How Patio Covers Work

Just like it sounds, a patio cover is a structure that provides a level of shade and protection over your outdoor area. Unlike a patio umbrella, they are permanent structures and tend to extend over your entire patio without the need for putting them up or down, or having to rotate them through the day to keep the shade over you and your family. Patio covers come in two main varieties. Firstly, you get the solid covers, where you use vinyl or aluminum sheets to create a full block. These give you great shade all day long but can restrict the air movement even on the windy Calgary days. On the other hand, you can get patio covers that are latticed which creates more of a dappled shade effect, but allow the spring breezes to keep you cool as the temperatures start to rise.

A Third Way – The Benefits of Going Hybrid

Choosing between a solid patio cover and a latticed patio cover can be tricky because oftentimes you’ll want elements of both. Fortunately, when you work with Desert Sun Patios team of expert patio cover creators, we can talk with you about your individual project and create a custom hybrid model that gives you the best of both worlds. 

The most popular hybrid patio cover option is to have elements of both solid and lattice cover in your patio cover. For example, you might choose to have a majority solid cover with a latticed centre, under which you would put a firepit or chimney so the lattice works as a natural chimney. You could also have a solid cover right next to your house to cover your seating area, and slowly change to lattice as you approach the area where your patio meets your garden for a pleasant visual aesthetic.

Choosing a hybrid patio cover means that you have the ultimate flexibility about how to use your outdoor space as the weather warms up. You can ditch the patio umbrella and upgrade to a hybrid patio cover in a short period of time, and our team of patio cover experts will help you create your personalized design to meet whatever your budget.

What is a Hybrid Patio Cover?

To understand how a hybrid patio cover works, you need to know what a regular patio cover looks like. Fortunately, it’s as easy as it sounds: it’s a permanent roof that sits over the top of your patio while keeping the sides open for fresh air and views out over your garden. They can be attached to your house or free standing depending on how close your patio is to your home. Free standing patio covers require posts at all corners to support them, while attached patio covers can float like a sail or have supporting posts depending on the size and weight of your patio cover.

What Makes It Hybrid?

Patio covers come in two forms; solid and lattice. Solid patio covers provide full protection from the sun, while lattice covers allow some sun in. A hybrid patio cover uses both of these styles to meet the needs of your patio goals.

Innovative Patio Cover Ideas

The hybrid concept for a patio cover gives you plenty of scope to come up with a unique solution for how you want to use your patio. Here are some ideas to get your started:

• Alternating covers – for a visually striking patio cover, consider having alternating sections of solid and lattice designs going lengthwise across your patio. This will give you an interesting mix of sun and shade on your patio as well as giving you a good mix of heat and cool throughout the day as the sun changes positions overhead. 
• Central shade – another way to get a combination of light and dark in a more organized fashion on your patio is to have the central part of your hybrid patio cover be solid, with lattice patterns spreading out like fingers. This will give you a dedication place to sit under during the heat of the day, while giving dappled shade elsewhere. 
• Central lattice – finally, consider a unique design where your whole patio cover is solid exception for a section in the middle which is latticed. This is ideal if you put a firepit or chimney under the central section, or if you have a seating arrangement around another central feature like a coffee table. This will keep your patio cool while allowing for more air circulation throughout the day. 

Benefits Of A Patio Cover

A patio cover is exactly what the name sounds like: a cover that stretches out over your patio, giving you all day shade and season long protection from the typical Calgary summer storms. Patio covers come in a variety of options to match the size of your deck or patio and your budgetary constraints. The most popular option is a solid patio cover, typically made from vinyl or aluminum. This will attach to your home and stretch out over the edge of your deck and gives you great protection from both the sun and the wind. Another choice is a lattice patio cover that is usually made from wood in a post and beam pergola style. This is great for growing things up and over, and works better if you don’t want your patio cover attached to your home. 

Using The Space Under The Patio Cover

Once you’ve decided on what kind of patio cover you want, it’s time to work out how you’ll use your new outdoor space. Some popular ideas include:

• Outdoor dining – the most common way that Calgary homeowners use their patio covers is to create an outdoor dining room. The patio cover means that your table and chairs won’t suffer from sun damage, and you don’t have to rush around putting everything away when the winds start to blow. 
• A chillout zone – next up is an outdoor living room. You can make things cosy with some soft cushiony armchairs, or keep it looking traditional with some classic rattan furniture. The patio cover helps to keep things cool all day long, meaning you can spend all those long summer days relaxing on your deck or patio. 
• A shady green space – if like many Calgary residents you got into keeping houseplants during the pandemic, a patio cover creates the perfect place to put your more sensitive green babies outside to get some wind and dappled sunshine. You can intersperse some seating around that will help your friends and family truly appreciate your green thumb.

It’s easy to see that there are many reasons to make this season you get a patio cover and fall in love with outdoor living. Call in to our showroom or get in touch to start your patio cover journey today. 

What Is A Patio Cover?

If you’ve never seen or heard of a patio cover before, you’re in for a treat. At a very simple level, a patio cover can be a fabric awning that stretches out over your deck like a sun umbrella. However, a high quality patio cover will be made from wood, aluminium or vinyl, making it much more durable and able to stand up to some of the more extreme Calgary weather. Patio covers can be attached to your home, which is a popular option if your deck isn’t too wide, or a free standing post and beam structure which gives you more space and freedom if your deck is an unusual shape.

The Benefits Of A Patio Cover

A patio cover transforms your deck from a summer only hang out space to one that can be used as long as it’s warm enough to be outside. Beyond the obvious benefit of providing shade from the midday Calgary sun, a patio cover also brings these benefits to your deck area:

• Wind control – there’s a big reason why Calgary is known as the Windy City, and it can be a pain when the wind spoils a perfect afternoon out on your deck. While your patio cover won’t protect you against the strongest winds, it does create a different airflow around your home, and you’ll notice the difference a patio cover makes when it turns a fast wind into a soft summer breeze. 
• Protection from the rain – it may sound obvious, but a patio cover allows you to stay outside during a pop shower. The slope of the patio cover roof should be enough to keep the rain off your deck, and it should either come out far enough to drain straight onto your garden, or you’ll need a simple guttering system to help keep the water off your deck. You’ll also find that a solid patio cover roof will help keep snow and ice off your deck meaning there’s less clean up to do in spring. 
• Evening lighting – finally, a patio cover gives you a sturdy place to hang some overhead lighting. Whether this is a big central light or a series of recessed LED lights, you’ll be able to keep the party going as the days get shorter. As you’re installing wiring to the ceiling, you may want to consider running further wires to provide you with a couple of electrical outlets so you can plug in a music system, a coffee machine or even a projector for a night time family movie night!.

Patio Covers – A Quick And Easy Patio Makeover

When it comes to renovating your patio, there are some quick and easy fixes. These include re-grouting the spaces between the flagstones, pressure washing the whole space to get rid of accumulated dirt and debris, and changing up your patio furniture. However, most people don’t know that a patio cover is the quickest and easiest way to give your patio a whole new look. 

A patio cover is exactly what it sounds like – a large cover for your patio. However, there are a lot of different patio designs to choose from. For example, you’ll need to think about whether you want it to be free standing, like a pergola, or attached to your house so it looks like an extension of your home. You’ll also need to choose between a solid cover, a lattice roof or a hybrid combination of the both, as well as the size and shape of your patio cover. 

How Does A Patio Cover Help In Calgary’s Weather?

A patio cover is also the best way to help protect you and your patio from the extremes of Calgary’s weather. Here’s how a high-quality patio cover helps you to deal with Calgary weather:

• Protection from the sun – the obvious way a patio cover helps in the Calgary summer is to provide protection from the midday sun. Even if you choose a lattice patio cover, you’ll still get protection in the shade and you’ll notice a remarkable temperature drop on your patio, making it the perfect hang out space for hottest days. 
• A wind break – when the winds start to pick up, most people feel they can’t enjoy an afternoon outside on the patio. While a patio cover won’t help with the strongest gusts, the shape of it in conjunction with the natural windbreak of your home will actually deflect a lot of wind up and over your patio, leaving you and your guests with a cooling breeze instead of a face full of debris.
• Shelter from the snow – while it’s true that you’ll be unlikely to spend much time on your patio during the winter months, your patio cover will keep the worst of the snow and ice away from your patio. This will stop the ice wedging erosion that happens when water seeps in between your patio stones, freezes and expands, potentially ruining the look and structure of your patio.

The Benefits Of Each Patio Cover Type

It’s clear to see that a patio cover is a must have home improvement project no matter what time of year you start the work. However, as you start working with your sunroom contractor, you’ll find that you need to think carefully about the type of patio cover that you want. As noted above, there are three main categories: solid, lattice and hybrid. Each of them comes with their own benefits that you need to consider before you commit to your design.

Solid Patio Covers

A solid patio cover is typically made from vinyl or aluminium panels, and you’ll get full coverage across your entire patio. These tend to work best when your patio is directly outside your home as you’ll find it easier to connect the solid patio cover to the external wall of your home. A solid patio cover should slope down away from your home to avoid snow, ice and other debris from accumulating on it throughout the winter months. They are a fantastic addition if you’re looking for year round protection from the sun and sudden changes in weather.

Lattice Patio Covers

When you think of lattice patio covers, you’ll do well to have something similar to a pergola style design in your mind. While you can have a lattice patio cover made from vinyl or aluminium, many Calgary homeowners who use high quality lattice patio covers use a wooden post and beam structure to create a more classical look. Lattice patio covers work well if your patio is away from your home, and for places where you want to allow breezes to circulate among the dappled shade.

Hybrid Patio Covers

As the name suggests, a hybrid patio cover gives you the best of both solid and lattice patio covers. A hybrid patio cover means that part of your design will be solid shade coverage and some of it will be latticed. For example, you may want a mostly solid patio cover with a central lattice design. You could then put a fireplace, chimneya or grill under the lattice section which will act as a natural chimney. Alternatively, you could have a solid cover next to your home over your outdoor patio furniture, and slowly transition to a lattice pattern towards the edge of your patio to create a unique aesthetic design.

Talk To The Experts

You may have got to this point with more questions than answers about your upcoming patio makeover. Fortunately, Desert Sun Patios have been building personalized patio covers in the Calgary area for a long time, so we’ve got a lot of experience of how to turn your patio cover dream into reality. All you need to do is give us a call and we’ll walk you through the entire process from planning, measuring and construction so you can make the most of every season under your new patio cover. 

However, using your patio in Calgary comes with some problems, especially in the warmer months. The first obvious issue is the eternal wind that seems to blow through the city, which can bring dirt and debris onto your patio. Keeping on top of clearing your patio from this can be a pain, especially when summer feels like it’s over before it begins. The second challenge is the high temperatures in midsummer when you sit out in direct sunlight. Nothing will stop you from using your patio more than overheating, especially when the patio stones store and reflect heat back quicker than grass or a deck. Finally, you have to keep an eye on the weather, as you’ll need to cover up any patio furniture when one of Calgary’s summer storms rolls around.

Enter The Patio Cover

Fortunately, there is a way to protect you and your patio from the worst parts of a Calgary summer: a patio cover. A patio cover is exactly what it sounds like: a permanent structure that provides shade and cover to your patio. It can be a freestanding structure or attached to your home, depending on the size of patio cover that you want/need. It keeps your patio clear from debris and provides protection from the sun and rain, allowing you to use your patio all season long. 

Choose Your Coverage Options

Not all patio covers are created equally, and you’ll want to find the balance between a durable patio cover that does the job well and one that fits with the aesthetic of your backyard. Here are some options to help you choose a patio cover in Calgary:

• Full cover – a full patio cover is one made from vinyl or aluminum, and provides complete protection against all the elements. You can add some design elements with the ends and the material, and you’ll always be sure of a strong, sturdy cover. A full cover patio is usually attached to your home because it’s significantly heavier than the lattice or hybrid options, and you can be limited in the overall size because of the cost of the materials. However, with a full cover patio, you know that you’ll be getting complete protection from the elements, and there are plenty of ways to make the modern design match the overall outdoor aesthetic of your home. 
• Lattice cover – a lattice cover provides less protection against the sun than a full cover. However, it gives more of a dappled shade effect and feels more like a pergola if that’s the style you’re looking for. Typically, a lattice patio cover is made from vinyl as it’s easy to cut the lattice pattern in that fabric. You can build a lattice out of wooden beams which will give you more of a pergola feel to your patio cover, and in this case, you may want to consider a free standing patio cover design. A free standing lattice design gives you much more flexibility with the shape and space of your patio cover, but it will increase the cost and complexity of your project.
• Hybrid – for the perfect combination, talk to your patio cover contractor about a hybrid design, where part of the patio cover is solid and part of it is lattice. This option tends to cost more because you’re often joining together two different patio cover pieces. but is the perfect marriage of durability and design. A hybrid patio cover design is a perfect way to maximize the space on your patio. For example, you could have a solid cover closer to the home to protect your grill and a dining area, and a lattice fringe around the edges to provide a dappled shade for your informal seating and lounging section. 

Durable Patio Cover Options

When it comes to durability, you have a few different options to make your patio cover last for a long time. The most durable patio cover material is vinyl which will withstand the worst of each of Calgary’s seasons and comes with the added benefit that you won’t need to worry about ongoing maintenance or repair. Vinyl patio covers also have the benefit of being able to be painted in just about any colour that you need to be able to match your home, and they can be easily tailored to fit any size of patio cover design. 

Aluminium patio covers are also up there in terms of their durability. As they sit above most people, it is very rare that they get scratched and need very little maintenance. Since our Desert Sun Patio covers come with baked-on paint, adding another layer is not recommended, as chips are more likely to occur.

Finally, if one buys a patio cover made from wood, there is a high likelihood of needing regular maintenance, which is why we at Desert Sun Patios do not sell this type. Even with the right stain, a wood patio cover will need regular maintenance, and you will be limited on your colour choices depending on the type of stain that you need. A wooden patio cover is also more blocky, meaning that you won’t get the same type of flexibility of design as you would with the other patio cover materials.

Looking After Your Patio Cover

It’s clear to see why patio covers made from wood aren’t very common, and why Desert Sun Patios always recommends aluminium patio covers, and only stocks these types. While this patio cover materials are incredibly durable and won’t require touch up maintenance, you’ll still need to look after them given all that each Calgary season puts them through. Here are some simple ways to keep your patio cover look its finest all year long:

• Invest in a snow brush – winter in Calgary seems to be never ending, and there are some years where it feels like your whole house has always been covered in snow and ice. While your patio cover is designed for strength and durability, you also know how quickly snow and ice can become incredibly heavy, so having a long handled snow brush will be an essential purchase. After each snowstorm, you’ll want to pull the worst of the snow and ice from your patio cover, and you’ll probably want to repeat the process if there’s a sudden warm up as the snow from the main roof of your home will come down on your patio cover. You don’t have to worry about getting all of the winter weather off, but make sure you get enough off to take the strain off your patio cover. 
• Clear the debris – When fall is in full swing, you’ll see the effects of Calgary’s eternal wind on the top of your patio cover. Whether it’s small branches from nearby trees, or leaves and pine needles that get blown on top of your patio cover, you’ll want to take care of any debris that starts to build up on top of your new patio cover. Left alone, it can start to block water from draining effectively, and invites mould and moss, both of which are a pain to get rid of once they’ve established themselves. You can use the same long handled brush that you use in winter, or you can make the most of the warmer weather and get up on a ladder so you can see what you’re dealing with. 
• Wash it down – when it comes to looking after your patio cover, the biggest way to keep it looking at its best is to periodically wash it down, making sure to get in all the grooves and dips. Keeping it clear of all the debris will make this job a lot easier, and it will keep any mold and mildew at bay if you keep to a regular schedule. It may be time to invest in a power washer as this will be the easiest and quickest way to keep your patio cover clean, but you can also get reasonable results with the jet setting on a regular garden hose. In either case, choose a warm sunny day so the water either runs off or evaporates quickly, and plan on spending enough time on it so that your patio cover lasts for years to come. 

Blending Spaces With A Patio Cover

A patio cover, as the name suggests, is a cover that extends out over your patio to keep the sun and wind away during the hottest parts of the day. They also provide protection against those pesky summer storms, leaving you and your patio furniture clean and dry, ready for the next party. A hidden benefit of any kind of patio cover is that they provide a unique transition, both visually and emotionally, from your house to your garden. Stepping out from your dark cool house to the bright sunshine of summer can be jarring at times. A patio cover offers shade and protection like a roof while allowing the breeze and warmth of the season to help you move from one space to the other. It also gives you more options for how to use your patio, from an outside living room to a unique grilling area for your summer parties. 

Different Types Of Patio Cover

As with all good home improvement projects, there are several different design options when it comes to patio covers. Of course, you’ll need to factor in pieces like your overall budget for the project, the size and and area of the patio that you’re trying to cover, and the overall aesthetic that you’re looking to achieve. When it comes to patio covers, there are three main types of patio cover to choose from:

• Full coverage: The first is a full coverage option. This will feel like a solid roof over your head, and you’ll often find they’re made from durable materials like vinyl or aluminium to provide year round protection. These typically attach to your home and create a blend between your home and your garden. Full coverage patio covers are the best option if your patio gets lots of direct sunlight during the summer month, or if you find yourself constantly sweeping off dirt and debris from the infamous Calgary winds. A full coverage patio cover is also a great option if you’re planning on installing an overhead light fixture or ceiling fan as they have a greater overall strength. 
• Lattice: The second type is a lattice, which will feel like a pergola overhead. This option provides less shade, but provides the opportunity for growing climbing plants like roses or jasmine to add a more natural feel to your patio. These have the option to be free standing in that the actual lattice roof won’t need to be attached to your home. You also get a wider variety of materials compared to a full coverage patio cover, including solid lumber which you can paint or stain in whatever colour you want to match your outdoor design palette. You can also install lights on the posts of a lattice pergola, but you’ll find it harder to hang a ceiling fan as the roof is weaker than a full coverage. 
• Hybrid: The final option is a hybrid patio cover, where you combine elements of the solid and lattice roof to create different spaces on your patio. These patio covers offer you the perfect opportunity to get the best of both worlds. You can completely customize the areas of your patio that are fully covered, and there are many ways that you can match a hybrid patio cover to how you want to use your patio during the summer. 

Customize With A Hybrid Patio Cover

A hybrid patio gives you so many more options as you can completely customize the design to fit your patio dreams. For example,  if your Calgary summer revolves around being the host with the most when it comes to parties and grilling, you can create a hybrid patio cover design to shelter your grill while providing a cool seating area for your guests under the lattice. In this case, you’ll want to plan a solid roof over your cooking and grilling area to protect you from the direct sunlight as you’ll be hot enough already, while putting a lattice cover over the eating area so that your guests get a soothing and dappled outdoor eating experience. 

A hybrid patio cover can also help you create that blended visual transition from your inside space to your outdoor areas. Start with a solid cover attached to your home to provide shade and cover where you’re likely to put your furniture, and then move to a lattice finish overhanging the edge of your patio. Not only will this draw your visitors’ eyes towards the garden, but the graded shade across your patio will give a beautiful visual transition. 

One final design choice that you’ll need to make is about how the roof of your hybrid patio cover will be supported. If your patio cover is going to be short, you can attach it to your home and let the roof float over your patio like a sail. If it’s going to be longer, then you’ll want to think about supporting posts at the edge of your patio. You’ll want to make sure that you have enough posts to support the weight of your roof without obstructing your view out over your garden or getting in the way of people moving around your patio.  

Our team of hybrid patio cover experts are ready to talk with you about your project. Installation times can measured in days and weeks, so call us today to get your summer started.

Coverage Options For The Summer

When it comes to staying cool outside on your deck or patio, it makes sense to have some sort of overhead protection. However, you also want a structure that is open on the sides to allow a breeze through. Ideally, what you want is one structure that combines both of these, and what’s being described here is a pergola or a patio cover. 

What is a Pergola?

A pergola is a free standing structure (although it can attach to your home) which is made up of post and beams. The “roof” is a lattice structure which provides a dappled shade, and many people try to grow climbing plants or vines to provide natural shade (think of pictures of outdoor eating in an Italian trattoria). They tend to be more aesthetic than practical in nature, but they do provide cover for your outside space and define a seating or entertaining area. 

What is a Patio Cover?

On the other hand, a patio cover is exactly what it sounds like – a cover that sits over the top of your patio or deck. In most cases, a patio cover will attach to the external wall of your home and extend out over your outdoor area. If it’s a short space, the structure will support itself, while for larger covers, you’ll need support posts at the outside edge to balance the weight. The roof is usually made of a solid material like vinyl or aluminium and provides a cooling shade over your entire area. They tend to be more expensive, but they’re also easier to customize if your patio area is unusually shaped. 

Getting The Best Of Both Worlds With A Hybrid Pergola With A Cover 

As with most home improvement projects, when you’re faced with a choice between two different designs, a hybrid model of the two is often the best option. The same is true for a hybrid pergola and you get these perks from a mix of the two patio cover options. You get to customize the amount of sunlight and shade that comes onto your deck or patio, and you can work with your pergola contractor to create a hybrid pergola model that will fit the size and shape of your outdoor space. 

Hybrid Pergola Design Ideas

If the idea of a hybrid pergola sounds interesting, but you’re not sure how to get the full benefit for your outdoor lifestyle, it’s helpful to start with your end goal and work backwards from there. Here are some common uses for your deck or patio, and how a hybrid pergola with a cover could elevate your design:

• Outdoor entertaining – the main way that Calgary residents like to use their flat outdoor spaces is to host friends and family for some chillout time during the day and into the evening. While the main goal here is to provide some shade so that no one overheats, you also want an opening in your pergola cover to allow for air circulation. Consider opening up the centre of your pergola and putting either a firepit or a coffee table underneath to create a central focus for your get-togethers while leaving the outer edges of your pergola under full shade. 
• Grilling and eating  – another common option for your deck or patio during the summer is to convert it into an outdoor dining area next to the grill. It’s likely that you’ll want to eat under the shade and grill out in the open so the smoke and steam generated by the cooking can escape. A hybrid pergola cover model means that you can do both options in the same space instead of banishing the chef to the kitchen or a different area of the garden. In this case, you’ll want to mark off where the dining table and grill will be to know where you want your pergola cover to start and stop. 
• Supervising the chaos – if you have young children, either in your family or ones who come to visit, you’ll know the importance of having a home base on the patio to supervise the chaos from. In this case, the hybrid pergola cover comes into its own, with a solid cover next to the house to provide much needed shade and cool for the parents, then transitioning to the classic pergola lattice at the edges where the patio meets the garden where kids can leave their toys and food in between spells of playing. 

Hybrid Pergola Cover Options

While it’s most common to have the covered part of your hybrid pergola be made from traditional patio cover materials like vinyl or aluminum, there are other options to give you even more flexibility in your design. For example, you can use fabric or cloth as your coverage which will let some sunlight through while keeping the strongest UV rays away. Another option is to pick mesh material that will provide more of that dappled sunlight all the way across your hybrid pergola. In both of these cases, it’s worth noting that they won’t be as waterproof or windproof as the solid materials. Finally, if you have a green thumb and plenty of time, you can grow climbing plants like clematis, jasmine or wisteria up the posts of your pergola and train them across the roof to complete the Italian trattoria vibe and provide a unique source of shade for your Calgary summer fun.  

What Is A Hybrid Patio Cover?

When it comes to patio cover, it can feel like you have two main options. The first is the more traditional solid patio cover, made from either aluminium or acrylic. This gives you full protection from the sun, wind and occasional rainstorm, but can be heavy and not particularly beautiful. The other is a pergola design where you get the beauty of a lattice above your head and a strong post and beam structure to support it, but you’ll still have gaps for the sun to break through. A better option all round is to talk with Desert Sun Patios about our hybrid patio covers. These are custom made designs that provide sections of latticed cover and solid cover to create unique spaces on your patio.

Hybrid Patio Cover Designs

Given the custom nature of hybrid patio covers, you can create just about any sort of design you like. However, some popular hybrid patio cover designs you should know about include:

• Central lattice – to give your outdoor space the feel of a European courtyard, consider a patio cover design where you have sections of solid cover on the outside of your patio with a lattice section directly over the middle. This works perfectly for a seating arrangement with a central feature like a fountain or a fire pit, as the sunlight will put a spotlight on it throughout the day. 
• Central cover – the inverse of the central lattice design, you can create a unique dining area by putting a solid patio cover over the centre of your outdoor space. This will provide shade and protection for your food, and the latticed edges of your patio will create beautiful shadows and breezes to keep you and your guests cool all summer long. 
• Divided spaces – a final popular hybrid patio cover design is to split your patio into two distinct areas, and mark these by having different patio coverings over each one. A common way to divide your outdoor space is to have a solid cover attached to the house to provide a sense of transition and protection to the doors and windows, and have a latticed portion further away to encourage people to sit further out towards the garden.

Decorating With A Hybrid Patio Cover

When you’re choosing your customised design for your hybrid patio cover, you need to think about how you will decorate and furnish your new space to make it feel like an extension of your home. Some of these ideas require wiring and additional construction, so it’s important to plan ahead. Here are some decorating ideas for each of the hybrid cover designs:

• Central lattice – with a lattice over the middle part of your deck, you’re using the dappled shadows to draw everyone’s eyes to the middle of your space. A fire pit goes well here, which can be freestanding, but you can also add a layer of luxury by cutting out the central section and installing an “in ground” hot tub. The beauty of this design (apart from the ability to come home and soak away the day’s troubles!) is that the majority of the hot tub will be below the deck so it won’t spoil any view out into the garden. You should also think about wall lighting under the covered sections near the walls of your home to create a romantic vibe in the summer evenings.
• Central cover – when you cover the central part of your patio, you’re inviting people to gather underneath it during the hottest parts of the day. To help cool people down, you should use the covered patio cover to hold a ceiling fan to help move the air around on your deck. The feeling of a cool breeze during the middle of the Calgary summer is one that your guests will come back to time and time again. You can also use this central cover as a way of holding an ornate light fixture which will make the centre of your deck the focus of everyone’s attention. Consider a hanging chandelier or a candle holder to create a luxury vibe on your patio. 
• Divided spaces – when you choose a customised hybrid patio cover design where part of your space is covered and the other part is latticed, you’re automatically creating two different spaces outside. Consider adding wall outlets under the covered part so that you can add end tables with lamps (and even an outdoor fridge!) for those who want to sit in shade and watch the fun in the garden. Out under the lattice, consider lining the edge of your deck or patio with potted plants, and choosing climbing flowers if your patio cover has supporting beams. 

In any hybrid patio cover design, you’ll want to think carefully about your seating options. A patio cover will often have a more modern look due to the construction, so the traditional wicker or wooden finish might be out of place. Instead, consider a two or three seater sofa and armchair combination that will combine your inside and outdoor lifestyles. Your guests will appreciate the comfort no matter what kind of hybrid patio cover design they have over their heads.

1. Throw some shade – the best way to make your deck truly special is to install a pergola. Whether it’s a free standing structure over the top of your dining area, or an attached pergola that connects to your home, you’ll get some much welcome shade as well as a frame to use as a base for your deck design. 
2. Get growing – pergolas also give you some vertical elements to play with, and these can be great to grow climbing plants and flowers. There’s nothing like feeling like the garden is blending with your home, and you can create some stunning visuals with the right climbing flowers growing over your pergola. 
3. Upgrade to railings – another way to bring a feeling of luxury to your deck is to install railings or upgrade your current design. Railings frame your space as well as providing an extra layer of safety for taller decks or families with younger children. 
4. Build in storage – garden storage is always tricky, especially for those dinnerware items that you don’t want to keep in the kitchen. As you design your custom deck, build in shelves for decorative items and cupboards for those items you want instant easy access to. 
5. Become a grill master – many Calgary homeowners use their deck as an outdoor cooking space, so if you want to become a grill master, consider a built in barbecue. This will save space and make it feel like you have a fancy outdoor kitchen. 
6. Find the wow factor – any deck can become extraordinary with the right wow factor design. This might be a water feature, an unusual seating option or an enormous fire pit for your friends and family to gather around. 
7. Change up the seating – having a variety of seating options is essential for any deck. You want seating for a large gathering to relax together as well as a cosy corner for a romantic night under the stars. 
8. Connect your house to your yard – your deck creates a bridge from your house to your yard, so bring design elements of both to your deck construction. 
9. Create contrast – you can create beautiful visual effects by simply changing the angle of the running boards, and choosing a lighter or darker stains for the edging. 
10. Light it up – finally, you can make use of your pergola to provide some low level lighting options, such as hanging lanterns or fairy lights to make your deck feel truly magical.

Whatever your deck dreams are, our experts here at Desert Sun Patios are ready to help you bring your truly custom deck to life.