10 Cool Covered Patio Ideas on A Budget

Is your patio under the attack of the sun most of the day, preventing you from spending your free time in the relaxing atmosphere of your backyard? If so, then you need a patio cover!

You don’t have to spend a fortune to protect your patio from the sun. You can find some pretty spectacular patio cover options on the market, but they aren’t always budget-friendly.

Well, let us present you to 10 cool covered patio ideas that you can implement on a budget!

10 Covered Patio Ideas

1. Tiki Thatch Roof

A tiki thatch roof is perhaps the most eye-catching patio idea on this list.

It can impart an island vibe to your backyard patio, but with that being said, it won’t make sense everywhere. It would make sense, for example, if your backyard faces a river or the ocean.

You can find thatch panels and rolls for not too much money out there.

However, keep in mind that you need to have a patio cover already installed if you want to use panels or rolls! This may make this home project a little pricier than others on this list.

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2. Sail Shade

While again thematically marine, a sail shade could be used anywhere. A sail shade, in fact, is perhaps the best sunshade solution for any patio – it’s cheap, and it’s easy to implement.

All it takes to have a beautiful sail shade in the backyard is a large piece of fabric with eyelets in the corners. You could cut the fabric in a rectangular, triangular, or any other desirable shape.

Then, attach the fabric to poles, nearby trees, or the house, and you will get a very efficient shade solution that with the right attention to details can make your patio look stunning.

3. Classic Pergola

A classic pergola is a type of patio cover that doesn’t completely block off the sun. it comprises of wooden strips that are able to block some sun, but not all of it.

What such design ideas allow is staying warm in the patio without the full heat of the sun beating down on you.

A classic pergola won’t be the best option if your area is rainy though. Fortunately, you could make a few modifications to your pergola to make it rain-proof.

For example, you may cover the pergola with a glass top. However, this would increase the cost of the project and also add another item you would need to keep clean.

4. Pergola with Adjustable Shade

This is an improvement over the classic pergola which provides a little more flexibility in terms of how much heat and light goes through the cover.

With some DIY skills, you could easily set up a retractable shade that you can adjust according to your demand for sunshine and the weather.

And this will likely be much cheaper than a motorized patio cover!

5. DIY Canopy Awning

If you are up to some DIYing and have the experience and tools for it, then you may make your own canopy awning.

Doing it yourself is awesome since it provides you with flexibility in building and allows you to manage your budget more efficiently.

For a DIY canopy awning, you only need a frame – built from some weather-resistant material – and a canopy to mount on that frame.

You don’t need to make anything too complex, but if you have the budget and desire, you may enhance the canopy with little decorative details, as well as make it more convenient by making the canopy retractable, for example.

Read Also: Best Pop Up Canopy Reviews 2019 & Buyer’s Guides

6. DIY Parasol

A DIY parasol may be cheaper and perhaps more practical for some people than a canopy awning.

With that being said, depending on the shape you want to go for, building a parasol may be a bit more difficult than building a canopy awning.

Arguably the best shape is rectangular – a rectangular parasol is easier to place along a wall. Use aluminum masts which will make your parasol frame strong yet quite lightweight.

As for the shade, use a durable piece of fabric that is easy to wash. Also, make sure that the shade could be easily removed from the frame for cleaning.

Check Out: 10 Tips to Create the Ultimate Backyard Getaway

7. Patio Umbrella

If you aren’t up to DIYing or don’t have the tools for it, then you can purchase a commercially-made patio umbrella for your backyard. Umbrellas of various sizes and functionality are available out there, though you will have less flexibility regarding both money-efficiency and features with a prebuilt patio umbrella.

Go for a bigger umbrella which will cover the seating area no matter where the sun is in the sky. Not only that, make sure that your patio umbrella is sturdy and heavy enough not to tip over from a light push of the wind.

8. Garden Tent Cover

Garden tent covers tend to be larger than umbrellas, so they are going to do a better job at protecting you from the sun and other weather elements. Some people also find that garden tent covers are more elegant than umbrellas, though this strongly depends on what you are dealing with.

Having a larger shade surface, garden tent covers may not necessarily be more expensive than umbrellas, but they are going to be less mobile and more difficult to set up. But this is just the tradeoff of the increased sun protection.

9. Lattice Canopy

Lattice canopies are similar to pergolas, but they offer a wider variety of shapes and shade configurations. Some lattice canopies also have walls which repeat the layout of the roof. Aside from providing a little bit more privacy, such lattice canopies allow for a wider range of opportunities for decorating with greenery.

Read Top 10 Best Gazebo Reviews and Buyer’s Guide

10. Partial Patio Cover

You most likely don’t need your entire patio to be covered. Why waste the effort or money trying to buy or build a cover that would overhang your whole backyard?

Cover only the small area that you are actually going to spend your time in! Not only that, but we recommend that you evaluate how efficient your patio is right now – if you determine that you have, for example, too many chairs in it or that you don’t need a fire pit, then get rid of them so that you can minimize the area that actually needs to be covered!

And you may use any of the covered patio ideas suggested above to build a partial patio cover.

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