Types of Aluminum Patio Covers: Which One Fits Your Backyard?

There are a few different types of aluminum patio covers, and picking the wrong one means living with a cover that doesn’t suit your yard. We design, build, and install all of them in-house, so here’s a straight breakdown of what each type does, how it holds up, and who it’s best for.

Quick Overview

Solid Pan Covers

This is our bread and butter. Interlocking aluminum patio covers create a waterproof roof that blocks sun, rain, snow — everything. Most of our residential projects are solid pan covers.

How they work

Aluminum panels lock together along their edges, forming a continuous watertight surface. Water runs off to integrated gutters and downspouts. The whole system is over-built for the snow loads we get in an Okanagan winter.

Where we use them

• Outdoor dining areas where you want to eat in any weather
• Hot tub covers — keeps rain, leaves, and bird droppings off
• Carports and equipment storage
• BBQ areas where smoke needs a ceiling to vent under

The one downside

A solid aluminum panel gets warm in direct sun. On a hot Okanagan afternoon, the underside radiates some heat — you’re still far cooler than sitting in the open, but the panel itself warms up. If your patio faces west and gets hammered by afternoon sun, ask us about lighter panel colours or a fully enclosed sunroom.

Want It Insulated? That’s a Sunroom

A patio cover is an open-air structure — it shades you and keeps the rain and snow off, but the sides stay open. Our solid-pan covers use solid aluminum panels that give you complete overhead protection, and they’re over-built for BC winters.

• Full sun & rain protection — a solid roof blocks the sun completely and sheds every drop
• Finished ceiling look — the flat underside reads like a real ceiling, not a bare frame
• Custom colours — black, white, or a custom colour match to suit your home

When you actually want insulation

If you want a fully enclosed, temperature-controlled room you can use in every season, that’s not a patio cover — it’s a 4-season sunroom. We design, build, and install those in-house too. A patio cover keeps you dry and shaded; a sunroom keeps you warm.

Pergola & Lattice Covers

An aluminum pergola uses open slats arranged in a grid. They let filtered sunlight through while providing partial shade — think of it as a permanent, open-slat pergola that won’t rot, rust, or need painting.

Good for

• Growing climbing plants (wisteria, grapes, jasmine)
• Areas where you want dappled light, not total shade
• Garden-style patios that feel open to the sky

Not good for

• Rain protection — water comes right through
• Full sun blocking — you still get significant UV exposure
• Hot tub areas or outdoor kitchens where you need a dry space

We install fewer lattice covers than solid ones. Most people in the Okanagan want full weather protection, and once you commit to a patio cover project, it makes sense to go with something that blocks rain too.

Attached vs Freestanding

This isn’t really a “type” of cover — it’s how the cover is mounted. Any of the types above can be either attached or freestanding. Here’s the quick version.

Attached

Bolts to your house wall or fascia on one side. Posts support the outer edge. This is the most common setup, since you only need posts on one side.

• Cleaner look — clean transition from house to patio
• No rain gap between the house and the cover
• Requires proper flashing at the attachment point

Freestanding

Posts on all four corners, doesn’t touch the house. We use these for pool areas, garden pavilions, or when the homeowner doesn’t want to modify their home’s exterior.

• Can go anywhere on the property
• No modification to the house
• Needs extra posts and concrete footings all around
• Often goes up with no permit hassle since it doesn’t attach to the house

Roof Panel Options

Beyond the aluminum cover types, you can also combine aluminum framing with different panel materials:

Polycarbonate panels

Clear or tinted plastic panels on an aluminum frame. Lets light through while blocking rain. It can yellow over many years of Okanagan UV, but it’s a light, bright option for covered areas where you still want daylight.

Glass panels

Our premium option. Tempered safety glass on aluminum framing. Maximum light with full rain protection. We break down the differences compared to glass in a separate guide.

Combination builds

We do a lot of projects where part of the cover is solid aluminum (for the main living area) and part is glass or polycarbonate (over a seating nook or hot tub). You get shade where you need it and light where you want it.

How to Choose the Right Type

Here’s how we walk customers through the decision:

1. What are you covering? A living space needs a solid cover or a sunroom. A garden feature can use lattice.
2. Which direction does it face? South/west-facing patios get hammered by afternoon sun — a solid-pan cover blocks it completely. North/east-facing patios get less direct heat, so any style works.
3. Do you need rain protection? If yes, lattice is out. Solid or insulated.
4. How will you use it? Want open, dappled light? A pergola. Want to stay dry year-round? A solid-pan cover. Want an enclosed, four-season room? A sunroom.
5. Attached or freestanding? If the patio is against the house, attached saves money. If it’s away from the house, freestanding is your only option.