A small project like adding a porch roof over a patio can make a huge increase in the usability of your outdoor living space. In addition, a small project like this can stand alone, or it can lay the groundwork for another project phase in the future. You’re not locked into continuing with a second phase, but the option of doing so remains.
Such is the case with this lovely Round Rock, TX, patio cover. The homeowners had an existing walk-out concrete patio off the back of their home. What they needed Archadeck of Austin to build for them was a roof over that patio. And while they may be thinking about adding an outdoor kitchen to their covered patio someday, they don’t need to wait to use the space. They can enjoy it immediately.
The Benefits of Adding an Archadeck of Austin Patio Cover
Whether you call it a porch roof or patio cover, its function is the same. The patio cover provides shade and protection from rain. With this simple roof extension, our clients gained quite a few “patio hours” each week because their patio is now much more functional. Previously, they avoided the patio when the sun was overhead or when rain was falling. Now they can enjoy it whenever they want to.
A Shed Roof Works Well Over This Small Patio
Archadeck of Austin added a shed roof over this patio rather than the gable roof we often design for larger patios. This roof extension is supported by just one post at the corner of the patio. To integrate the beam into the house wall, we removed a small amount of stone in the wall. The scope of this project also included adding a shelf or ledge above the row of windows along the back wall. The homeowners wanted a shelf on the porch where they could display knickknacks.
Why Is This Porch Ceiling Painted Blue?
The project included a Hardie interior porch ceiling, painted blue at the clients’ request. Are you familiar with this custom? According to folklore, the practice of painting porch ceilings blue began in coastal communities of the Gullah people in the American South. Homeowners there believed blue porch ceilings protected them from evil spirits because blue resembled water, and the spirits couldn’t cross water. That shade of blue became known as “Haint Blue,” with haint meaning haunt or uneasy spirits. Other tales suggest a blue porch ceiling deters birds from building nests in the eaves because the birds interpret the blue ceiling as sky.
There was a time when the paint used for porch ceilings was milk paint containing lye, a known insect repellent. The lye may have kept wasps, yellowjackets and hornets from building nests around porch ceilings. Anecdotally, some modern-day homeowners have found that blue porch ceilings actually do seem to deter these stinging insects from nesting on the porch.
The practice of painting porch ceilings blue has spread from the South to New England to the West Coast - and yes, to Texas. Whether based in superstition or nostalgia, today’s blue porch ceilings do have a certain charm. Color specialists say blue creates a sense of calm, so we say it’s perfect on a porch!
Additional Backyard Seating Area Completes This Outdoor Living Space
Finally, our work at this Round Rock home included an outdoor seating area under a tree in the back yard. Our brickmason built a permeable path of Lueders stone surrounded by black gravel extending from the patio out to the tree. He created a stone circle filled in with gravel as a spot for the homeowners’ outdoor seating. They have a hammock suspended from the tree, and a free-standing swing in the circle as well. On those days - and nights - when they don’t need the protection of a roof, they have another area where they can enjoy the outdoors.
And maybe, just maybe, we’ll return some day and add that outdoor kitchen to the covered patio.
Contact Archadeck of Austin today to schedule your free design consultation.
-- Jim Odom, Owner of Archadeck of Austin
