Patio enclosures in Riverside CA - screens or glass, sealed where it counts
Bugs, dust or heat keeping you off the patio? We close it in with screens, glass or a mix that fits how you use it.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What does it take to enclose a patio in Riverside?
A patio enclosure in Riverside closes in the open sides of your patio with wall panels, windows and doors. It uses your existing roof and slab, or new ones where they need it, so you get a room you can use even when bugs, dust or weather would chase you inside.
Most of my calls at Sunward Riverside Sunrooms & Patios come from people who already have a cover and a slab and want to use that space more of the year. The price mostly depends on how much work the cover and slab need first, whether you choose screens, glass or insulated panels, and how many doors and windows go in. The schedule depends on that same roof and slab work and on whether your job needs a permit. If you don't have a cover yet, patio cover installation can come first. We're based in Riverside and work in many of the cities around it in Riverside County and San Bernardino County, and your own figure comes in the written estimate after I've seen the patio.
How do you know it's time to close in your patio?
Bugs and leaves everywhere
If you sweep the patio every morning and the cushions live in the garage, the open sides are letting in more than air. Waiting usually means more wear on the furniture and a patio you mostly look at through the slider.
Too hot by mid-afternoon
When the sun hits one side of the patio hard, the space sits empty right when you'd want to use it. That usually means one wall needs to be solid or shaded, and leaving it open means another summer indoors.
Dust and rain blowing in
Grit on the table after a windy day or puddles by the back door tell you weather is coming in sideways under the cover. If water keeps reaching the door and the house wall, it can start doing damage there.
How we build patio enclosures
I start by asking how you want the space to feel, open to the breeze or closed in from dust and rain, because that decides screens or glass before anything else does. Sometimes the best answer is a mix, with solid panels on the sunniest wall and glass on the rest, and that's also a practical way to balance comfort against cost. Next I check whether your cover can serve as the roof and whether the slab is ready to build on, and we sort out either one before any walls go up. Then our installers and I frame the open sides, set the wall panels, windows and doors, and seal the bottom track and the line against the house so water stays outside.
If you'd rather have a room shaped around the house than around the cover you already have, custom sunrooms give us more room to design. When the job grows into a new roof, new footings and full framing, it's really sunroom construction, and we plan it that way from the first visit.
Screen room
This suits you if you want the breeze and the evening air without the bugs and blowing leaves. It's usually the lighter, simpler project, but it won't hold back heat, dust or rain.
Glass enclosure
This suits you if you want shelter from cold, heat, dust storms and rain. With the summer heat here, shade, an insulated roof and Low-E glass, which is made to cut heat, matter more than most people expect.
Find out what your patio needs before it's enclosed
We reply within one business day to set up a time for me to come out. The estimate is free, done at your home and comes with no obligation. I measure, look over your cover and slab, and send you a written estimate.
(951) 394-2905Building a patio enclosure in Riverside
The city decides whether your patio enclosure needs a permit, and I won't guess at that for you. The city's building permit page says the forms that go with a permit application depend on your scope of work, and its permit counter staff can answer questions about which forms apply. When your job needs a permit, we find out which office covers your address, prepare and file the paperwork, and meet the inspector on site. I'll tell you plainly what we know and what's still up to the city or county.
Most patios we see around Riverside already have a cover and a slab, and the afternoon sun on west-facing ones is usually what gets people to close them in. We find the same mix of aluminum and lattice covers on jobs in Moreno Valley and Corona, so I look at the cover first everywhere.
What happens when you call about a patio enclosure in Riverside?
Call or send a request
Call (951) 394-2905 or use the form, and we'll get back to you to set up a visit. Tell us roughly what you have now, a cover, a slab or both.
I come out and measure
I measure, look over the cover, the slab and the wall they meet, and ask how you'll use the room. You get a written estimate that spells out what's in the price, including any roof or slab work, so none of it surprises you later.
We handle permits and build
Once you're ready, we take care of the permit paperwork if your job needs a permit. Our installers and I build the room, and licensed trades come in if you're adding electrical or heating and cooling.
Walk through the finished room
At the end we walk through the room with you, open and close every door and window, and look at the seals together. You'll know how each piece works before we leave.
Frequently asked questions
Can my lattice patio cover become the roof of an enclosed room?
Not as it is, because a lattice or open-slat cover has to be replaced or topped with solid panels before it can roof an enclosed room. A solid aluminum cover in good shape is a much better place to start. If you have one, ask about an insulated roof panel upgrade, which can make the finished room a lot more comfortable.
How do I know if my slab will work as the base for a patio enclosure?
Most enclosures sit on the existing slab, and it usually works if it's fairly level, not badly cracked and hasn't settled. A slab that slopes too much, has cracked or has sunk may need leveling or repair first, and one that stops short of the cover's edge may need extending. I check the slab when I measure, because what the room sits on is the last thing I want to guess about.
How much does a patio enclosure cost in Riverside?
Your price depends on your own patio, so we put it in a written estimate after I've seen the cover and slab instead of quoting a number over the phone. The biggest swings come from roof work on a lattice cover, slab repair or extending, the mix of screen, glass and solid panels, and how many doors and windows you want. Call (951) 394-2905 to set up a visit.
Who needs a state license to build a patio enclosure in California?
Under California's rules, anyone who builds or alters a structure needs a license from the Contractors State License Board when the job needs a building permit, uses any additional workers, or comes to $1,000 or more in labor and materials. If you're hiring someone unlicensed for a small piece of work, the state's guidance says to make sure before you sign that they'll use no workers and that the job needs no building permits.
How much can a contractor ask as a down payment on a home improvement job in California?
In California, the down payment on a home improvement contract can't be more than $1,000 or ten percent of the contract price, whichever is less. Finance charges don't count toward that contract price, so you can work out the most a contractor can ask up front before you sign.
How do I keep the doors and windows on a patio enclosure sliding smoothly?
Keep the tracks clean inside and out and use a pure silicone spray on them, which is what one enclosure maker's care guide advises. The same guide warns against oil-based lubricant because it tends to attract dirt, and it says to keep the weep holes, the small openings that let water drain out, clear. Check the care guide for the panels on your own room, because that maker's instructions are the ones to follow.
Riverside, CA
Show us your patio cover and slab
Have a few photos of the cover and slab and the patio's rough size ready when you call or fill out the form, and our first conversation will go a lot further.