Pergola & Patio Cover Builder in Houston, TX

What we build

Wood pergolas: cedar and treated lumber, open-slat roof, stained or painted. The classic look, and the most flexible on custom sizing and detail.

Solid-roof patio covers: full shade and rain protection, attached to the house or freestanding. The right call when you want the space usable in a downpour, not just in sun.

Lattice and slatted covers: partial shade with airflow, at a lower cost than a solid roof.

Attached and freestanding: attached ties into the house structure and reads as an extension of it. Freestanding stands on its own and is often simpler where the roofline or the wall makes attaching awkward.

Carports and lean-to structures: same construction, different purpose.

We also add shade screens to existing pergolas - see below.

What pergolas and patio covers cost in Houston

In the Houston market, custom wood pergolas commonly run somewhere in the $4,500 to $9,000 range depending on size and finish. A basic 10x10 starts near the bottom of that; larger sizes with heavier framing, custom detail, and a stained finish run toward the top.

Solid-roof patio covers generally run about $20 to $50 per square foot installed, so a 12x20 lands roughly in the $5,000 to $12,000 range depending on roof style and materials, with insulated roofs and premium finishes running higher.

Lattice and open covers sit at the lower end.

What moves your number: size and span - a wider span needs heavier beams and sometimes more posts, which raises cost per square foot, not just total; roof style, since a simple single-slope shed roof costs less than a gable or anything with valleys; footings, which are a real line item in Houston; whether there's an existing slab or we're pouring one; and finish work like staining, cap detail, and fans.

These are ranges, not quotes. We price after seeing the space.

Permits and footings in Houston

Two things catch people off guard on this project.

Permits: the City of Houston requires a building permit for patio covers - attached or freestanding. Ground-level uncovered patios don't need one, but the moment you put a roof or a pergola over it, it's permitted work. Outside city limits, unincorporated Harris County goes through Harris County Engineering, and smaller cities like Bellaire, West University Place, and Jersey Village run their own departments. HOA architectural approval is a separate requirement from any city permit and in a lot of Houston neighborhoods it's the thing that actually delays the start.

Footings: Houston's expansive clay moves seasonally, swelling when wet and shrinking when dry. Posts set in shallow footings move with it, and a pergola that's out of plumb after two seasons is a footing problem, not a framing problem. Footings here have to be sized and set deeper than they would be on stable soil. It's a cost most people don't account for and the one that determines whether the structure stays square.

Adding shade to a pergola

A standard open-slat pergola gives partial shade at midday and very little in the afternoon, which in Houston is exactly when you need it. If you already have a pergola and it isn't doing the job, there are options short of rebuilding.

Shade screens and sail cloth mounted to the existing frame, fixed or retractable. Solid or polycarbonate panels over some or all of the slats. Tighter slat spacing, or slats angled to block afternoon sun from the west while keeping airflow. Side screens for low western sun, which is the light that makes a patio unusable at 6pm in July.

If you're building new and shade is the point, we'll orient and spec it for that from the start rather than adding to it later.

Timing your project

Everyone starts thinking about shade when the heat arrives, which means every builder in Houston is backed up from spring through summer. Building in fall or winter means faster scheduling and the structure is finished before you need it. If you're planning for next summer, starting the conversation in the fall is the difference between using it in May and using it in August.