What is the difference between a freestanding and an attached patio cover?

The difference is how each one carries its weight. An attached cover uses the house as one side of its support, typically with a ledger fastened to the wall, so it ties into the framing and the roofline. A freestanding cover carries everything itself, with posts and footings on every side and bracing so it stands on its own. That adds some posts and footings to the design, but nothing connects to the structure of your home.

Freestanding covers also give you more placement options. Set close beside the house, one shades the patio and the back door much as an attached cover would. It can also go out in the yard, by a pool or over an outdoor kitchen, where an attached cover cannot reach. Wind matters here, especially in areas such as Corona, Chino Hills, Yorba Linda and Anaheim Hills, so we size the members for the span, brace every side and use metal connectors to resist uplift.

Size still matters for permits. Most cities exempt a freestanding cover under a set size, but the limit, height cap and other conditions differ from city to city, so we check the rules for your address before the design is final. A cover over that limit needs a permit, just as an attached one does. We keep our projects within the scope that does not require a building permit, and we tell you at the first visit if what you have in mind would need one.