Marvel-Works

Shade that holds up to a Houston summer — and a Houston storm.

Patio covers and pergolas on engineered footings, with the roof tie-in flashed right and the wiring for fans and lights run before the framing closes.

Get a free on-site estimate

A patio cover is the thing that makes a backyard usable in Houston. Without it, your slab bakes in August sun and floods in a July storm, and an outdoor kitchen under open sky lasts a fraction as long. With it, you get a room outside.

But a cover is a structure, and the parts that matter are the ones a catalog photo never shows: footings deep enough to carry the roof on expansive clay, posts that won’t heave, and — on an attached cover — a roof tie-in flashed so it sheds water instead of leaking into your house. Get those wrong and you’ve built a future repair with a nice ceiling.

We build covers and pergolas the way we build everything: from the footing up, engineered and permitted, with the electrical for fans and lights planned in before anything closes. Often it’s paired with a new concrete patio poured thick enough to carry the structure from the first day.

What a covered patio involves

Every line below shows up as a discrete item in your scope and quote — including the footings and flashing that decide whether the cover lasts.

Solid-roof patio covers
true all-weather shade that sheds rain, attached or freestanding
Pergolas
open or slatted tops for partial shade and definition
Attached covers
tied into the existing roofline with a water-tight, flashed connection
Freestanding covers
self-supporting structures set away from the house
Engineered footings
posts carried by below-grade footings sized for Houston clay
Roof tie-in & flashing
the connection to the house done so it never leaks
Electrical
GFCI circuits for fans, lighting, outlets, and TV — roughed in before framing closes
Permits & HOA
city or county permits and architectural approval handled

Planning an outdoor kitchen, fans, or a mounted TV underneath? We rough in the structure and wiring for all of it up front — adding it after the cover is built means surface conduit and patched framing.

Process

  1. 1

    On-site visit (about 45 minutes, free)

    We look at the space, the existing roofline and wall where an attached cover would tie in, the slab or ground under it, sun and prevailing wind, and how you want to use it. You'll get a written scope and an honest budget range within a few days.
  2. 2

    Design, permits & HOA

    Structure type chosen — pergola or solid cover, attached or freestanding — with footing, post, and roof tie-in detailed and engineered where required. We submit for permits and, in master-planned communities, take the design through architectural review.
  3. 3

    Footings & posts

    Footings dug below grade and poured to carry the load on expansive clay; posts set plumb and anchored. Over a new slab we pour for the structure; over an existing slab we set independent footings for the posts.
  4. 4

    Framing & roof tie-in

    Beams and rafters framed to span and load. On an attached cover, the new roof is married into the existing roofline with correct flashing so the tie-in sheds water and doesn't leak into the house.
  5. 5

    Roofing & electrical

    Roof finished and pitched to drain, downspouts directed away from the foundation, and any electrical roughed in and trimmed out — fan-rated boxes, GFCI circuits, lighting, and outlets, all outdoor-rated.
  6. 6

    Finish & walk-through

    Posts and ceiling finished, fans and fixtures hung, and the whole structure inspected with you. We don't sign off until you do.

Timeline & Investment

  • Pergola (freestanding or attached, open top)
    1 to 2 weeks
    $8,000 to $25,000
  • Covered patio (solid roof, attached or freestanding)
    2 to 4 weeks
    $15,000 to $40,000+

Price depends on size, roof type, the tie-in to the house, and electrical scope. We give you a real number after we see the space — and we don’t save you money by skipping the footings or the flashing that keep it standing and dry.

For the technical homeowner

The standards our crews work to on every cover — the structural and water-tight details that decide whether it lasts a decade or leaks in a year.

Standards we hold our crews to on covers

Footings & posts

  • Footings dug below grade and sized for the load and the soil — never posts surface-bolted to a thin existing slab
  • Independent footings set for posts when building over an existing patio so the slab isn’t asked to carry a roof it wasn’t poured for
  • Posts set plumb, anchored with concealed hardware, and protected from ground moisture

Framing & structure

  • Beams and rafters sized to span and load, engineered where the jurisdiction or span requires it
  • Connections made with rated structural hardware — designed for uplift, not just gravity, in a wind zone
  • Roof pitched to drain, with runoff carried away from the foundation, not dumped at the post line

Roof tie-in (attached covers)

  • New roof married into the existing roofline with proper step, counter, and kick-out flashing
  • Tie-in integrated with the existing roof’s drainage plane so water sheds over the connection, not behind it
  • Existing structure verified to carry the added load before anything is fastened to it

Electrical

  • Dedicated GFCI-protected, outdoor-rated circuits roughed in before the framing closes
  • Fan-rated boxes and blocking set for ceiling fans and any mounted TV
  • Outdoor-rated fixtures, covers, and outlets throughout

Sign-off

  • Project complete only when you sign off on the structure, the tie-in, and the finish — not when we’re tired

Frequently asked questions

How much does a covered patio cost in Houston?
A pergola — freestanding or attached, open-top — runs $8,000 to $25,000 depending on size and material. A solid-roof covered patio runs $15,000 to $40,000 and up, depending on size, roof type, the tie-in to the house, and whether it includes electrical for fans and lighting. We give you a real number after we see the space and the spot where it ties into the house.
What's the difference between a pergola and a covered patio?
A pergola has an open or slatted top — it defines the space and throws partial shade, but it doesn't keep rain off. A covered patio has a solid roof, so it sheds water and gives you genuine all-weather shade, which is what makes an outdoor kitchen or seating area usable in Houston summers and storms. Pergolas can be fitted with louvered or panel tops that close, blurring the line, but the structural and drainage requirements of a solid roof are a real step up — and so is the cost.
Attached or freestanding — which is right?
Attached covers tie into the house, so you walk out under cover and the roofline reads as part of the home — but they require a clean structural and water-tight tie-in to the existing roof or wall, which is the part that has to be done right. Freestanding covers stand on their own posts away from the house, which avoids touching the existing roof and gives you flexibility on placement, at the cost of a self-supporting structure. We walk both at the on-site visit and tell you which fits your house, your roofline, and your yard.
Do covered patios need permits and HOA approval?
Usually both. A roofed structure is a permitted build in most of our service-area cities — or through the county in unincorporated areas — and anything attached to the house, or with electrical, almost always pulls a permit. In master-planned communities you'll also need architectural approval, since a cover is a visible exterior change. We handle the permit submittal and the inspections, and we get the HOA approval moving before we build.
Can you add fans, lights, or a TV under the cover?
Yes — and the time to plan it is before the structure goes up, not after. We rough in dedicated, outdoor-rated, GFCI-protected circuits for ceiling fans (essential in Houston), recessed or ambient lighting, outlets, and a TV or speaker location, and we block the framing to carry a fan or a mounted TV. Running it up front means no surface conduit and no exposed wiring later. Outdoor-rated fixtures and covers are used throughout.
Does a patio cover need its own foundation?
It needs proper footings. The posts that carry the roof have to bear on engineered footings dug below grade and sized for the load and for Houston's expansive clay — not bolted to the surface of an existing thin patio slab that was never poured to carry a roof. If you're building the cover over a new patio, we size the slab and footings for the structure from the first pour. Over an existing slab, we set independent footings for the posts so the cover is carried by the ground, not the patio.

Service areas

We build covers and pergolas across The Woodlands, Spring, Magnolia, Conroe, Montgomery, Tomball, Cypress, Sugar Land, Pearland, and the rest of greater Houston.

  • The Woodlands, TX
  • Magnolia, TX
  • Spring, TX
  • Conroe, TX
  • Montgomery, TX
  • Tomball, TX
  • Cypress, TX
  • Sugar Land, TX
  • Pearland, TX
  • Houston, TX

Related work

Outdoor Kitchens

Built for Houston weather — and built to last far longer under a proper cover than out in the open.

Learn more →

Concrete Patios

The slab under the cover, poured thick enough and footed to carry the structure from the first day.

Learn more →

Drainage

Roof runoff and yard drainage planned together so the cover sheds water clear of the foundation.

Learn more →

Schedule an on-site visit.

We'll look at your space and the tie-in to the house, then give you a written scope and a real number — footings, flashing, and wiring included.

Get a free estimateCall 832-390-8685

Free in-home estimates in The Woodlands area. For projects outside that area, a travel fee applies.