Covered Decks & Patio Covers in Kent, WA
A roof turns a deck that gets used four months a year into one that gets used ten. What a cover costs on top of the deck, the roof types that work here, and the permit that comes with every one of them.
What a Roof Over a Kent Deck Costs
Kent gets rain on roughly 156 days a year, and a deck with nothing over it is a place to stand in it.
A roof over a deck or patio in Kent costs about $20 to $60 per square foot on top of the deck, or $60 to $120 for a framed, shingled wood roof. Every covered deck goes through the permit center; the exemptions cover uncovered decks and small detached sheds only.
On a typical 12-by-16 deck that puts a basic cover at about $4,000 to $12,000 and a shingled gable roof tied into the house at $12,000 to $23,000, before lighting, a ceiling, or screens. Regional builders' published examples of full covered composite decks, roof and deck together, sit in the $45,000 to $50,000 range and up. The cost guide has the rest of the numbers.
The Roof Types That Suit a Kent House
Shed roof off the house wall
A single slope pitched away from the house, attached to a ledger above the door and carried on posts at the outer edge. It is the least expensive framed roof and the one most builders reach for on a one-story rambler. On a two-story house the ledger has to land below the second-floor windows, which sets the pitch; too flat and the roof holds water and needles.
Gable roof
A peaked roof that matches the house's own roofline, tied in at the ridge or set against the wall. More framing, more flashing at the house, and the roof that looks like it was always there. It also gives the headroom that a shed roof loses at the low edge, which matters when the deck is off a split-level with the sliding door already close to the eave.
Aluminum and polycarbonate covers
Manufactured kits in insulated aluminum or clear polycarbonate panels on an aluminum frame. Cheaper and faster than a framed roof, and the translucent panels keep the kitchen behind the deck from going dark, which is a real consideration on a north-facing wall in a Kent December. They are still a roof in the code's eyes and still need the permit and engineering for the local snow load.
Pergolas and louvered roofs
An open pergola does nothing for rain. A louvered aluminum roof that closes flat in a shower and opens in July does both jobs and costs the most of the four. Either way the posts go on footings and the structure gets checked for wind and snow.
What the Roof Does for the Deck Under It
- The boards stay dry. A cedar deck under a roof escapes most of the wet-dry cycling that greys and checks it, and the reseal interval stretches. Composite under a roof stays clean of moss almost entirely.
- The frame stays dry too, if the roof is wide enough to keep wind-driven rain off the outer joists. Overhang past the deck edge is worth paying for.
- The house wall is protected above the ledger, where the old flashing was doing all the work.
- Snow load goes on the posts. A roof adds a design load the original deck was never sized for, so a cover on an existing deck usually means new or added posts and footings, and a builder checks the frame before quoting the roof alone.