No patio is complete without a cover. Patio covers give you a bit of shade, protection from the elements and a nice design touch that turns your outdoor space into an outdoor living room. There are a variety of materials available to build your patio and patio cover, but the simplest way to cover your patio is with a predesigned patio cover kit.
The patio cover kit checks a lot of boxes for those looking to finish off their patios. It’s is a great choice for most, but others may find that custom building their own is the better option. It all depends on your needs.
J&W Lumber’s patio cover kits are custom-built for your particular project, not pre-packaged by a manufacturer. In essence, J&W Lumber takes the hard work out of building patio covers by providing pre-cut materials and include the hardware you’ll need to attach the cover. While the patio cover kit is often a great solution for homeowners, some may prefer building from their own design.
Here are the pros and cons of purchasing a patio cover kit:
PROS
Simplicity: All the materials and hardware are included, and the materials have been pre-cut to your measurements. The patio cover kit makes building your cover easier than following directions from a big box store.
Classic Design: J&W’s patio cover kits come in three classic styles – The Coronado, The Catalina and The Capistrano. Each design is a classic wood lattice construction and you have a variety of style options for the corbel and braces.
The Safe Bet: The most difficult part of building a patio cover is taking precise measurements and making precise cuts to your wood or other materials. With the patio cover kit, that’s all taken care of by professionals.
Variety: Our wood patio cover kits fit just about any type of patio you can dream up and come in different sizes with different options for the type of lumber being used, including Redwood and Cedar.
Affordable and Efficient: Patio cover kits are cost-friendly and incredibly efficient. Instead of spending hours measuring, cutting and re-measuring your materials, everything in your wood patio cover kit is packaged up for you. You won’t need much more than a good power drill and a few hours to put it together.
Custom Milling: Whether it’s the braces and corbels or the beams, we have the equipment the custom mill your materials to give you the look and feel you desire. Trying to custom mill your own materials requires time, money and equipment that most homeowners simply don’t have.
CONS
Design Limitations: Patio cover kits come in classic styles that work perfectly for most people. However, if you are interested in a unique custom design, you’ll need to design a cover yourself. Any design that requires angled cuts, pitched roofing, or super-sized timbers is best left to a fully custom job.
Lack of Material Choices: Patio cover kits are available in a few different types of wood, but if you’re looking for hard to find materials or plan on installing a full roof complete with insulation, patio kits are not the best choice.
Pitched Roof: The pitched roof as a patio cover is becoming increasingly popular among homeowners, but you won’t be able to achieve a pitched roof with a kit. Pitched roofs require specific angled cuts and some complicated math that you won’t find in a kit.
Not Truly Custom: While J&W Lumber’s patio cover kits are custom cut to your patio’s measurements, they do not offer unique designs or cuts that will make your patio cover stand out in your neighborhood. However, J&W Lumber has a variety of materials to match almost any custom design. We can work with you to map out what you need.
For about 95% of homeowners, patio cover kits are a great option that save time, money and hassle. Each homeowner, however, has their own unique preferences and style.
To determine whether a patio kit is the best choice for you, you must first determine the why, what and how:
- Why you need a certain design
- what materials you want to use
- how you plan on building your patio cover