Louvered versus solid roof
A louvered aluminum roof opens for sun, closes for shade, and seals for rain with a motor and a rain sensor. A solid roof makes a dry outdoor room year round. We build both in powder coated aluminum, freestanding or attached, sized to the span without wood beams. Lighting, heaters, and fans go in the frame at the shop, not drilled in later.
What the code asks of structures near the house
In a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, an attached structure is part of the house. The wildland urban interface code wants noncombustible or ignition resistant material, and the adopted Zone 0 rules want nothing combustible in the first five feet, including small outbuildings under 120 square feet. An aluminum pergola meets both. A wood one against the wall is the thing the ember lands on. See fire hardening.
One finish across the property
The pergola, the gate, the fence, and the garage door come from the same shop in the same finish: matte black, dark bronze, walnut wood-look, weathered steel, or coastal grey. The property reads as one piece because it was designed as one.
Pergolas that survive ember exposure
No wood, no fabric shade cloth, no combustible decking under it inside the five foot zone. Aluminum frame, aluminum louvers or panels, and concrete, pavers, or gravel below. Built to the same drawings as the house so the connection at the wall is detailed, not improvised. Details on the five feet at Zone Zero fences and gates.
Questions we get about pergolas and outdoor structures
Louvered or solid roof?
Louvered if you want sun some days and shade others, and rain closure with a motor. Solid if you want a true outdoor room that stays dry. Both in aluminum, both noncombustible, both in the same finish as the gate and fence.
Can a pergola attach to the house?
A noncombustible one can. Under the adopted Zone 0 rules, and under plain sense in a fire zone, a wood pergola against the wall is fuel stacked on the house. Aluminum attaches cleanly and does not carry flame to the eave.
Do you do the hardscape too?
Yes. Concrete, pavers, and gravel in the zone around the house and under the structure. Noncombustible ground in the first five feet is part of the same job.