How Much Does a Patio Cover Cost in Seattle? 2026 Price Guide

Patio cover cost by type

National cost surveys from Fixr put most covered patios at $25 to $40 per square foot, with typical projects landing between $4,000 and $12,000. By structure type, an open-air pergola runs about $2,500 to $6,000, a gabled solid-roof cover $2,200 to $13,500 for the cover itself (roughly $4,000 to $19,000 with a new patio under it), a gazebo $7,500 to $10,000, and motorized louvered roof systems $4,300 to $20,700 and up. Seattle-area labor and engineering usually push finished bids into the upper half of those ranges — most of the attached cedar and timber-frame covers we build price between $6,000 and $18,000, and a fully enclosed patio room can reach $24,000 or more. For comparison, roofing over an elevated deck is a bigger job: a covered deck typically runs $15,000 to $35,000 (see our deck cost guide).

What drives the price in Seattle

Five things move a patio cover bid more than anything else. First, attachment: tying the new roof into your house means flashing, ledger work and sometimes re-routing gutters, but it usually costs less than a freestanding structure with four posts and more concrete. Second, footings — posts need code-depth concrete footings, and poor or sloped soil adds digging. Third, roofing choice: polycarbonate panels are the budget option, while composite shingles that match the house, metal roofing or insulated panels add $1,500 to $5,000. Fourth, engineering: attached covers in Seattle and most Eastside cities need stamped calculations for snow and wind loads. Fifth, extras — outdoor lighting, fans, infrared heaters and skylights are easy to add during framing and expensive to retrofit. If your patio slab itself needs replacing, budget that separately (our concrete guide and paver patio guide cover those numbers).

Permits: Seattle vs. the Eastside

In Seattle, SDCI only exempts small detached accessory structures — about 120 square feet of roof area or less on a slab, like an open arbor or small shed. An attached patio cover, or anything roofed and tied to the house, needs a building permit and has to respect setbacks and lot coverage. Most Eastside cities (Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Sammamish, Issaquah) exempt detached accessory buildings up to about 200 square feet but still permit attached covers. Review commonly takes two to eight weeks; our Washington permit guide and permit timeline comparison explain the process city by city. Blue Lake handles drawings, engineering and filing on every covered structure we build.

Cedar, aluminum or louvered: what survives Puget Sound weather

Around here the enemies are nine months of rain, moss and shade rather than heavy snow. Rough-sawn cedar and timber-frame covers are the regional favorite: naturally rot-resistant, handsome against Northwest homes, and a good base for composite or metal roofing that sheds rain quietly. Aluminum covers are the low-maintenance budget pick and never need staining. Motorized louvered roofs cost the most but let you open the roof on sunny days and seal it in the rain — the closest thing to year-round outdoor living short of a sunroom. Whatever the frame, insist on proper flashing at the house connection, a sloped roof plane, and gutters with downspouts that carry runoff away from the foundation.

Patio cover, sunroom or covered deck?

If you mainly want dry outdoor space for grilling and dinners, a patio cover delivers the most square footage per dollar. If you want conditioned space you can use in January, a three- or four-season sunroom ($25,000 to $120,000) is the next step up. And if your outdoor space is an elevated deck rather than a patio, plan for the structural work in our deck pricing. Many of our outdoor living projects combine a covered zone, an open paver area and planting beds in one build so the yard works in every season.

Build it once, build it right

Blue Lake Construction designs and builds patio covers, pergolas and gazebos across Seattle, Bellevue and the Eastside — engineering, permits, footings, framing, roofing and electrical under one licensed general contractor. Winter and early spring are the best times to design and permit so the build lands before summer (here is why timing matters). Tell us about your backyard and we will give you a real number for your lot, not a national average.