in the middle of your yard, a pergola can get the job done beautifully and with a variety of shading options.
Pavilions
A pavilion combines aspects of a patio cover (shade and shelter) and a pergola (freestanding structure) to create a grand outdoor structure like no other.
Defining characteristics
A pavilion is a large rectangular or square structure with four to six supporting posts, open sides, and a solid roof. Also known as a ramada, pavilions are commonly built over a patio or deck or attached to a concrete base.
With a solid roof that usually matches the roof of the main house, a pavilion often becomes the epicenter of an outdoor living area. Pavilions are the structure of choice for homeowners who’d like to cover an outdoor kitchen, living room, dining room, or all of the above.
When to choose a pavilion
If you’d like a spacious, full-shade shelter that isn’t attached to your home, a pavilion can be ideal. Homeowners with plenty of acreage sometimes choose to build two pavilions — a small one close to the house that covers their outdoor kitchen, and a bigger one further afield that shields a sizable seating area.
Gazebos
With its distinctive architectural appearance, a gazebo is a backyard centerpiece that’s lovely to look at and enjoyable to use.
Defining characteristics
A gazebo is a freestanding structure with a solid pitched roof and open sides. Most gazebos are octagonal, oval, or rectangular. They’re often built with an encompassing railing supported by spindles that makes the space feel more contained without making it seem closed in.
Screened-in gazebos provide a bug-free space for relaxing. A gazebo with a built-in floor can be placed almost anywhere in your yard; you can also set a floorless gazebo over an existing patio or build one as the focal point of an expansive multi-level deck.
When to choose a gazebo
If you’d like a full-shade outdoor structure that provides maximal architectural interest even as it blends beautifully into the surrounding landscape, a gazebo is an ideal choice. As the only outdoor shelter that makes use of screens, gazebos are perfect for heavily wooded properties or properties that are located near waterways.
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