Covered Decks & Pergolas in Northern California

How much cover you want — filtered shade, full weather protection, or a bug-free room — points to a different structure. Here is how they compare.

A cover is heavier and more involved than the deck beneath it. It adds roof load, usually attaches to the house, and — under the California Building Code — has to be anchored against seismic and wind forces while shedding winter rain without dumping water where it doesn't belong. We build it to last.

• Posts set on footings sized for soil bearing and anchored with code hardware against seismic and lateral loads, so the added roof load stays put.
• Roofline integration and flashing where the cover meets the house, keeping water out of the wall.
• Gutter and drainage tie-ins so runoff from the new roof is carried away from the foundation.
• Redwood, composite, and low-maintenance materials chosen for our strong sun and — near the coast — salt air.
• Ignition-resistant or non-combustible roofing where the home sits in a Wildland-Urban Interface or fire-hazard zone, per California's Chapter 7A.
• Wiring for ceiling fans, lighting, and outlets under cover — the difference between a shade structure and an outdoor room.
• Engineering and permits handled for your California jurisdiction, built and inspected under our CSLB license.

"Covered deck" covers a lot of ground — from a roof tied into the house to a freestanding pavilion out in the yard. The right one depends on where the structure sits, how much of the sky you want to keep, and whether you're sheltering an existing deck or patio or building fresh. These are the structures we build most across Northern California.

• Attached roof-over patios and decks — a solid roof that ties into the home's existing roofline and extends the shelter of the house out over the deck, so the covered space reads as part of the home rather than an add-on.
• Freestanding pavilions — a self-supporting covered structure on its own posts and footings that can sit anywhere in the yard without touching the house, ideal when the deck is set away from the home or the roofline won't accommodate an attachment.
• Open-top pergolas — rafters and slats that cast filtered shade and frame the space while leaving the sky open, a clean way to define a seating or dining area without a full roof.
• Louvered pergolas — adjustable slats you can angle for more or less sun through the dry season, or close against a passing winter shower, then reopen when the weather clears.
• Screened enclosures — a covered structure wrapped in insect screen and sealed carefully at the seams and door, so you keep evening insects out while still living outside. This pairs naturally with a full outdoor room when you add a kitchen or fire feature through our outdoor living work.

Want the space wired for a kitchen, TV, or heaters under the roof? That crosses into outdoor living, and we plan the two together so the structure and the features it holds are designed as one project.

A covered structure is more than a shade sail. It adds roof load and usually attaches to the house, so most California jurisdictions treat it as permitted construction rather than a casual backyard project. Any electrical you run under the cover — ceiling fans, recessed lighting, outlets, or a heater circuit — typically brings its own permit and inspection on top of the structural one, and Title 24 governs the fixtures you install. Requirements are not uniform from one city or county to the next.

• Requirements differ from one city or county to the next — a detached pavilion that's exempt in one jurisdiction can need a full permit in the next town over.
• Setback and lot-coverage rules govern how close the structure can sit to property lines and how much of the yard it can occupy, which can shape the footprint before design even starts.
• Electrical work for fans, lighting, and outlets is generally permitted and inspected separately from the structure, and lighting is subject to Title 24.
• Structural review confirms the footings, posts, seismic connectors, and the connection to the house are sized for the added roof load rather than assumed.

Rather than leaving that maze to you, we confirm the specific rules for your city and county, prepare the drawings, pull the permits, and schedule the inspections as part of the job. It's the difference between a structure that's built right and signed off, and one that becomes a problem the day you sell the home.