Patio Covers in Porter Ranch, CA

Patio Covers in Porter Ranch are shaped by two things the neighborhood knows well: strong wind and wildfire. Winds here have been clocked at 70 mph, strong enough to topple trees, and fires have reached the neighborhood more than once, most recently the Saddleridge Fire on October 10, 2019, which forced a full evacuation and burned some homes in the eastern part of the neighborhood. A patio cover on one of these hillside lots needs to stay put in a gust and avoid adding fuel next to the house.

Lessons from 1988

In December 1988, a wind-driven fire burned about 3,000 acres, destroyed 13 Porter Ranch homes and damaged 23 others, mostly on Beaufait Avenue, and wood roof shingles were blamed for how bad it got. That history is a good argument for choosing noncombustible materials for anything attached to the house. For most Porter Ranch owners we suggest aluminum framing with solid, insulated or louvered roofs, or woodgrain-finished aluminum when you want the look of timber without the wood.

Permits through the City of Los Angeles

Porter Ranch is part of the City of Los Angeles, annexed in 1965, so patio covers here are permitted through the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, known as LADBS, not through LA County or Santa Clarita. The neighborhood is in City Council District 12 and has its own neighborhood council, but permits come from LADBS. We prepare the drawings for the city's process and confirm current requirements, including any that apply to a fire hazard zone, before we submit.

Planned communities and HOA review

Porter Ranch grew in stages after its 1965 annexation, and the Porter Ranch Specific Plan, adopted in 1989, guides development in the area. Shapell Homes backed much of the newer home construction, and neighborhoods such as Renaissance Summit sit at the highest point of Porter Ranch. Many planned communities have homeowners associations with design rules for exterior changes such as colors, roof styles and how far a structure can extend. If you have an HOA, we provide a written scope and drawings you can submit for approval before the permit stage.

Our work in Porter Ranch

• Aluminum patio covers: solid for full shade, insulated for hot afternoons, lattice for filtered light
• Louvered roof systems: adjustable blades for sun, shade or rain
• Pergolas: attached or freestanding, often over a pool deck or view terrace
• Wood patio covers: where rules and the site allow
• Lattice and shade covers: for walkways and side yards
• Repair and replacement: for older covers on tract homes from the 1960s and later

Older tracts and newer hillsides

Porter Ranch's first tract began in the early 1960s along San Fernando Mission Boulevard, west of Reseda Boulevard, and few homes existed north of Rinaldi Street before 1965. Homes from those earlier decades may have original covers that have sagged or been patched over the years. On the hillside streets, slopes and retaining walls often sit right where a cover would go, so we measure carefully and plan footings for the site.

Request your estimate

Porter Ranch sits just south of the Santa Susana Mountains, which separate the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys, so we come over from Santa Clarita. Call (661) 605-3157 to schedule a visit and get a free written estimate.

Call (661) 605-3157