With hot, dry summers and snowy winters, Cottonwood Heights experiences all four seasons. Residents head up the nearby canyons for hiking, biking and skiing, so outdoor spaces need to be flexible. Our Construction solutions are tailored to this lifestyle: we install durable hardscapes and drainage to handle seasonal runoff, add shade structures and fire features for year‑round comfort, and design landscapes that echo the mountain setting while conserving water.

The right structure depends on how much shade you want, your yard's orientation, and how the structure will integrate with your home and existing hardscape.

Open-roof pergola — The most common choice. Heavy timber or aluminum beams with open slat spacing overhead. Provides filtered shade, defined outdoor room feel, and is ideal for climbing plants or string lighting. Works best on south or west-facing yards where filtered light is preferred over full shade.

Louvered pergola — Adjustable aluminum louvers that rotate from fully open to fully closed. Controls shade and rain protection without a permanent roof. Premium option; mechanized versions can be motorized.

Solid patio cover (attached) — A full roof structure attached to the home's fascia, typically matching the roofline pitch. Provides complete weather protection. Requires a permit in most Utah municipalities and must be engineered for snow load.

Freestanding shade structure — Not attached to the house. Can be positioned anywhere on the property — over a pool deck, at the far end of a patio, or at the center of a large yard. Foundation requirements depend on size and local wind exposure.

The shade structures that work best on a property are the ones that were part of the design from the beginning — not added as an afterthought to an existing patio. When a pergola is designed alongside the patio below it, the post footings land in the right place, the electrical rough-in for lighting and ceiling fans is coordinated with the concrete pour, and the overhead structure frames the view from inside the house the way the owner intended.

At Pitt Landscape & Construction, shade structures are typically part of larger outdoor living builds: a pergola over an outdoor kitchen, a patio cover anchoring one end of a full hardscape installation, or a freestanding structure defining the entertainment zone of a complete landscape build. The license and experience to coordinate structural, electrical, concrete, and landscape scope under one contract is what makes these projects work.