Orange County Patio Cover Blog

San Juan Capistrano Aluminum Patio Cover; Before and After 0

We at ThePatioMan recently completed a project with an aluminum patio cover in San Juan Capistrano. The homeowner  formerly had a wood patio cover, that as always happens in Orange County, simply fell victim to the typical elements that significantly shorten and reduce the lifespan of Wood Patio Covers in Orange County. Basically….Wood Rot, Termite Damage and simple age degradation all play a role in turning a wood patio cover into a wilted, ugly and in some cases, outright dangerous structure.

In the picture below you can see part of the demolition process that takes place as tear down and remove the old, ugly cover in preparation to install a brand new aluminum patio cover. You can see from the ends and the discoloration how age and weather have deteriorated the wood. Some would simply try and repaint and mask the cosmetic damage, but the truth is for the price of repair and paint, you can get a new aluminum patio cover with a lifetime warranty.

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Below you can see the home with the old, wooden patio cover removed and the preparations started for a new open aluminum patio cover.  Aluminum patio covers come in open style, solid covers, combos covers, and even reinforced insulated covers that offer many great options and accessories.

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Below are the finished pictures of this San Capistrano Homeowners beautiful new patio. Aluminum Patio Covers can be installed very quickly as opposed to wood patio covers, a typical aluminum patio cover installation takes only one or two days no matter if you choose an open aluminum patio cover or a solid aluminum patio cover. It simply does not get any easier!

 

Patio Cover in San Juan Capistrano

Below is another view of a brand new aluminum patio cover in San Juan Capistrano. There are so many benefits of an aluminum patio cover over wooden patio covers that simply cannot be listed here. But for looks, durability, choice of options, warranty, time of installation and many other great reasons to choose an aluminum patio cover…its no wonder the Patio Man is the premiere Orange County Patio Cover company! We’ve been serving Orange County for over 25 years. Call us now for a free quote or to discuss your next Patio Makeover!

 

San Juan Capistrano Patio Cover

 

Finally, we have our new Orange County Patio Man Facebook page up and running. Feel free to visit our page and give us a like! We may feature your backyard in the future. Give us a call and tell your friends! We look forward to hearing from you and continuing to proudly serve Orange County.

Orange County Alumawood Patio Covers; Many Advantages Over Wood Patio Covers 1

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I have talked about the advantages and disadvantages of wood and Alumawood patio covers in the past but today I finally have some time to touch on some of the benefits of Alumawood. For starters, Alumawood patio covers are lightweight and since they seldom meet the 750 pound per post weight limit we usually can attach the post directly to an existing concrete slab instead of concrete footings. While using a concrete footing with a steel post embedded into the concrete is structurally better it is difficult to hide the cuts into the slab and there is always a different color shade where the old meets the new. An Alumawood patio cover, whether it is open lattice or the 3” insulated variety often offers a lower price provided the slab attachment meets the engineering requirements.

Alumawood Patio Covers offer Greater Space

One of the more useful options available with Alumawood patio covers that is not an easy option for wood patio covers is the post span or the distance between to vertical supporting post. While the limit without commercial size laminated beams in wood is twenty feet I have seen some open Alumawood patio covers span almost thirty feet between posts with structural steel inside the Alumawood beams straight off the standard engineering chart. Eliminating posts is a great way to give your patio area an open feel and offers a greater variety of options for patio sets and/or outdoor kitchens and barbacues.

Alumawood Patio Covers are Maintenance Free

The biggest advantage Alumawood has over wood though has to be the maintenance, or to be more specific, the lack of maintenance. Most materials offer a lifetime warranty. Since they know Aluminum takes decades to corrode this applies to the paint which has become incredibly resilient to the elements. Some manufacturers boast of porcelain infused paint while others rely on Teflon to offer a long lasting paint. While every contractor will claim the particular manufacturer they used is the greatest the world has ever known it is my opinion that they are all very good and in the fifteen years I have been in the patio business I have never heard of a warranty claim.

Installation Done Right

There is however a tremendous difference in the quality of installation and this boils down to the guy doing the installation. In my opinion the quality of the installation is 90% of a quality job and good installers are not cheap but I have found over the years it is better to make a little less than my competitors than havee put up with primidona installers who worry about phone calls when it rains. Our installers are simply the best, they take pride in their work and do the job right to ensure the patio will not leak come the rainy season. Its one of many reasons why the Patio Man has been Orange County’s most dependable Patio Cover contractors for over 25 years. You can read some of our Patio Cover Testimonials here and as always, feel free to call for a free quote or if you have any questions.

 

 

Best Wood for Orange County Patio Covers-Wood vs Rough? 0

wood rot on patio cover in orange county

A couple of quick things to talk about for todays Orange County Patio Blog mainly centering on the right choice or wood as well as the rising popularity of aluminum patio covers in Orange County.  Regardless which area is of interest to you I hope you enjoy reading it and find it a valuable source of information.

One of the things I have always found interesting is the different styles of patio covers throughout the United States. While plantation style homes in the south usually lean toward the French Colonial style of patio cover, here in Orange County the more traditional Patio Covers tend to lean toward the southwestern style which of course geographically make a lot of sense.

One of the distinctions, however, are whether or not the wood used for the cover is of the rough textured variety of lumber or the smooth type lumber. I always recommend the rough style of lumber. Not only does the rough style lumber lend itself to the Mission Viejo Ranch style patio cover, but it also serves a very important purpose here where we have the hot California summers.

While it may be debated and everyone has their opinion, solely based on the number of number of smooth wood covers that I have replaced over the years, I am of the opinion that for Orange County patio covers, the smooth wood is simply not a good fit for our climate as I have noticed they tend to have a far shorter lifespan than that of rough wood covers. I admit this is probably something very few people other than those in the patio cover business probably think about.

My theory on the rough vs smooth patio debate comes down to the fact that the paint used on rough lumber tends to absorb at a higher rate and serves to “protect” the wood at a higher rate than the smooth lumber. By creating a more effective seal, you are going to slow down the effects of wood rot, mold, termites, and other factors that may shorten the life of a wood patio cover in Orange County. One other small tidbits, that once again is probably bypassed from your garden variety patio cover installer is to paint the the butt ends of the wood used in the project.

I could see some contractors taking the short cut and not painting the ends simply figuring the home owner will never see it which is true, but the facts are once again painting that butt end means less exposed “raw” surface area where rot or insect damage may set in. The more surface area that is covered with either paint or primer means less surface area that will be exposed to the elements and other natural factors.  

Before I end today’s Blog I should also note the benefits of, and the increasing popularity of Alumawood patio covers. Basically every factor that can shorten and diminish the lifespan of a wood patio cover becomes a moot point when dealing with alumawood patio covers. I installed a pair of alumawood patio covers in Huntington Beach for my parents close to 15 years ago that still look as good today as the day I installed somewhere back in 1999 or thereabouts. With an aluminum patio cover maintenance means occasionally using the hose to spray it off every once in a while and that is that. And with today’s technology, alumawood patio covers can support the weight of hanging a ceiling fan, a flat screen tv, and even recessed lighting are all viable options.

 Regardless if you prefer a wooden patio cover to an alumawood patio cover, the PatioMan has years of experience in the field, and can ensure your next patio cover will not only be the perfect fit for your backyard, but also be installed correctly each and every time. Thats the PatioMan way and has been for over 25 years.

Welcome to the OC Patio Cover Blog! 0

Admiring my work

Welcome to our blog! With over 25 years of Orange County Patio Cover experience trust me, I have seen it all.  In our blog we will be having a lot of fun showing some before and after pictures of our latest projects. I take pride in all of my projects and in the regard the proof is in the pudding as gramma used to say. Most people would be amazed at how a new cover will be revitalize and reinvigorate your back yard.

We also plan on using our blog to go over some of the issues facing those who have an older wooden patio cover in their back yard due to wood rod, insect damage, and others factors that contribute to the aging and deterioration of wood covers. In particular we will talk about some of the issues facing those looking for simple repairs. While the homeowner may feel as if they are saving money by making a simply repair the fact is many times they are merely prolonging the inevitable and worse-what may look like a simply post or beam replacement often times can reveal and uncover extensive damage once we take a deeper, better look into the wood infrastructure. In particular, we see extensive termite damage in many older wooden covers that cant be seen with the naked eye.

We are also very excited with some of the partnerships we have made with many of the leading aluminum patio manufacturers that have given us access to some of the latest cutting edge accessories for aluminum patio covers.  From inset lighting and other cool electrical options to a wide assortment of colors and styles, we offer a virtually unlimited array of options for your back yard-with a full lifetime warranty to boot!

In short, we welcome you to read and take part in our blog. Have a question about a project? Feel free to call or email us or simply comment on our various blog posts! We will be reading and responding regularly and look forward to becoming part of your home remodeling and exterior home improvement project network of experts.