Patio Cover Ideas: Fabric Canopies, Pergola Covers and Awnings

200 sq ft

Above this, an attached open-sided patio cover needs a Portland building permit

500 sq ft

Limit for a free-standing fabric-membrane structure on a rigid frame without a building permit

6

Ways to cover a patio with fabric, compared below

Fabric covers suit Portland for the same reason awnings do: shade in July, cover in a drizzle, and a lighter look than a solid roof. They also go up faster, and many of them can be put away when you want the sky back. Here are the six we build most, and how to pick between them.

Six patio cover ideas

1. A retractable awning

Shade over a deck or patio at the push of a button, and open sky when you retract it. Best for sun more than storms. Our retractable awning guide covers motors, wind sensors and lifespan.

2. A fabric canopy on posts or a welded frame

A canopy is a stationary fabric roof held up by posts or a welded framework, so it can stand away from the house over a patio, deck, BBQ area, walkway or dock. It stays up year-round. We build the frame to fit and sew the cover in our shop.

3. A retractable cover over a pergola

A pergola gives you structure and dappled shade, but not much protection from midday sun or rain. The SummerSpace FlexShade Tension Zip screen is designed to mount horizontally or at an angle, so it can shade a pergola (or a skylight) from above and roll away when you don’t need it. Add motorized screens to close the sides.

4. A shade sail

Tensioned fabric between anchor points: the lightest look of all, and a good fit for open patios, decks and even a takeout window. We wrote a whole guide to shade sails in Portland, including how to pitch one so rain runs off.

5. A free-standing cabana

The SummerSpace Open Air Cabana stands on its own aluminum legs, with a fabric-covered roof, a ventilating cupola, and corner curtains and privacy panels. It suits pools, terraces and hospitality patios. SummerSpace says its cabanas can keep temperatures as much as 20 degrees lower underneath.

6. A fixed awning off the wall

For a narrow patio right against the house, a fixed fabric or aluminum awning attached to the wall can be all the cover you need. See window and door awnings for frames and shapes.

Side by side

Awning vs. pergola

People often weigh these two. A pergola is an open framework of posts and beams; it shapes the space and gives partial shade, but on its own it doesn’t keep off rain or high sun. An awning attaches to the house and puts fabric overhead, fixed or retractable. If you already have a pergola, you don’t have to choose: a retractable cover on top gives it the shade it lacks. If you don’t, an awning or canopy is usually the quicker way to real cover.

Do you need a permit for a patio cover in Portland?

It depends on the size and what it’s attached to. According to Portland Permitting & Development:

• A porch or patio cover over 200 square feet that’s attached to the house needs a building permit; one not over 200 square feet and supported by an exterior wall generally doesn’t.
• A non-habitable accessory structure made of a rigid frame covered with a fabric membrane, no more than 500 square feet, one story and not closer than 3 feet to a property line, is listed as work that doesn’t need a building permit.
• Enclosing a patio cover, porch or carport needs a permit.
• Zoning rules apply even when a building permit isn’t required, and environmental zones and flood areas add their own.

We check what applies to your address before you order.

How to choose

1. Decide what you’re covering againstMostly sun? Retractables, sails and pergola covers. Rain too? A canopy or fixed awning.
2. Look at what’s thereA wall to mount to, an existing pergola, or open ground that needs posts.
3. Think about winterDo you want the cover up all year, or out of the way until spring?
4. Send photosWide shots of the space and rough dimensions are enough for a first suggestion. Use the estimate form or see patio covers and canopies.