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?

A usual patio cover comes in two main formats. The most common type of patio cover is a solid roof design. This typically attaches to your home and stretches out across your patio giving you full shade as the spring days get longer and warmer. The roof can be made of a variety of materials from vinyl to cloth to suit your aesthetic and your budget. The other type of patio cover is a lattice design. Think of a pergola effect here. The goal of a lattice design patio cover is to allow light and air to circulate under your patio cover. A hybrid patio cover provides you with a mixture of both full cover and lattice design so you can get the best of both worlds.

Innovative Hybrid Designs

There are a wide variety of ways that you can combine solid and lattice patio cover designs to get the most out of your patio this spring. Here are some creative options to get you started:

• Pergola canopy combo – a wooden pergola is an iconic patio cover and works well with any type of siding or house design. It has a naturally latticed roof, so you can turn it into a hybrid patio cover with fabric canopy strips fastened between each beam. Make these fabric canopy panels retractable on a string so that you can control the amount of sunlight that comes onto your patio. 
• Solid panels with skylight strips – for a more permanent hybrid concept, work with your patio cover contractor to create a design that incorporates solid panels with latticed sections of skylights. You can put the lattice next to the house and put your grill underneath it to act as a natural chimney, or put the lattice at the edge of the patio to provide a visual transition out to the garden. 
• Translucent panels with side drapes – finally, you can choose translucent panels (etched glass or acrylic work well here) that will soften the spring Calgary sunlight. Add some fabric drapes or bamboo shades down the sides of your patio cover to create a sense of privacy and shelter as well as more control over the amount of shade you get on the patio. This gives you the flexibility to deal with the vagaries of Calgary’s spring time weather and gets you ready for a summer on your patio. 

What is an All Season Sunroom?

An all season (or four season) sunroom is a home addition that usually sits directly on top of your patio or deck just outside the back of your home. It’s a full room add-on with big glass windows to bring the outdoors up close, and the all season part comes from connecting the room to your existing heating and cooling systems so you can be in your sunroom even in the coldest winter months. While it gives you a whole extra room to your home, it’s a cheap alternative to a full extension as you don’t need to dig foundations and the walls are hollow to allow for insulation.

A Cosy Winter Sunroom

The most easy and obvious way to use your newly acquired space during the Calgary winter is to make it into a cosy living room. All you need is a sofa and a couple of comfy armchairs with enough blankets and cushions to snuggle under as the snow falls outside. You can add to the cosy vibes with a thick pile rug or carpet, as well as installing heavy drapes to keep the warmth in once the sun has set.

Alternative Winter Sunroom Uses

If you’re all set with your current winter living room set up, or you just want to explore some other options for how to use your new space, here’s some other ways to use a sunroom during winter in Calgary:

• Dining room – the winter months hold a wide variety of holiday celebrations, so it can make sense to turn your sunroom into a formal dining area where you can host your friends and family in comfort and style.
• Guest bedroom – continuing with the theme of being the host with the most, you can turn your sunroom into a relaxing guest bedroom. Whether you go all out with a full bed and wardrobe set up, or just pick a fold out bed that doubles as your main sofa so you can get the best of both worlds. 
• Home gym – finally, it can be hard to find the motivation to get out and exercise during the cold weather. Your new sunroom can be easily turned into a home gym with a treadmill (or walking pad), a weight bench and some weights. It can also be a home yoga studio with room for you and a friend to stretch while looking at the winter wonderland outside. Whatever you choose to use, a sunroom makes the winter months fly by.

Using Your Sunroom Year Round

When you work with experienced sunroom builders, you should be able to make it so that your sunroom can be used year round. You need to be talking about either a four season sunroom or an all season sunroom, depending on who you contract with, but in either case, you’re looking for a full room that will connect to your home’s existing heating and cooling system. A year round sunroom can sit directly on top of your existing deck or patio, meaning that you can build it quickly and enjoy your new space in every season.

Spring In Your Sunroom

Spring is a beautiful season in Calgary, in part because it means that winter is finally done, and in part because the change from snowscape to green and growth in your yard can be joyful. Your sunroom is the perfect place to sit with a hot cup of tea or coffee in the mornings, enjoying the quiet before your family gets up.

Summer In Your Sunroom

Make no doubt about it, your sunroom comes into its own when summer rolls around. You get all the best parts of summer in Calgary: the endless days of sunshine, the long days and the glorious warmth, without any of the bugs and wind that can make it hard to stay outside during the summer months. Many Calgary sunroom owners put up a dining table in their new space so you can enjoy the feeling of a picnic lunch or dinner without getting eaten or blown away.

Fall In Your Sunroom

As the days get cooler and shorter, your sunroom still remains the place to be. You’ll find yourself ending the day in front of the big glass windows, watching the sun set over your garden and relaxing after a good day out preparing your yard for winter. To get the best out of fall, you want to invest in some cosy blankets and consider turning the furniture to face the window so you get an up close vision of the changing leaves.

Winter In Your Sunroom

The first time that you sit in your sunroom in the middle of a big Calgary snowstorm, you’ll wonder why you hated winter all these years. There’s something awe inspiring about watching the snow tumble and fall all around you while you remain warm and cosy. Your sunroom quickly becomes an inner sanctuary during the long months of winter hibernation, and whether you set it up as a family room or a quiet “no kids” space, your winter sunroom gives everyone the breathing room they need to get back round to spring.

What Is A Carport?

You’ll probably have seen a carport as you’ve driven around Calgary even if you didn’t know that’s what it was called. A carport is a simple post and beam structure that sits over the top of your vehicle/s. It always has a solid roof, and typically is open on the sides which keeps the weight down, and means that you can install the whole thing directly on top of your driveway in next to no time. You can choose from a free standing carport which can sit anywhere on your property to give full winter coverage to your vehicles, or a carport which attaches to your home so that you are also covered as you leave the house to get to your car.

How A Carport Helps With Winter Prep

The most obvious way that a carport helps with your winter preparation is that it shields your car from the worst of the winter storms. If you chose a freestanding carport, the solid roof will create a barrier so the snow and ice slides off around your car, saving you time and energy of scraping ice and shovelling around your tires. If you chose an attached carport, you’ll find that the shape of the carport and the proximity to your home helps keep your vehicle a little warmer making it easier to start up on those frigid mornings. You can add to the effectiveness of your carport with simple plastic sheeting hung between the posts which will provide further protection from the wind and allow you to use the carport for storage. 

More Than Just Protection

Even if a carport just kept the snow and ice off your vehicle, it would be a sound investment for your property. However, a carport offers more than just protection for your car. The solid roof provides a measure of coverage for the surrounding driveway, meaning that there’s considerably less real estate to shovel or snow blow. You’ll also find that your carport becomes a useful place to store your outdoor snow clearing equipment, meaning that your shovel and ice breaker are always at hand, as well as providing quick access to a snow blower. With all these benefits, it’s time to invest in your winter prep with a carport so that you can enjoy the best that a Calgary winter has to offer.

The Two Types of Carport

If you’ve never considered a carport before, you’ve not been thinking seriously about how to protect you and your vehicle from the snow and ice. Carports come in two main categories. The first carport type attaches to your home and will often sit next to an external door so you stay covered all the time after leaving your house. Think about it as an open sided garage where you don’t need to worry about digging foundations or expensive garage doors. The other option is a free standing carport, and this can be constructed anywhere on your property. This works better if you have to park your car out front or if your external door isn’t next to where you park the car.

How A Carport Protects You In Winter

A carport has a solid roof, and is typically made from a simple post and beam structure meaning that your carport will be able to withstand a whole winter’s worth of snow and ice, leaving your car clean and dry. A carport can also help break up the wind flow around your house which means that your vehicle is much less likely to freeze up, and should start up quicker each morning. Finally, you can install simple plastic sheets or screens to the sides of your carport to give your vehicle some extra protection from the snow as well as giving you a place to store your outside winter tools like shovels and salt for your walkways.

How A Carport Saves You Time In Winter

It’s clear to see that a carport is a quick and easy way to protect your vehicle during the winter months, but it can also save you time by drastically reducing the amount of shovelling that you have to do. It’s no secret that having to shovel the snow and ice off your car, and from the area immediately around it, is one of the worst winter chores that you face as a Calgary resident. A carport keeps this area clear of snow and saves you from having to work out how to help your car get over the rest of the icy driveway as you’ll already have built some momentum. A well designed carport can also provide further protection for your driveway so there’s less shovelling to do to keep you and your family on the road all season long.

Stay Snow Free With A Patio Cover

Your patio or deck is the last place you’ll spend time keeping clear of snow. While this isn’t a problem in the middle of winter, the accumulation of snow and ice can make it the last place to defrost in the spring. Your deck can also suffer from ice and snow slipping into the cracks between the boards and then contracting and expanding, so it makes sense to invest in a patio cover to keep the snow and ice off your patio.

How A Patio Cover Helps With Snow Clearing

A patio cover is a solid structure that either attaches to the outside of your home or sits free standing on your deck or patio and gives you coverage right up to the edge of your lawn. It’s clear to see, therefore, that it will give your outside area protection both from snowfall and from snow and ice that slips off your roof. The winter debris will fall onto your backyard where you can choose to shovel it away or just let it pile up to melt away in the spring time. You will need a long handled brush in the case of seriously heavy snow to keep your patio cover relatively clear.

Upgrade Your Patio Cover For Better Coverage

It’s also relatively easy to see the limitations of a patio cover as it pertains to protection from the worst of the winter weather. All Calgary residents know that snow rarely just floats down like in the movies, and the lack of sideways protection will see some snow drifts on your patio. For full protection, you’ll want to consider upgrading your patio cover to a screen room or a sunroom which have mesh or walls to help keep the snow on the outside of your patio.

More Snow Clearing Methods

If this scale of upgrade feels unrealistic right now, here are some more time saving methods to clear snow this winter:

• Buy a bigger shovel – if manual labour is your gig, then all you need is a shovel with a bigger scoop so you’re moving more snow with each lift. 
• Invest in machinery – having a snowblower is a great idea if you have a larger property or just hate the idea of shovelling after every storm. They even come in electric models if you don’t want to burn gasoline to clear snow!
• Hire a professional – fortunately, there are plenty of businesses across Calgary who will gladly come and do the hard snow moving work for you (for a fee, of course!), leaving you with time to enjoy how the snow transforms your property. 

A Winter Under A Patio Cover

The idea behind a Desert Sun Patio cover brings up the idea of shade from the sun, but the same blocking features are going to keep you and your outdoor lifestyle going all winter long. An unprotected patio next to your home becomes effectively unusable when the first big snow storm arrives, with all the furniture covered and the floor becomes a slippery mess of ice and snow. A sturdy patio cover will keep the worst of the winter weather off your patio, allowing you to keep warm and dry all through the season.

Adding Warmth To Winter

With a patio cover over your head, you’ll find yourself wanting to spend more time outside on your deck or patio even as the temperatures start to plummet. This is when you’ll need a little extra warmth for seasonal comfort.

Get Fuzzy

A simple way to keep warm under a high quality patio cover is to stock up on fuzzy blankets and throws. There’s nothing like snuggling up on a comfy outdoor couch under a blanket with a cup of something hot in your hands watching the winter sun slowly set across your backyard. You can keep these extra layers of warmth inside, or invest in an outdoor storage chest for easy reach, making sure of course that it’s waterproof for the inevitable blowing snow.

Just Add Fire

Another easy way to keep warm under your patio cover this winter is to install a fire pit or chimney. If you have ready access to burnable wood, then a wood burning fire pit is probably the way to go as you’ll get the lovely smell of wood smoke, as well as being more environmentally conscious. If you’re looking for ease of use and instant heat, then a propane fire pit is going to be a better bet. In either case, make sure your furniture is moved so the firepit is at the centre of your patio and you have a ready supply of hot drinks to enjoy all evening long.

Electric Heat

A final option for enhancing your backyard patio cover is to install electric heaters. The beauty of this option is that you have a lot of flexibility about where to place the heaters. On the lower end of the budget is a simple stand up heater that will give you heat in a small radius, while a mid range option will be a full stand up heater which will flood your patio with warmth. The high range are heaters that attach to the exterior of your home and will keep you and your family warm all winter long under your patio cover.

Fall Pergola Preparations

Your backyard pergola can feel like it’s designed for the heat and growth normally associated with spring and summer. Even as the days start to shorten in fall, you’ll still be able to use your pergola during the midday sun. However, the mornings and evenings can get chilly in Calgary, so here are some seasonal adjustments to keep the pergola party going until the snow starts to fly.

Get Cozy

Fall is the best time of year to spend outside on your pergola in the afternoons and evenings as you’ll get the residual warmth reflected from the wood or stone flooring, and you can add some simple soft furnishings to make things cosy. You’ll be amazed at how far a fleece lined blanket and a few throw pillows can go to get people to snuggle up, and you can add to this with a soft outdoor rug to create the ultimate indoor outdoor cosy set up. Add the finishing touch of a hot drinks bar complete with a kettle, packets of tea, hot cocoa and whipped cream and maybe some fall themed snacks (pumpkin spiced cookies, anyone?!) and you’re ready for a cosy evening under your pergola. 

Light It Up

One of the key features of fall in Calgary is the shortening days. While this does make for some fantastic sunsets across the city, it can also feel like it’s cutting into your play time outside. However, your pergola feels almost purpose built for string lights or even lanterns hanging from the overhead lattice. Whether you choose candlelight or electric power, make sure you strike the right balance between lighting that is soft enough to create that fall vibe and that is also bright enough so that you can see each other. 

Add Some Heat

One reason that Calgary residents don’t use their pergola after the end of summer is that the evenings can get pretty cold pretty quickly, especially when daylight savings rolls around. You can combat the chills and extend your pergola season with an additional heat source. A classic look is a self-contained fire pit or chiminea, and the lattice roof of the pergola allows the smoke to escape easily, leaving you with the residual heat. You can also go for an electric heater, which is a great option if you’re worried about fire and your wooden pergola, and if your pergola is next to your home.

Why Choose A Pergola?

You have a variety of options when you’re looking at upgrading your backyard experience and each has their own benefits and drawbacks. 

Other Outdoor Structures

If you’re looking for some simple shade, an awning that stretches out over your patio can work, but is susceptible to sun and environmental damage. A privacy screen keeps prying eyes away from your backyard, but they take up a lot of space and can detract from the overall aesthetics of your property. You might choose a gazebo, but these require a lot of foundation work and tend to be larger and come with a large budget. 

The Benefits of a Pergola

A pergola brings all these benefits of these outdoor structures without the drawbacks. You can install a pergola on top of your deck or patio to have an extra defined space outside your home, or have it as a freestanding structure as a stunning focal point for your garden. Pergolas offer a natural layer of privacy, and you can add to this with drapes or curtains to allow the breezes in. Pergolas can be custom made to whatever size and shape you desire and the simple construction means that they are budget friendly so you can start elevating your backyard sooner than you think.

Pergola Design Choices

As you’re thinking about how a pergola could revolutionize your backyard, here are some design choices to consider to help you create your dream outdoor oasis

Location, Location, Location

Just like with any property project, the location of your pergola will have the biggest impact on the rest of the design process, as well as the aesthetic appeal of your new outdoor structure. Putting it next to your home will create a visual transition from inside to outside and give you a unique eating or dining area. To turn it into a focal centre of your garden, construct it in the middle of your yard as a quiet space, or a command centre to supervise the chaos from. 

Construction Materials

You’ll also need to consider the construction materials that you use for your pergola. The classic look (think Italian trattoria!) is thick wooden posts and beams. This does require ongoing maintenance, but will look elegant no matter where you put it. For a more modern look, consider aluminum and vinyl. This gives you a variety of colours to play with, and works best next to your home to match and mingle with the manmade materials found on the outside of your home.