Anyone who has lived in Calgary for a year or more knows that the weather in the city is one of its unique features. It holds the record for the most number of sunny days of any city in Canada, averaging over 300 days of sunshine each year. However, it’s also got a reputation for being the windiest big city in Canada too, with the nearby Rocky Mountains contributing to the frequent high speed gusts. Add in an average yearly snowfall of over 1.5 metres and you’re looking at a total mixed bag of weather that you have to deal with when you’re planning your patio makeover.
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.
