Patio cover installation in La Palma CA - a cover that fits how you use your patio

Most people who call us have a patio that's too hot to sit on by midafternoon, or a slab they'd use a lot more if it had a roof over it. The style moves the price most, and one cover maker ranks lattice as the most affordable, solid as mid-range and insulated as the premium choice, so it helps to know which way you lean before you collect quotes. Size also moves the price, along with whether the cover attaches to the house and what that wall or roof is made of. The schedule mostly turns on the city's plan review and inspection days, which I explain further down. If you think you'll want walls and windows someday, tell me early, because a cover meant for a later patio-to-sunroom conversion gets planned differently. At the estimate I write up the cover type, the options and the price for your job.

I start by measuring your patio and looking at what the cover will tie into, whether that's a stucco wall, a roof edge or bare ground for footings. Then we walk through lattice, solid and insulated covers side by side, because each one gives a different mix of shade, rain cover and upkeep. Insulated covers, as the makers describe them, use layered aluminum panels with a foam core that help block heat and keep the space underneath more comfortable. The makers also point out that aluminum needs only an occasional wash with mild soap and water, while wood needs regular sanding or painting, so the material you choose is also the yearly care you sign up for. On an attached cover against stucco, expect some stucco to come off at the wall, and Aliso Viejo's patio cover handout, written for that city, explains that the metal flashing then sits under the moisture barrier and sends water away from the wall into a gutter or onto the roof. Once you've picked, we build the one that fits how you use your patio, setting the posts, framing the cover, installing the panels and cleaning up before we leave.

A patio cover is often the first step toward a room you can close in. If you'd like to see where yours could go, our sunroom design work lays out the room before anything is built, and vinyl sunrooms are one way to enclose the space later with walls and windows.

The city's Building & Safety Division issues permits, and almost all improvement plans go through plan check, a city review of the drawings, before a permit is issued. Starting that review takes three sets of plans and a plan check fee, and some plans also need fire or health review on top of it. The city handles permits and inspections online through its OpenGov portal, and you can call 714-690-3340 for help with an application. If your job needs a permit, we take care of it, so we prepare the plans, file them with the city and book the inspections.

A lot of the La Palma houses we see are stucco with a concrete patio out back, and I look closely at that slab and wall before we settle on a style, because a cover is only as good as what it ties into. We meet the same kind of houses on jobs in Cypress and Buena Park, and we work in many of the cities around La Palma on both the Orange County and Los Angeles County sides.