Patio covers, Greater Seattle Area
How to Build a Covered Patio Attached to Your House
A covered patio attached to a house is built in six steps: design and permit, concrete footings, posts and a beam on the outer edge, roof framing tied into the house framing with flashing over the joint, roofing and a gutter, then finishes. In Seattle, plan on a building permit for any roofed cover tied into the house.
Below are the planning checks, the roofs that suit our rain, the permit rules and what our covered patios cost. To have us look at your wall and yard, Book a Consultation.
What is an attached patio cover?
An attached patio cover is a roof over a patio that uses the house as one of its supports. The roof framing ties into the house framing along one side, and posts on footings carry the outer edge. A stand-alone cover needs posts on every side.
Attaching saves a row of posts, but it makes the cover part of the building. The connection to the house, the flashing over it and the path the rain takes off the new roof all have to be planned with the house in mind.
A carport is built the same way. On a Gable Roof Carport Rebuild in Auburn, WA that we finished in 2024, a flat roof of translucent corrugated panels on thin posts was replaced by a gable roof tied into the house along its whole length. It stands on wood posts with steel connectors and has open trusses with skylights between them.
What should you decide before you build?
Start with what the patio is for. A table and a grill need a different footprint than a hot tub or a lounge set, and the footprint sets the posts, the beam and the price. Then look at the wall the cover will attach to:
- Height. The eave and the windows set where the new roof can start. It needs enough slope to shed water and still clear the windows and the door below it.
- Direction. A cover on a south or west wall shades the rooms behind it, so a solid roof can make the kitchen or living room darker.
- Water. A new roof collects rain that used to fall on the lawn. It needs a gutter and a downspout that carry the water away from the foundation.
- Access. In a tight side yard, materials move by hand, which adds labor.
Settle the size before any digging starts. Moving an edge after the base is compacted means digging again.
Which patio cover roof suits Seattle rain?
The choice comes down to how dry you want the space and how much light the rooms behind it need.
- Wood framing. An attached cover can be built from wood posts, beams and rafters or trusses, left open underneath or closed in with a ceiling. On the Auburn job, the open wood trusses stay visible under a shingled roof.
- Shingles or metal. A solid roof keeps the patio dry all year and can match the main roof, so the cover reads as part of the house. It is the heaviest option and shades the most.
- Clear or translucent panels. They let daylight through to the windows behind the cover. Under our evergreens they collect needles and dirt and need regular cleaning.
- A solid roof with skylights. This is the middle path. The Auburn roof is shingled, and skylights between the open trusses bring daylight down along the side of the house.
- An open pergola. It gives shade and a frame for lights or plants, but no rain cover.
How do you build a covered patio attached to a house, step by step?
- Design and permit. We measure the wall and the yard, draw the cover and its connection to the house, and file the permit where one is needed.
- Footings. Holes are dug at each post location and filled with concrete, so the posts carry the roof on their own footings and do not sit on the patio surface.
- Posts and beam. Posts go on steel connectors at the footings, and a beam runs across their tops.
- The tie in at the house. The roof framing is fastened to the house framing, never just to the siding. Flashing is set so water runs over the joint instead of into the wall.
- Roof and gutter. Sheathing and roofing, or panels, go on, then the gutter and the downspout that take the water away.
- Finishes. Stain or paint, a ceiling if you want one, and any lights, heaters or fans, which bring their own electrical work.
Step 4 carries the most risk. A leak at that joint runs into the wall, where it cannot be seen from the patio.
Do you need a permit for a covered patio attached to your house in Seattle?
Yes, plan on one. The 2021 Seattle Residential Code, Section R105.1, requires a building permit to build, enlarge or alter a structure unless the code exempts the work. The exemptions in R105.2 include "Arbors and other open-framed landscape structures not exceeding 120 square feet in projected area" and "Window awnings supported by an exterior wall when projecting not more than 54 inches." A roofed cover tied into the house is neither.
The city says the same in plain words. Its Do You Need a Permit? guide (Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections, checked October 2026) states: "You need a permit for any work on load-bearing supports, changes to the building envelope".
Bellevue, Redmond and the other cities we work in write their own rules, so we check the rules for your address before we price the work. For the general rules, read Do you need a permit to remodel in Seattle?
The patio slab under the cover usually needs no permit of its own. R105.2 of the same code exempts "patio and concrete slabs on grade" when the building envelope does not change. For the paving size rules, read 5 Benefits of Building a Patio in Your Backyard.
How much does a covered patio cost?
Covered patios we build across the Greater Seattle area start at $45,000+ with an open beam pergola, $70,000+ with a solid roof tied to the house, and $110,000+ at the luxury level. A typical covered patio is 200 to 500 square feet under cover.
For a real job: the Auburn roof we built along the side of the house in 2024 cost about $75,000.
Starting prices do not include drainage beyond the patio area, retaining walls, tree removal, a gas line for fire features or permit fees. We price those in writing if your project needs them.
| Level | Starting at | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $45,000+ | Patio surface, open beam pergola, footings and posts, stain or paint, permit and inspections managed |
| Mid-Range | $70,000+ | Everything in Basic, plus a solid roof tied to the house, gutters and downspouts, recessed lights and a fan, an outlet, a stained ceiling |
| Luxury | $110,000+ | Everything in Mid-Range, plus infrared heaters, a fireplace or fire table, a stone patio surface, layered lighting, full design drawings |
Source: the covered patio prices on our Patio Contractors page, October 2026. Starting prices are not a quote; every project is priced in writing after a site visit.
How do you make a covered patio private?
A roof keeps the rain off, but it does not block the view from the neighbors. A full height board fence on the lot line does. In Seattle, the height you may build depends on where the fence stands on the lot, so the plan starts with the lot lines and setbacks.
On a Cedar Fence Remodel in Seattle, WA in 2021, new cedar boards stepped along stone retaining walls close in a small paved patio on both sides. To pick the crew for that part of the yard, read How to Choose a Fence Contractor and Plan Your Fence: 5 Tips.
How do we build a covered patio with you?
We start by walking the yard with you, marking the footprint and looking at the wall, the slope and the wet spots. You choose the roof and the finishes and get a written price that lists the footings, framing, roofing and any electrical work. We check which permits the plan needs and file them. Then we build it and walk the finished patio with you before we leave.
For the service, patio prices by size and our finished outdoor work, see Patio Contractors Across the Greater Seattle Area. Our main office is in Bellevue, and we build across Seattle and the Eastside; for work in the city, see Home Remodeling Contractors in Seattle, WA.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to build a covered patio?
Our covered patios take 4 to 8 weeks on site after the permit is issued. Before that, the design and the permit review take time that your city sets by the scope of the work, so your written estimate gives the full schedule.
Can I plan a cover now and build it later?
Yes. Tell us before the patio is poured, and we plan the post footings with the patio, so a cover can be added later without cutting through the finished surface.
What warranty comes with a covered patio?
Our workmanship is covered for 2 years from substantial completion, and you can extend that up to 5 years for an added charge set in your contract. Materials carry the manufacturer's or supplier's warranty, and we help you file a claim.
Can I enclose a covered patio later?
Yes, but say so at the start. Walls, windows and a door turn the cover into a room, so the footings, framing and permit are planned for that. For what an enclosed room needs to be usable all year, read How to Convert a 3 Season Room to a 4 Season Room.
