Patio cover installation in El Monte CA - a cover built for how you use the patio
If the afternoon sun or the rain keeps you off your patio, we build a solid or lattice cover so you'll actually sit out there.
Request an estimate
How do I get a patio cover built in El Monte?
Patio cover installation in El Monte means building a solid or lattice cover over your patio, in aluminum or wood. You get shade, and with a solid roof you also get a dry place to sit when it rains. The schedule usually depends more on the city's approval than on the build itself.
Most people who call us have a patio out back they hardly use because it's too hot by afternoon or the rain keeps them in, and a cover is often all it takes to make it a place you'd sit. Your price comes down to the size of the patio, solid or lattice, and aluminum or wood, because a solid wood cover can cost far more per square foot than aluminum or lattice. The schedule mostly turns on the city approval that has to come through before we start, and the written estimate I put together after measuring gives you the figure for your own patio. If you'd like walls as well, that's a patio enclosure, and I'm glad to talk through both.
How we handle patio cover installation
We start with how you'd like to use the patio, because that decides the cover. A solid cover blocks sun and rain completely, which is why it's the one people use every day. A lattice cover is the lower-cost way to get shade, but the light comes through in patches. Then we choose aluminum or wood together, weighing the look you want against the upkeep you're willing to do. If you go with lattice, we settle which way the slats run and how far apart they sit during design, since spacing and direction decide how much shade you actually get. On build days our crew sets the posts, fastens the frame to your house, puts up the roof panels or slats and cleans up as we go.
Some families start with a cover and later want a closed room, and I'd rather plan for that honestly than sell you more room than you need. If a room is on your mind, our sunroom design work starts from the same measurements, and vinyl sunrooms are a common way to close in a patio when the time comes.
What patio cover installation involves in El Monte
El Monte lists patio covers among the work that needs a Zoning Clearance application, and the city wants that approved before it issues any other Planning or Building permit and before work begins. That list comes from the city's own handout, so the Building Department is the office to ask about the current steps. When your job calls for it, we prepare and handle the paperwork with them and keep you posted along the way.
Most of the patios we see here are concrete slabs behind single-story houses that take the full afternoon sun, so shade is usually the first thing people ask about. We see the same back patios on jobs in South El Monte and Rosemead. We work in many of the cities around El Monte, so if yours isn't listed, please ask.
- Call (626) 416-2088
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–9 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–9 PM
- El Monte, CA 91731
What happens after you call about a patio cover
Call and set a visit
When you call (626) 416-2088 or send the form, we set a time for me to come out. Please think about when you'd use the patio most, since that shapes the cover.
Measure and write the estimate
I look at the patio and the wall the cover will tie into, take measurements and listen to how you'd like to use the space. Then I write up an estimate that lays out the cover type, the material and the price for your patio.
Settle the design and paperwork
We settle the design together, including the slat layout if you chose lattice, and we take care of the city paperwork. Work starts once the city's approvals are in.
Build, inspect and walk through
Our crew builds the cover, and because city inspections need 24 hours' notice and run Monday through Thursday, not on Fridays or federal holidays, we book them ahead. When it's done, I walk through the finished cover with you.
Why El Monte homeowners call Viewcraft for a patio cover
I measure, our crew builds
I come out myself to look at the patio, measure and talk it through, and our own crew does the building. The person who heard how you want to use the space is the one who plans it, so nothing gets lost between the visit and the build.
In business since 2017
I started this business in 2017 after some years on building crews, and before that I grew up on a farm where anything that broke got fixed at home. That habit carries into how we work, because I'd rather explain a choice twice than have you surprised later.
Licensed and fully insured
We're licensed and fully insured. That matters on a patio cover, since our crew is working against your house wall and roofline.
Framed to El Monte's design criteria
The El Monte Building Department publishes earthquake and wind design criteria for structures, and a soils report for your lot can change which earthquake category applies. We build the posts and connections to the criteria that fit your property, because those are the forces a cover has to stand up to.
What matters most is a cover that fits the way you'll really use the patio. If you'd like me to come take a look, please send us a request or call (626) 416-2088.
Request an estimateGet a written estimate for your patio cover
We reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out. I'll measure, hear how you'd like to use the patio and write up a free estimate on site, with no obligation and no pressure to book.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Phone
- (626) 416-2088
- Location
- El Monte, CA 91731
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–9 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–9 PM
Questions about patio covers in El Monte
How do I apply for a patio cover permit in El Monte?
You start with a Zoning Clearance application, and the city's list says it needs your signature as the owner, the fee and a full set of plans drawn to scale. Building and Safety takes applications in person with no appointment needed. We put the plans and paperwork together, so mostly you'll need to sign.
How much does a patio cover cost?
Installing a solid or open lattice patio cover usually costs about $20 to $60 per square foot across the US, so treat that as a national guide, not an El Monte quote. Where yours falls depends on the size and the choices described above. The estimate I write up after measuring gives you the figure for your own patio.
Is aluminum or wood better for a patio cover in Southern California?
For most patios here I lean toward aluminum, because termites can't eat it, it won't burn and it needs almost no care, which is why it's so common in California. Wood looks warmer, but it needs sealing every so often and can draw termites. I suggest wood to families who love the look and don't mind the upkeep.
Who is allowed to build a patio cover in California?
California's contractors board says a contractor licensed as B general building, C-5 framing or C-27 landscaping can build a patio with a lattice cover, and a C-27 can also contract and pull permits for covers that let rain through. Unlicensed help is only allowed on jobs under the state's $1,000 small-job limit, and only when the work needs no permit and that person has no one working for them on it.
What causes a patio cover to leak where it meets the house?
Most leaks come from the seam where the cover ties into your wall or roof, when the flashing there is missing or set wrong, since that thin metal strip is what turns water away from the joint. It's the part of the job I'm most particular about, and I check it myself before we call a cover finished.
Can I add walls to my patio cover later and make it a sunroom?
Sometimes, but a room usually asks more of the frame than a cover does. If you think you might close it in someday, please tell me at the estimate so we can plan for it. Plenty of families find a cover is all they need, and when it isn't, we also do patio-to-sunroom conversions.
When a cover is only the start
Sunroom design
If you're picturing a full room someday, planning the layout first keeps you from building something you'll have to undo.
Vinyl sunrooms
Vinyl framing is a practical way to turn a covered patio into a closed room you can use when the weather won't cooperate.
Book a visit to measure your patio
If you send your patio size, a few photos and whether you're leaning solid or lattice, I can come out already thinking about where the posts will go.
Request an estimateCall (626) 416-2088