Outdoor Living
Deck covers and patio covers in Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater
A deck you can only use three months a year is a deck you barely have. We build covers that hold up to Northwest rain and carry a snow load, across Thurston and Pierce counties, with the permit work handled as part of the job.
The point of a cover here is not shade
Most of what gets sold as a deck cover is designed for a dry climate. Shade sails, retractable awnings and open pergolas are all built to keep sun off a patio in summer. None of them shelters you from rain, and awning makers tell you to retract them in snow and high wind because they are not built to carry a snow load.
In Olympia you are not trying to escape the sun in August. You are trying to use the deck in October, and in February. That means a solid roof, proper footings and a structure engineered for the loads it will actually see.
What actually works in this climate
| Type | Sheds rain? | Carries snow? | Year-round use? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shade sail | No | No | No |
| Retractable awning | Partly | No | No |
| Pergola, open lattice | No | No | No |
| Louvered pergola, closed | Yes | Depends on the system | Mostly |
| Pavilion, solid roof with open sides | Yes | Yes, with proper footings | Yes |
| Roof extension off the house | Yes | Yes | Yes |
We build the bottom three. If a shade sail is genuinely what you want, we will tell you so and you will not need us.
What we build
- Covered decks, framed and roofed as one structure from the footings up.
- Patio covers over existing concrete or paving.
- Roof extensions that carry the line of the house roof out over the deck.
- Louvered pergolas, where you want light in summer and cover in winter.
- Covers added to an existing deck, once we have checked the substructure can carry one.
Attached or freestanding patio cover?
A patio cover attached to the house fastens to the wall at a ledger board or carries the roof line straight out, so you step from the door under cover. Because it ties into the house, the connection has to be flashed against water and the house framing takes part of the load. In Thurston County it also enlarges the roof, which on its own means a permit.
A freestanding patio cover stands on its own posts and footings with no connection to the house. It suits a patio out in the yard, or a house where the wall or roof line makes attaching awkward. The footings have to be sized for the roof and the snow it carries.
We build both, a covered patio attached to the house or a freestanding pavilion, and we will tell you which one suits your lot after we have looked at it.
Covers almost always need a permit
This is the part homeowners most often get wrong. The 30 inch rule people have heard about describes the height of the deck surface. It says nothing about what you put above it.
Tumwater removes the ambiguity by listing “patio or deck roof cover” on its permit-required list, with no size qualifier. Elsewhere in Thurston County a cover attached to the house enlarges the roof, which also triggers a permit.
We handle the permit and the plan review, and the structural engineering where the design needs it. The full picture is in our guide to deck and deck cover permits.
What it costs
Covers run roughly $10 to $60 per square foot, and that range hides an enormous difference in what you get. The cheap end is seasonal shade. A solid roof that works through a Northwest winter sits toward the top of the range.
On a 200 square foot deck the full range works out to roughly $2,000 to $12,000. Anyone quoting the bottom of it for something that will shelter you through a Northwest winter is quoting a different product. We broke the numbers down in what a deck or deck cover costs in Thurston County.
Common questions
Does a deck cover need a building permit?
Treat it as yes. Tumwater lists "patio or deck roof cover" directly on its permit-required list with no size exemption. Elsewhere in Thurston County a cover attached to the house enlarges the roof, which also requires a permit. A cover can pull a deck into permit territory even when the deck on its own would have been exempt.
Will a pergola keep the rain off?
A standard pergola will not. It is an open lattice, so it gives dappled shade and no shelter from rain. A louvered pergola with closing slats does shed rain when closed, but it is a solid roof when shut, which matters for permits and for snow load.
What about an awning instead?
Awnings are built for sun, not weather. Awning makers tell you to retract them in snow and high wind, and say they are not built to carry a snow load. For year-round use in this climate you want a solid roof, either a pavilion style cover or a roof extension off the house.
How much does a deck cover cost?
About $10 to $60 per square foot depending on type, with shade sails and awnings at the bottom and solid roofs toward the top. On a 200 square foot deck that works out to roughly $2,000 to $12,000.
Can you cover a deck I already have?
Often yes, but the existing deck has to be able to carry it. A roof adds snow load, wind uplift and, where it attaches to the house, a lateral load path that the original framing and footings were never designed for. We check the substructure before quoting a cover on an existing deck.
Do you handle the permit?
Yes. We handle permits and plan review as part of the build rather than leaving them with you, including the structural engineering where a cover requires it.
Want to use your deck in February?
Tell us the site and what you have in mind. We will tell you what it takes and what it costs.