Portland gives you about four usable outdoor months uncovered. A properly built cover makes it nine. The whole project rises or falls on one detail: where the new roof meets your old one.
Both are good. They’re good at different things, and one of them costs meaningfully more.
Year-round rain protection, no moving parts, the lower price. Skylights or translucent panels keep it from turning the adjacent room into a cave — because an honest downside first: a solid cover does darken the rooms behind it, and we design around that from the first drawing rather than letting you discover it in December.
Best for: rain-first briefs, dining areas, most budgets.
Open for July sun, sealed for November rain, adjustable everything between. The trades: it costs substantially more than a solid roof, and it’s a machine — motors and pivots that want an occasional service. When the budget carries it, it’s the most livable structure we build.
Best for: sun-and-rain flexibility, entertaining spaces.
Tying a new roof into an existing wall or roofline without leaks is the whole craft of this work. Here’s what we do at that line:
Solid-roof covers typically land in the $15,000–$35,000 range on our builds; louvered systems run $30,000–$60,000+ depending on size and options. Site, attachment, and engineering move the number — the consultation produces yours in writing.
Ranges to confirm against job history — see website-plan.md appendix.
The consultation looks at your roofline, your light, and how you actually use the space — then recommends solid or louvered with a straight face and a written number.
or call Tim: (503) 597-8520