A pavilion is a roofed structure that stands free in the yard, apart from the house. It puts a solid roof over a patio, a seating area by the pool or an outdoor kitchen, and its open sides let the breeze through while the roof blocks the sun and the rain from above.
What we build
- Backyard pavilions that stand free in the yard, with no connection to the house
- Outdoor pavilions over a paver patio, for a dining table or a seating group in the shade
- Pavilions beside a pool, for shade at the water's edge
- Pavilions over an outdoor kitchen, with the grill island under the roof
- The stonework that goes with them: patios, pool surrounds, walkways, seating walls and fire pits
How a pavilion compares
| Pavilion | Covered porch | Pergola | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overhead | A solid roof | A solid roof | Open beams |
| Where it stands | Free in the yard | Against the house, roof tied in | Over a patio, a deck or a kitchen |
| Rain | Off from above; wind can blow it in at the sides | Off from above; wind can blow it in at the sides | Falls through |
| Sun | Shade under the roof | Shade under the roof | Filtered shade |
If filtered light matters more to you than rain cover, a pergola keeps the sky open. Both belong to our porches and decks work, with decks, screened porches, three-season rooms and front porticos.
Picturing a pavilion out back?
Phone us or use the form to book a free visit, and we will stand where the roof would go and price it in writing.
Where We Build Pavilions
From our shop on Gum Spring Road in Chantilly, we build pavilions across Loudoun, Fairfax and Prince William counties. Where the county wants a permit for one, we draw the plans and file the application.
What drives the cost to build a pavilion?
The size of the roof and what is built with it drive most of the price. After we have seen the yard, we give you one firm written price for the whole project rather than a range, and these are the parts that move it:
- Size and height: how much ground the roof covers and how tall the posts are
- The roof: its shape and what it is covered with
- What it stands on: a new patio built with it, or an existing surface
- What goes under it: an outdoor kitchen, its counters and the appliances
- A fireplace or a fire pit planned with it
- Gas and power, run by licensed trades under permit
- Access: how easily materials and equipment reach the spot
Can a backyard pavilion be attached to the house?
Not as a pavilion: once the roof is fastened to the house, it is a covered porch. A pavilion stands on its own posts out in the yard. If you want shelter right outside the back door, a covered porch is the better fit, with its roof framed into the house and flashed where it meets the wall.
Can you build a backyard pavilion with a fireplace?
A fireplace and a pavilion can be planned as one project, since we build both. Our masons build stone outdoor fireplaces with chimneys on concrete footings, with the hearth and the wood storage built into the masonry. The chimney has to carry the smoke up and clear of the roof, so the fireplace and the pavilion are drawn together, and a gas fireplace gets its line from a licensed gas fitter under permit.
Where should a pavilion go in the yard?
Where you want shade and shelter out in the yard: over a patio, beside a pool or over an outdoor kitchen. The county's zoning rules set how close it can stand to the property lines, and in Brambleton, South Riding and much of Ashburn the architectural review board also has a say in where it stands and how it looks; we put together the drawings, samples and product sheets for that review, and we settle the spot with you at the estimate.
