7 Types Of Sunny Patio Roof Ideas To Steal Before Summer (2024)

While it’s important to make your patio roof look great, it’s also important to consider what will function best for your home. Consider these factors first.

Use and Climate

The most important thing to consider is how you plan to use your outdoor space. Are you looking to keep things cool and shady on warm days? Do you want to be able to use your patio when it’s raining? How much light do you want coming through? What times of the year do you expect to be outside the most? Additions like outdoor kitchens, fireplaces, fans, skylights and screens can also determine what types of structures are appropriate.

Lastly, but most importantly, your climate and location play a large role in determining what patio roof materials are best. Talking to neighbors and local professionals will give you a good idea of what materials are widely and economically available in your area and would be best suited to your project.

Budget and Aesthetic

Two other factors to consider are your budget and the aesthetic of your home. While a super modern steel pergola may seem like a great idea when you’re looking through inspirational images, it may not be well suited to your more traditional craftsman home, for example. It may also be very expensive.

Being considerate of your home’s aesthetic and the outdoor decor doesn’t have to mean doing what everyone else does, but it’s a good place to start. With our earlier example, you might find that a more traditional wood pergola is a better fit for your style and budget, while still giving you the same benefits. Or perhaps you decide to go in an entirely different direction.

Whatever the final product, taking some time to narrow down your options will help save you time in the long run.

Now that you’ve considered climate, materials, budget, aesthetics and use, we are ready to learn about the most common types of patio covers. Read on for our breakdown of the most common options.

Pergola

Up first is the pergola, the patio cover’s bread and butter. Pergolas are aesthetically adaptable and can be made out of a variety of materials. Consequently, they’re incredibly versatile and a great choice for any project. Some distinct advantages are that they are self-supporting and don’t need to be tied to your home. You can also use the pergola as a growing structure for vines and plants to create a lush look. Try stringing lights across the supports for that classic backyard coziness.

The most common detractor of the pergola is that it is open and, therefore, not great for keeping the elements away. However, adding fabric or thatched panels is a great way to add a bit more shade. If you want to stay dry, but still maximize the sun exposure, consider attaching a plexi roof. No matter your aesthetic, a pergola almost always works.

Louvered or Slatted

Similar to a pergola, a louvered structure is independently supported, aesthetically flexible and can be built out of a variety of materials to suit many budgets. The main difference between a louvered structure and your standard pergola is that louvers (or slats as they’re sometimes called) are operable, allowing you to control the amount and angle of sunshine coming into your space.

Manually operated louvers are often made of wood and work in much the same way as shutters on a window or the fins in an air conditioning vent. You can also opt for motorized or automatic louvered systems which can be quite expensive but great if you want to be able to control your patio cover from the comfort of a lounge chair.

Cabana-Style

The cabana-style patio cover is the most common, true roof type of cover, and it’s built with wood beams and covered with beadboard or a similar style of paneling. Keep things beachy with a teak wood structure, or match it to your home’s aesthetic by swapping out wooden posts for brick or stone columns and white-painted paneling. No matter your aesthetic, this kind of patio roof is perfect for anyone wanting a simple look, while also keeping the elements away.

Overall, this style can be quite economical, but it will increase in cost if you choose to add bells and whistles. Things like built-in lighting, fans, skylights, large fireplaces and screens are commonly added to this style to create a true outdoor living space for all times of the year.

Timber-Framed

The timber-framed roof is the cousin of the cabana-style. You will immediately recognize it as the heavy-lifting favorite of ski lodges and homes in colder climates that are subject to heavy snowfall. Despite its prevalence as a cold-weather style, this distinct structural look can be easily adapted to suit any type of home, such as the modern farmhouse or classic craftsman bungalow.

The key feature is, of course, the timber trusses, which can come in various shapes and sizes but can be quite expensive. Otherwise, this choice is very similar to the cabana-style roof as it is great for those who want year-round use and a more dynamic outdoor space.

The Lean-To

The lean-to is a simple roof type recognized less by its traditional aesthetic than by how it is attached to your home. As the name suggests, this roof “leans” on your home’s structure, meaning that one side is supported by columns and the other is tied directly to the house. This is great for folks who are hoping for a front porch look, but it sometimes requires a bit more work to get it installed.

There is a lot of material flexibility for the lean-to, making it a great option for many budgets. A common material combo is aluminum or wood supports with an aluminum roof, which is great if you enjoy sitting on your porch and listening to the rain. You can also use steel or composite supports and even swap the aluminum roofing for plexi, wood or a thatched material. There really are endless combinations.

The Addition

As with the lean-to, this style is more about the structural implications than the materials or aesthetics. An addition is any porch or patio cover that utilizes the existing structure and materials of your home to create an extension that ties seamlessly into the facade.

For example, if you have a brick home with a gabled roof, you may choose to extend that gable using the same roofing material and matching brick columns or walls for a cover that looks perfectly integrated into your home. As you can imagine, this is the most involved way to add a patio roof and often the most expensive. However, it can also be the most striking and give you ample opportunities to tailor your patio to your needs.

The Fabric Cover

The last option is the fabric cover. This can come in many forms such as typical umbrellas, retractable shades, awnings or removable sails. The fabric patio cover is excellent for seasonal users who simply want a bit more shade during those hot summer months without spending a large chunk of change. Invest in durable materials that can be easily washed or wiped down for a solution that will last you many seasons.