Covered Decks & Pergolas in Salt Lake City, UT

Covered decks and pergolas turn a deck that is too hot to use on a July afternoon into one you can sit on all day. Salt Lake City averages about 56 days a year at 90 degrees or more, and the sun is stronger at this elevation than at sea level. A roof or pergola blocks much of that sun, cools the deck surface and protects furniture. In winter, though, any cover here has to carry snow, so it is a structural project, not just a shade project.

Pergolas

A pergola is an open frame of posts, beams and rafters, sometimes with a shade cloth, slats or climbing plants. It filters sun rather than blocking it, and snow falls through the open top instead of piling on. Pergolas can be freestanding or attached to the house, and built in cedar, treated lumber, vinyl or aluminum. Wood pergolas need the same stain schedule as a wood deck.

Louvered pergolas

Louvered systems have aluminum slats that rotate open or closed, by hand or with a motor. Closed, they shed rain; open, they let light and air through. Manufacturers rate these systems for specific snow loads, and in heavy snow the louvers are typically left open, depending on the product. We check the rating against the snow load at your address.

Solid-roof covered decks

A solid roof gives full shade and keeps rain and snow off the deck. It is usually framed like a small addition, often tied into the house roof, with shingles or metal to match. Salt Lake City's design criteria set a minimum ground snow load of 28 pounds per square foot at or below 4,239 feet, with higher values from the Utah Snow Load Study above that, which includes much of the East Bench and the foothills. The roof framing, posts, beams and the deck under them are all sized for that load. A covered deck generally needs a building permit in Salt Lake City.

Snow, drifts and the house roof

A lower roof attached to a taller house roof can collect drifting snow and snow that slides off above. That is accounted for in the design. Roof drainage matters too, so we plan gutters and downspouts that do not dump water onto stairs or walkways, where it will freeze.

Attaching to the house

An attached cover depends on solid connections to the house framing, and the posts that carry it need footings below the 30-inch frost depth, often larger than standard deck footings because they carry more weight. On older homes and those in local historic districts, the look of a new roof matters as well; the city generally requires a Certificate of Appropriateness for exterior changes to locally designated properties, and we check with the Planning Counter first.

Choosing between them

If you want filtered light, a lighter look and lower cost, a pergola is usually the answer. If you want to sit outside in a summer storm or keep snow off the deck, a solid roof makes more sense. Louvered systems fall in between in both function and price.