What is a pool without a patio? What is a patio without a shade cover? In Austin, TX, it’s just too hot, that’s what it is!
These homeowners in the Circle C Ranch neighborhood of SW Austin had a beautiful patio in their back yard. The patio began at their back door and continued around the pool. It was lovely, but they needed some shade! The swimmers needed a place to duck out of the sunshine occasionally. Anyone who wanted to sit on the patio to watch the swimmers had two choices: sit in full sun, or wait until late afternoon to come outside. The situation was clearly not satisfactory.
Being very wise, these homeowners called patio builder Archadeck of Austin. We do more than build patios! We design and build excellent patio covers as well. Whether you call us to build a patio and cover together, or you’re adding a cover to an existing patio, you’re in good hands with Archadeck. We have designed and built more of these structures around the Austin area than we can count.
Outdoor Living Structures Designed to Look Original to Your Home
In each project that includes a patio cover, we are careful to design the roof of the new structure to match the home’s original roof. Our objective is to tie in the new roof section so it looks original to the home, and we’re good at that.
For shade, these Circle C Ranch homeowners wanted to add a roof over a portion of the patio – the portion closest to the house. A shed roof was the perfect roof style for this addition. It slopes down from where it joins the house without obstructing the second-story window. The new shingles match those on the existing roof.
Underneath the new roof, the ceiling of this patio cover is a beautiful, rich cedar. We also used cedar for the posts supporting the roof. For the base of the posts, we built stone columns that match the coping around the edge of the pool. Using matching materials helps tie the project, visually, to the home’s original features. In this case using matching materials specifically helped tie the covered patio area to the open pool area. You see a cohesive scene whether you’re sitting on the patio looking out over the pool or you’re in the pool looking back toward the house.
Design Challenges Keep Us Young and Nimble
If you read this blog regularly, you know Archadeck of Austin never backs down from a design challenge. That was the case again here as we approached the bump out windows on the dining room, which is now included within the covered patio area. Taking our cue from the wall framing the windows, we extended the wall up to meet the new ceiling. Not only does this design give the impression that the windows were built that way all along, it also provided a space for us to hide wiring and mount speakers.
Similarly, designing a porch cover with a ceiling allowed us to install recessed lighting and not one but two ceiling fans. Now this family enjoys a poolside area where they can lounge comfortably, protected from the sun’s blistering UV rays. Mission accomplished!
If the hot sun is preventing you from enjoying your Austin-area patio, let Archadeck of Austin design the perfect patio cover for your home. Call Archadeck of Austin today at (512) 886-8367 to schedule your free design consultation.
— Jim Odom, Owner of Archadeck of Austin
