Frequently Asked Questions

Will I lose light in my home when attaching a patio cover?

This has historically been the most common question we get asked and the simple answer is yes. Often, we are adding a patio cover to the rear of the home with large living room windows and adding a patio cover will most definitely block some of the light. However, after almost 5000 projects, we have yet to have a homeowner complain about losing too much light following completion of the project. There will almost always be significant ambient/reflected light and especially if there is or will be a pool. If you are concerned about losing too much light, keep your selections lighter for the flooring (and potentially ceiling) to minimize lost light, though I would prioritize the right selection for the space over making a hyper focused decision based on lighting.

Is an Attached Patio Cover or Detached (Freestanding) Patio Cover better?

It all comes down to goals for the space. We have many homeowners that are told that it is less expensive to build a detached patio cover, but it has been our experience that this notion is simply not true. I am always going to prioritize attached over detached as I want a homeowner to be able to use the new space on a rainy Tuesday evening to grill some chicken on their new outdoor grill. If the structure is detached, that will not happen. I assume homeowners are told by contractors that are not comfortable attaching a new structure to their home but done correctly an attached is the way to go.

Detached patio covers are great around pools and when building restrictions don’t allow attaching. Often, a homeowner’s lot has setback requirements that would be encroached if adding an attached patio cover. Cities will typically have different requirements for detached vs attached patio covers and when we cannot build an attached patio cover, a detached or freestanding patio cover may be a viable option.

How much space do I need?

We spend considerable time talking about space planning when working with a homeowner on a new design. As a general ballpark, you need approximately 150-200 square feet per space (i.e. dining area, seating area, etc.) but there are often some economies of scale depending on layout. When extending a patio from the rear of the home, we recommend at least 14-15’ from the home to have a functional area after adding furniture. Sometimes a homeowner will have a smaller, eight foot (8’) deep covered patio but it’s not functional after adding furniture. If we add another ten feet of depth, we can combine new and old and have a very functional 18’ depth. A kitchen and dining area can often be combined as one space, but if also adding a new fireplace, we would consider that two new spaces and you will need approximately 300-400 sf. When adding a kitchen island, we recommend at least 4’ between kitchen and island. Each project is unique and the most important variable is what is the homeowner’s goal. I do always factor in when this potential homeowner is looking to sell their home, “what will prospective buyers think about the space” and I always try to encourage homeowners to consider maybe expanding the scope (slightly) for resale value.

What flooring options do you recommend?

For most of the North Texas area that we serve, most have expansive clay soils that can have PVR (potential vertical rise) of 4-8+ inches. For this reason, I recommend pavers to most of my homeowners because of its “forgiveness” with movement. When pavers are installed correctly, they are definitely an upgraded flooring option, but they are more tolerant of movement and can be re-leveled in the future if necessary. Pre-COVID, the cost of many materials including concrete was much lower and concrete (either stamped, stained, salt finish, etc.) was a cost-effective alternative to pavers. While pavers have also increased in cost, we have found that pavers have gone up in cost less than concrete, so the delta has lessened, making pavers more palatable. If the cost of salt finished concrete with decorative saw cuts is going to cost $14 per square foot, opting for pavers at $15-20 per square foot is reasonable (recommended). We tell every homeowner that there is nothing wrong with concrete and it will work well (likely for the life of the home). However, it will (100%) crack at some point and depending on weather conditions, it may start showing hairline (non-structural) cracking within months. If the hairline cracking we see in concrete is going to bother a homeowner, we always recommend pavers. To be more specific, we like porcelain (or tile look) pavers as there is an almost limitless supply of options to perfectly match a space.

What additional items would you recommend for a typical patio cover?

1) Yes, we live in Texas and it can be 100 degrees for a month straight in the summer, but outdoor heaters are a must! We currently install outdoor heaters on 60-70% of all patio covers we build as this is one item that allows the patio cover to become a year-round patio cover. We love outdoor fireplaces as well, but outdoor heaters will heat the space better a fireplace, for 50-70% less cost, and for a modern outdoor space, they look great. There are dimmable options and app controllable.

2) The second consideration would be motorized retractable screens (or fixed screens…maybe even a combination). Many parts of the Dallas / Fort Worth area have terrible mosquitos. Both of my children suffer from “Skeeter Syndrome” (not making it up) so I’m keenly in tune with protecting against mosquito bites. Having a screened in space that could potentially have a retractable screen on one or all sides of the patio area, creates all kinds of functional options. I go into more detail in the Outdoor Living U portion of the site, so look around there to learn more about screens.

What makes TCP different than other companies?

The outdoor living space has become more competitive following COVID and there are many companies claiming to do lots of outdoor living projects. Full disclosure, I’m about to be biased, but this has been our experience when seeing other outdoor builders or traditional pool companies prefer or recommend. Traditional pool companies’ biggest weakness is their ability to build a full scope outdoor structure. They may be able to build a million-dollar pool, but will completely fall short on the patio cover, pool suite, freestanding patio cover, etc. At TCP, our history has been in building structures and over the last decade expanded our scope to build pools. Now, we can build the million-dollar pool as well as the million-dollar structure. And, with the ability to build such complex and complicated projects, and the systems in place to ensure success, projects of any scope are welcome. If a homeowner wants to partner with one company for their pool, patio cover, pool house with golf simulator, TCP is the one company that can build full scope luxury.

Another difference is our focus on ensuring the new space looks original to the home and our ability to build any style. From traditional to modern, our portfolio highlights our ability to build anything and make it look like it was built with the home.

When deciding what contractor to partner with, what questions should I ask (or what should I be looking for)?

In all the years I have been working with homeowners, I have only had one homeowner ask me this question, so…definitely not a frequently asked question. However, I have wanted to post this response ever since. The first thing I would tell any homeowner would be to look at the breadth of the contractor’s portfolio. Do they have a long history of success? How large a company are they (bloated)? Do they specialize in what I am looking to build? Are they “salesmany” or are they an educator? Is the person I’m working with educated and can they show me a design that is buildable (AI is guilty of this too, but that’s a different discussion)? Are they going to show me a design that highlights their knowledge? Ask leading questions that require the project designer to show their knowledge…”Walk me through how you would attach the patio cover to my home?” Are they searching for their answers? If they don’t know an answer, are they honest about it (i.e. knowing what the city requires when we work in around hundred cities, and they all have similar but different requirements, is an almost impossible task so I’ll often tell a homeowner that I’ll have to double check a specific setback requirement, etc.).

How important are reviews/referrals?

Reviews are always important, but having all 5-star reviews doesn’t necessarily reflect what people might expect. At TCP, we work incredibly hard to be transparent, while educating homeowners of all the potential hurdles we could experience during the build. We have checks and balances for everything and our goal is to get a positive review (and hopefully referrals) for every project. And, as experienced as we are, there are always hurdles…something unexpected buried in the ground, something in the wall that shouldn’t be there, a substandard build that we are now trying to attach a new structure to that needs remediation, etc. With the almost unlimited list of possible unknown challenges when starting a construction project, having lots of good reviews and potentially even some less than positive, may simply reflect that the builder has been in the trenches and had some challenges (weather delays, material delays, or even mistakes). Yes, I wish all of our reviews were 5-stars, which would mean that every job went perfectly, but we are a team of humans so that isn’t reasonable. We will keep striving for perfection and hopefully achieve greatness along the way.

Some homeowners will ask if they can talk to some of our previous clients (they found an article online saying they should ask) and this really is misleading for homeowners. What is stopping the contractor from having you talk to their cousin, or even just someone who had a good experience and then compensating the homeowner for saying nice things about them. When interviewing a contractor, asking to speak to other clients isn’t helpful and is probably counterproductive.