Patio Covers, Decks & Porches in Beaumont, TX

What should you know about patio covers, decks and porches here?

Nine months of the year, the back yard in Southeast Texas is too hot, too wet or too buggy to enjoy without some shade and a roof over your head. A good patio cover or screened porch changes that. Rocha's General Construction builds covered patios, wood and composite decks, front and back porches and pergolas across Jefferson County, Orange County and Hardin County.

We build them to shed our rain and stand up to our wind.

What goes into a patio cover or deck?

A patio cover attached to the house is really a small roof addition. It has to tie into the existing roof or wall without creating a leak, carry its own load down to proper footings, and handle wind lifting from underneath. A lot of covers that came apart during Rita, Ike and Laura were nailed to the fascia board and nothing else. We tie the ledger into the wall framing, set posts on footings or on the slab with rated anchors, and use hurricane connectors at every post and rafter.

Roof options. Most attached covers get shingles to match the house. Where a cover ties into a low-slope roof, the roofing has to be rated for that slope. A cover built with the right pitch drains; one built too flat ponds water and leaks.

Freestanding covers and pergolas. A freestanding cover sits on its own posts and does not touch the house roof, which avoids tie-in leaks and suits pool areas and outdoor kitchens. A pergola gives filtered shade and a place to hang fans and lights, but it will not keep rain off. Gas lines and electrical for outdoor kitchens, fans and lights are done by licensed plumbers and electricians. We coordinate with licensed trades.

Decks. Pressure-treated pine is the standard framing here, rated for ground contact where it sits near the soil. For the deck surface, treated pine is affordable, and composite boards cost more but do not rot, splinter or need staining. In our humidity, the framing under composite still needs good ventilation and flashing at the house. Decks along bayous and low lots near the Neches or Pine Island Bayou may need to sit higher, and footings in wet ground need to go deeper.

Porches. Many older homes in Beaumont and Orange have wood porches with rotted decking, posts and beams. We rebuild porch framing, replace columns, and build new steps and railings.

In Jefferson County, patio covers and decks are on the Texas Department of Insurance list of work that falls under windstorm rules if you want to keep TWIA coverage on the home. We plan the inspection into the schedule when it applies. Orange and Hardin counties are outside the TDI windstorm area. Beaumont requires a building permit for covers and most decks, and we pull permits on the work we do. Many subdivisions in the Golden Triangle also have HOA rules on covers and setbacks, and we check those first.

Materials and methods

Pressure-treated posts, beams and joists, cedar and pine for exposed framing, composite decking and fascia, hurricane ties, post bases and structural screws, concrete for footings, architectural shingles, flashing and ice-and-water membrane at tie-ins, exterior stain and paint, post hole auger, framing crews with saws and levels.

How does a patio cover or deck run?

1. 01

   We look at the space, where the sun hits in the afternoon, how water drains off the house and the yard, and what you want to do out there.

2. 02

   We sketch the cover or deck, pick the roof tie-in or freestanding design, and give you a written estimate with materials listed.

3. 03

   Permits and HOA approval, then materials are ordered.

4. 04

   Footings, posts and beams go in first. Then the rafters or joists, connectors, and the roof deck or decking surface.

5. 05

   Roofing and flashing are installed and tied into the house. Licensed trades run any lighting, fan or gas lines.

6. 06

   We finish with trim, paint or stain as scoped, cleanup, and a walkthrough.

Why hire Rocha's General Construction?

The part of a patio cover that matters most is where it meets your house. We flash and tie it in like a roof, because it is one.

You get a drawing, a written price and a permit on the work we do. Our office is in Groves, near Beaumont, and we build for hurricane season, not just for photos.