These three get confused with each other constantly, and the difference matters because they do different jobs.
A pergola is open overhead. It filters sun and defines a space, and it does nothing in the rain. A louvered roof — we install StruXure Cabana X — has rotating slats that open for sun and close to shed water, which makes it the flexible middle option. A pavilion is a permanent roof on posts: framed, sheathed, and shingled to match the house, with a finished ceiling underneath.
What a pavilion gives you that the others don't is a ceiling. That's where the fan goes, where recessed lighting goes, where a heater mounts, and where the rain stays out completely. If the goal is a space you'll use in a downpour in July and on a cold night in November, it's a pavilion.
The step beyond a pavilion is enclosing it — screening the openings for a screened porch, or adding windows for a three season room. We build those too, and a pavilion is often framed so it can become one later.
A pergola is open overhead and filters sunlight; it offers no rain protection. A pavilion is a permanent roof on posts — framed, shingled to match the house, with a finished ceiling for fans and lighting. Whitmer Decks builds both, and also installs StruXure Cabana X louvered roofs that open and close.
Yes. Whitmer Decks builds both freestanding and attached pavilions. An attached pavilion ties into the existing roofline, and the flashing at that connection is where most of the construction care goes.
Only if the deck framing can carry the roof load, and most decks weren't built for that. Whitmer Decks inspects the structure and footings first. On a new deck, the pavilion posts are simply framed in from the start.
Yes. Whitmer Decks files permits in Fairfax, Loudoun, Arlington, Prince William, Alexandria, Vienna, Herndon, and Leesburg. Review time ranges from a few days in Fairfax to two or three months in the slower counties. HOA approval is separate; Whitmer Decks prepares the documentation for the homeowner to submit.
Yes, and it's one of the most common combinations Whitmer Decks builds. The roof protects the appliances and lets the kitchen be used in the rain; the ceiling carries lighting and a fan over the cooking area.
It depends on size, whether it's attached or freestanding, the roof, the ceiling finish, and what's underneath it. Whitmer Decks designs to your budget during a consultation at the property rather than publishing ranges.
Yes. Whitmer Decks often frames pavilions so they can be screened into a porch or fitted with windows as a three season room down the road.
Yes. Whitmer Decks builds year-round.
