The days are becoming longer, and the air is getting warmer. Summer is just around the corner. With only a few weeks until the truly scorching heat of summer begins, it is time to figure out whether or not your home is ready for the hot months to come. Sure, it is nice to have a clean interior, but summer is all about being outside and spending time in the backyard with friends and family. The backyard is an iconic setting of many summer adventures and activities, so it is vital that a person is prepared and with a fully functional yard to not only accommodate, but also impress his or her guests all season long. We here at Duramax Building Products believe that one of the best ways to dress up a back yard is to install a patio cover area. These areas not only look beautiful next to a home, but also create a shady spot for when the sun becomes just a little bit too much to handle. When it comes to vinyl patio covers, you have options as well. Modern patio covers, whether attached to the house or free standing like a Pergola, are manufactured in a variety of materials. These materials are not all created equal.
Wood
Wood is a natural and beautiful to create a gazebo or patio covering. It’s timeless and available in a wide variety of colors and textures. Unfortunately, buyers will pay for its beauty. Wood is an expensive building material. Worse, it requires significant maintenance in order to make it last. Extending the life of a wood patio cover is demanding work. Wood patio covers require regular sanding and repainting or staining. Without those regular efforts, wood covers will rot, peel, and warp.
Aluminum
Aluminum is durable and requires much less maintenance than wood. Buyers who choose aluminum patio covers don’t have to worry about regular maintenance. Aluminum doesn’t require the upkeep of a wood patio cover. And it’s affordable. Aluminum patio covers are inexpensive and it shows. Despite its cheap look, another disadvantage to building a patio cover out of aluminum is that the material retains heat. Guests gathering beneath an aluminum patio cover will escape the sun’s rays, but not its intense heat. Sitting beneath an aluminum patio cover can feel like sitting in a shaded oven, defeating the purpose of creating a comfortable gathering place to escape the summer heat.
Vinyl
Vinyl couples the style and elegant appearance of wood with the low-maintenance qualities of aluminum. At Duramax BP, we love to install vinyl custom patio covers in Orange County. Vinyl patio covers can mirror wood’s graceful appearance, but without the maintenance required. A vinyl patio cover won’t require regular sanding, painting, or staining. And unlike aluminum, vinyl simply doesn’t conduct heat in the same fashion. When guests congregating beneath a vinyl patio cover, they will escape both the sun’s rays and its intense heat.
With summer just around the corner, now is the perfect time to spruce up home exteriors. A patio cover makes outdoor space more usable and inviting while adding and value and appeal to a home. So fire up the barbecue grill and invite friends to enjoy the great outdoors in the backyard. A custom patio cover means more space for relaxation and family time just beyond the back door.