I'd really love to extend my patio & covering. Here are some pics before I go into my ideas:








Here's a satellite image of what I'd like to add. The white is added concrete, and the red is added covering.


Ideas

1. If money was little to no object I'd love to extend the patio outwards with a huge open gable design in a similar vein to this.


I know this would start pushing way up into 20-30K range likely, so I'm not looking to spend that kind of money.

2. Add the concrete, then do some type of freestanding cover to extend the covering. A pergola or aluminum or something like this:


or this:


Problem here would be there would obviously be a gap between the additional cover and the current cover allowing rain to come down between the structures.


3. Last idea would be to do the concrete only, put some 4x6 posts in the ground and cover it with a shade sail for the summer months.




Looking for ideas or input from anyone who has done anything like this. Thanks in advance!

I got bids from a contractor for a 20X13 gabled patio with having to pour little concrete and it was $13k.

If you are looking at long term, do it right and make it as seamless as possible a transition with your home. Not a freestanding structure. You can do your solar shade idea in a different corner and even extend down an outdoor couch from a tree nearby if you'd like. Lights in the trees pointed up and you've got yourself a nice little entertaining area. Perhaps a fire pit could be in your future? It would be best to think about where a gas line would ever need to be run including plumbing and electrical before you start pouring concrete.

I don't think it would be too awful to just extend what you have 10-15 feet. Not even sure you would need an engineer for it. If you just extend out away from the house, you could discuss how you want the end to be, gabled or pitched. As for the center column, you might look into including it into some sort of outdoor kitchen design, or maybe a fireplace that gets used twice a year. As already stated, go the biggest and best you can afford. Nobody has ever said they wished they had a smaller patio.

Your open gable design isn't as expensive as you think it is, but the big hang up here isn't going to be the gable itself, but tying in the the roof seamlessly. Your roof above your patio is slanted backwards, if you put a gable out there (or anything really) its going to require tearing open the roof bringing that roof line flush with the gable.

Its not my money, but if you do it the way you want you'll only cry once when you cough up the cash. You do it cheap and you'll look at it every day thinking of how you cheaped out.

Source: Renovating kitchen with the help of my dad, who has convinced me to spend more money on higher end finishes than I ever saved by having him help.

I am considering just doing the bare concrete now to add the hard space around my current patio. Then tackling the cover and staining later.

Here's my current plan. This is subject to change of course.



This would allow me to remove this little half wall that is right by the door that drive me nuts.

Nothing wrong with doing it in stages. They can cut holes in the new slab to install supports for more cover when you get to that point. This might let you go bigger by spreading out the timeline.

Also, save those bricks to use on any new roof supports. Unless you have a big pile somewhere else.

The existing patio roof doesn't cause any challenges for an extension. You just start at the ridge/hip point and extend the ridge out however far you want with an open gable. At the edge of your existing patio cut the eave off and frame a wall from the existing beam straight up.

Remove that middle brick column and you wouldn't believe the amount of usable space you have.

I would agree that it's a $20k-$30k project with concrete below though. I would still encourage you to do it this way for your enjoyment and the return on investment. If you do it the way you are suggesting and leaving a gap it's going to actually detract from value because it's going to seem like an add on that you went cheap on.

Full disclosure we build these for a living in the Houston area. Creekstone Outdoors.

Milwaukees Best Light said:

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Also, save those bricks to use on any new roof supports. Unless you have a big pile somewhere else.

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How do I remove bricks and keep them from breaking?

Angle Grinder I guess?

AggieSam02 said:

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The existing patio roof doesn't cause any challenges for an extension. You just start at the ridge/hip point and extend the ridge out however far you want with an open gable. At the edge of your existing patio cut the eave off and frame a wall from the existing beam straight up.

Remove that middle brick column and you wouldn't believe the amount of usable space you have.

I would agree that it's a $20k-$30k project with concrete below though. I would still encourage you to do it this way for your enjoyment and the return on investment. If you do it the way you are suggesting and leaving a gap it's going to actually detract from value because it's going to seem like an add on that you went cheap on.

Full disclosure we build these for a living in the Houston area. Creekstone Outdoors.

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Yes, I plan to do it at some point. Just going to do the concrete for the time being. But I plan to come back and either extend that or tear it down and rebuild bigger.

irish pete ag06 said:

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Milwaukees Best Light said:

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Also, save those bricks to use on any new roof supports. Unless you have a big pile somewhere else.

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How do I remove bricks and keep them from breaking?

Angle Grinder I guess?

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Can use that or a chisel/hammer. Mortar should be somewhat softer than the brick.

You'll probably need the brick to cover up 2 holes if you get rid of the wall; one on the exterior of your house and the other being column it terminates at.

Another option is to see if they still make that brick color and buy a pallet for the project and have it on site already.

~egon

As stated above, use a chisel and hammer. A masonry hammer is recommended. The little wall will crack on the mortar lines as you go. Just don't take a 14 pound sledge and go beating it all to hell and you will get plenty of good bricks. Even if you break some, keep the halves. They are useful too. Even if you don't have a bunch, save what you can. If you have to buy bricks, you can mix the old ones in with the new to get a closer match.

Awesome! Thanks. I still have a crap load of those bricks behind my shed too.

And if you do need to buy more, shouldn't be a problem. I'm almost certain that's Acme Country French, a pretty common brick.

Dr. Doctor said:

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irish pete ag06 said:

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Milwaukees Best Light said:

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Also, save those bricks to use on any new roof supports. Unless you have a big pile somewhere else.

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How do I remove bricks and keep them from breaking?

Angle Grinder I guess?

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Can use that or a chisel/hammer. Mortar should be somewhat softer than the brick.

You'll probably need the brick to cover up 2 holes if you get rid of the wall; one on the exterior of your house and the other being column it terminates at.

Another option is to see if they still make that brick color and buy a pallet for the project and have it on site already.

~egon

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Great news. No holes to patch.



Guy comes to pour the concrete Wednesday. Excited!

Are they digging down so it will be flush with the current concrete, or is there going to be a step? Flush would be much better, but that might be a lot of dirt to take out. Also, take a sec and consider putting some conduit across it so you can run electrical through it later if you want. Probably not all that necessary since you are tied to the house, but take a sec and think. You only get one shot at it!

Drill and dowel smooth bar for expansion joints, make sure the concrete slopes away from your house, and make sure the soil is prepped appropriately.

Milwaukees Best Light said:

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Are they digging down so it will be flush with the current concrete, or is there going to be a step? Flush would be much better, but that might be a lot of dirt to take out. Also, take a sec and consider putting some conduit across it so you can run electrical through it later if you want. Probably not all that necessary since you are tied to the house, but take a sec and think. You only get one shot at it!

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Yes it will be flush.

I think I'll be ok on the conduit... not sure where I'd even need a plug out there. I have some under the eaves of my house that I plan to run some string lighting off of.

Aggietaco said:

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Drill and dowel smooth bar for expansion joints, make sure the concrete slopes away from your house, and make sure the soil is prepped appropriately.

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I grew up with a guy who owns an outdoor construction company building decks, patios, and covers. This is his concrete guy who also did his own back patio. Based on all we've talked about, this guy is good.

I'll definitely make sure it's sloped away from the house.

Looks good. Like the rounded corner.

Next job is finding a decent metal firepit. There are some custom fire pit makers around me that I've reached out to.

Turned out great!

Dumb Question here: What am I looking at on top of your roof above the four windows? Is that a tv Antenna?

TexDill15 said:

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Dumb Question here: What am I looking at on top of your roof above the four windows? Is that a tv Antenna?

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That is most definitely an over the air broadcast TV antenna.

OP, they sell more compact tv antennas that either go on your window or wall as a 1 sq ft flat sheet. With tv's the size they are right now, I'm able to hide a pretty sizeable, free standing antenna behind the tv. My parents have an antenna that is probably 4 times the size of that in the attic because 30 years ago that was the size you needed to get good reception of all the channels for their location.

Yes sir!

one MEEN Ag said:

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TexDill15 said:

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Dumb Question here: What am I looking at on top of your roof above the four windows? Is that a tv Antenna?

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That is most definitely an over the air broadcast TV antenna.

OP, they sell more compact tv antennas that either go on your window or wall as a 1 sq ft flat sheet. With tv's the size they are right now, I'm able to hide a pretty sizeable, free standing antenna behind the tv. My parents have an antenna that is probably 4 times the size of that in the attic because 30 years ago that was the size you needed to get good reception of all the channels for their location.

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Where I'm at in East Texas, reception is an issue. I replaced the previous owners Dish satellite with it since the coax was already ran. I don't even currently use it anymore with Hulu live TV. I need to take it down I reckon.

JokkerZ said:

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Milwaukees Best Light, well honestly, I would also use retractable awnings on that one.

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Seems like an odd interjection.....

I wonder if JokkerZ has any suggestions for us?

If I may deviate from your dream solution by tempting you with time/money savings into a different style .... consider a heavy cedar Pergola that can be topped with Lexan or metal. I referred someone that does this on my Facebook page once ... recently.

The pergola legs/posts/columns can be sunk into grade & concreted, then patio poured around them free-form ... or if structural flatwork has been licensed-designed, the pergola columns can be bolted top of this.

If the center column really must go, then the easiest solution would be to charge an engineered beam firm/supplier with the calculations ... ref. your lumber yard or best to get a Remodel Contractor to manage all of the above.

Ronnie said:

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JokkerZ said:

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Milwaukees Best Light, well honestly, I would also use retractable awnings on that one.

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Seems like an odd interjection.....

I wonder if JokkerZ has any suggestions for us?

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I thought so too. Prolly a bot for the retractable awning folks. They gave up putting a card table and a retired person inside Sams Club, so bring in the bots!