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Outdoor Living · Dallas-Fort Worth · (469) 850-7087

Outdoor living spaces,
built for Texas weather.

Q: How much does an outdoor living space cost in DFW?

It ranges from about $8K for a pergola to $150K+ for a full covered patio with an outdoor kitchen and fireplace. By piece in 2026: covered patio $15K-$45K, outdoor kitchen $15K-$60K, screened porch $20K-$55K, sunroom (3-season) $35K-$90K, pergola $8K-$25K, and outdoor fireplace or fire pit $6K-$20K. Size, finish tier, and how much gas/water/electrical the build needs are the big swing factors.

Q: Do you need a permit to build a covered patio or outdoor kitchen in DFW?

Usually yes. A roofed or enclosed structure, gas lines, and added electrical or plumbing all require permits across DFW cities, and a structure attached to the house needs an engineered foundation and structural sign-off. A simple freestanding pergola or a portable fire pit often doesn't. UHS pulls the building permit, coordinates the licensed electrician and plumber for their trade permits, and handles HOA architectural review.

Q: Can you actually use an outdoor living space year-round in Texas?

Yes, if it's designed for the climate. For 100-degree summers that means deep shade or a solid roof, ceiling fans, and good orientation away from the west sun; for cool winter evenings, a fireplace or heaters and optional screen or glass walls. A bare uncovered slab gets used a few weeks a year in DFW; a covered, shaded, fan-cooled patio with a fire feature gets used most of it.

Q: What's the difference between a sunroom, a screened porch, and a covered patio?

They're a spectrum from open to enclosed. A covered patio is roofed but open on the sides - the most affordable and the most outdoors. A screened porch adds screen walls to keep bugs out while staying open to the air. A sunroom is fully enclosed with windows; a 3-season sunroom isn't climate-controlled, while a 4-season room is heated and cooled and counts as real living square footage and costs the most.

Covered patios, outdoor kitchens, sunrooms, and full outdoor living additions across DFW – designed and built by one accountable team. Since 2014 we’ve completed 5,875+ projects. We’re fully insured, we pull every permit, and we build for 100° summers and clay soil, not a catalog photo.

Let’s Discuss Your Vision →(469) 850-7087

5,875+

DFW projects

4.9★

500+ reviews

$8K-$150K+

Project range

Modern travertine outdoor kitchen with a built-in grill, a large island with bar seating, and a retractable louvered roof

Outdoor Living · 2026

The short answer

How much does an outdoor living space cost in DFW?

In Dallas-Fort Worth, an outdoor living project runs from about $8K for a pergola to $150K+ for a full covered-patio, kitchen, and fireplace build. By piece in 2026: a covered patio is $15K-$45K, an outdoor kitchen is $15K-$60K, a screened porch is $20K-$55K, a sunroom (3-season) is $35K-$90K (a fully conditioned 4-season room runs higher), a pergola is $8K-$25K, and an outdoor fireplace or fire pit is $6K-$20K. Two Texas-specific things move every number that most pages skip: a roofed or enclosed structure attaches to the house and sits on a slab or piers, so on our Blackland clay it needs real foundation work and a permit; and if you want to actually use it in July, shade, ceiling fans, and heat strips are the difference between a patio you love and one you avoid five months a year. We price all of that honestly up front. See where your budget fits with our cost calculator.

01 · Outdoor living, by type

Ways to extend the house outdoors

Covered Patio

A permanent roofed structure that ties into the house roofline and turns the back of the home into a true second living room – shade, fans, and lighting included. The backbone of most DFW outdoor builds.

$15K-$45K·The backbone build

Outdoor Kitchen

Built-in grill, counters, and storage – up to a full island with a sink, fridge, and pizza oven. We run the gas, water, and weatherproof power lines and finish in materials that survive Texas sun.

$15K-$60K·Grill to full island

Sunroom / 3-Season Room

An enclosed, screened or glassed room off the house – the bridge between a porch and a real addition. A 3-season room is cheaper; a conditioned 4-season room counts as living space and costs more.

$35K-$90K·Porch-to-addition bridge

Screened Porch

A covered patio with screen walls – the DFW sweet spot for keeping mosquitoes out while staying open to the breeze. Add a fireplace or fans and it stretches the usable season on both ends.

$20K-$55K·Breeze in, bugs out

Pergola & Shade Structures

An open or louvered overhead structure that defines a space and cuts the sun without a full roof. Motorized louvered roofs cost more but let you control light and rain at the touch of a button.

$8K-$25K·Define a space, cut the sun

Outdoor Fireplace & Fire Pit

The anchor that makes a patio usable on a cool DFW evening – from a gas fire pit to a full stone fireplace with a chimney and hearth seating. Gas runs and clearances are part of doing it to code.

$6K-$20K·The evening anchor

Full Outdoor Living Addition

The whole package: a covered patio with an outdoor kitchen, a fireplace, fans, lighting, and finished flooring, designed as one space. Priced as a project, not a parts list – and where the design really pays off.

$50K-$150K+·The whole package

Outdoor Living + Pool Deck

Tie a new covered patio and kitchen into an existing or planned pool – coordinated decking, drainage, and a cabana or bath so the backyard works as one finished space, not three separate projects.

Scoped to project·Backyard as one space

The look · DFW

Outdoor living spaces we build

Modern wood-paneled outdoor kitchen with a built-in grill, a pizza oven, and warm evening lighting

Modern outdoor kitchenDFW

Covered patio outdoor kitchen with a wood pergola, a pizza oven, and bar seating at dusk

Covered patio & pizza ovenDFW

02 · 2026 cost ranges

DFW outdoor living costs

Real Dallas-Fort Worth ranges, all-in (design, materials, labor, foundation, and permits). Your number depends on size, finish tier, and how much gas/water/electrical the build needs. Benchmarked against NARI and Cost vs. Value data.

Project

Typical range

What drives the price

Pergola / shade structure

$8K-$25K

Wood vs. aluminum vs. a motorized louvered roof; size and footing type.

Outdoor fireplace / fire pit

$6K-$20K

Gas fire pit vs. a full masonry fireplace with chimney; stone selection and gas runs.

Covered patio

$15K-$45K

Square footage, roof tie-in, ceiling finish, fans and lighting, slab or pier foundation.

Outdoor kitchen

$15K-$60K

Grill-and-counter vs. a full island with sink, fridge, and appliances; gas, water, and power runs.

Screened porch

$20K-$55K

Size, screen system, whether it includes a fireplace, fans, or finished ceiling.

Sunroom (3-season)

$35K-$90K

A conditioned 4-season room costs more – it’s heated/cooled living space with its own HVAC.

Full outdoor living addition

$50K-$150K+

Covered patio + kitchen + fireplace + finishes, designed and built as one space.

Sources: nari.org · remodeling.hw.net · UHS Remodeling DFW project data

03 · How it goes

From idea to first cookout

Consult

We walk the yard, talk about how you’ll really use it, and set an honest budget range before any drawings.

Design

Layout, roofline tie-in, materials, and where the kitchen, fire, and shade go – with a fixed scope.

Engineer & permit

Foundation engineered for clay soil, structural sign-off, and the city building permit – we pull it, plus HOA review.

Build

Foundation, structure, roof, gas/water/electrical, and finishes – one daily site lead, weekly updates.

Walkthrough

We test everything, hand it over, and back it with a written 3-year workmanship warranty.

From the field · Dallas-Fort Worth

“The patios people actually use are the ones designed for the heat first. I start with orientation and shade, because where the sun lands at five o’clock in July decides everything. Get that right, add a fan and a fire feature for the cooler months, and you have a room you live in most of the year. Skip it and you have a beautiful slab you avoid all summer.”

May N.

Co-Founder & Design Lead, UHS Remodeling

04 · Keep exploring

Where to go next

See real budgets and before-and-afters in our case studies, or estimate your project with the remodeling cost calculator.

06 · Questions, answered

Outdoor living FAQs

Straight answers on cost, permits, value, and using a patio through a Texas summer. For a personalized number, start with our cost calculator.

How much does an outdoor living space cost in DFW?

It ranges from about $8K for a pergola to $150K+ for a full covered patio with an outdoor kitchen and fireplace. By piece in 2026: covered patio $15K-$45K, outdoor kitchen $15K-$60K, screened porch $20K-$55K, sunroom (3-season) $35K-$90K, pergola $8K-$25K, and outdoor fireplace or fire pit $6K-$20K. Size, finish tier, and how much gas/water/electrical the build needs are the big swing factors. Estimate yours with our cost calculator.

Do you need a permit to build a covered patio or outdoor kitchen in DFW?

Usually yes. A roofed or enclosed structure, gas lines, and added electrical or plumbing all require permits across DFW cities, and a structure attached to the house needs an engineered foundation and structural sign-off. A simple freestanding pergola or a portable fire pit often doesn’t. UHS pulls the building permit, coordinates the licensed electrician and plumber for their trade permits, and handles HOA architectural review – which most DFW subdivisions require for anything visible in the backyard.

Can you actually use an outdoor living space year-round in Texas?

Yes, if it’s designed for the climate – which is the whole game. For our 100° summers, that means deep shade or a solid roof, ceiling fans, and good orientation away from the west sun; for cool winter evenings, a fireplace or heaters and optional screen or glass walls. A bare uncovered slab gets used a few weeks a year in DFW; a covered, shaded, fan-cooled patio with a fire feature gets used most of it. We design for the months you’ll actually be out there.

Does an outdoor living space add value to a home?

In Texas, more than in most markets – outdoor living is a top buyer priority here, and a well-built covered patio or outdoor kitchen is one of the more desirable backyard features in DFW. Like most large remodels, a high-end outdoor build won’t always return 100% of its cost dollar-for-dollar at resale, but it adds real, usable living space and strong buyer appeal. The honest take: build it primarily to enjoy your home, with resale as a bonus. See NARI for national remodeling-value data.

What’s the difference between a sunroom, a screened porch, and a covered patio?

They’re a spectrum from open to enclosed. A covered patio is roofed but open on the sides – the most affordable and the most “outdoors.” A screened porch adds screen walls to keep bugs out while staying open to the air. A sunroom is fully enclosed with windows; a 3-season sunroom isn’t climate-controlled, while a 4-season room is heated and cooled and counts as real living square footage (and costs the most). Which one is right depends on how you want to use it and your budget – we’ll walk you through the tradeoffs.

How long does it take to build an outdoor living space?

After design and permitting, active construction usually runs 3-5 weeks for a covered patio, 4-8 weeks for a patio with an outdoor kitchen, and 8-12 weeks for a sunroom or a full outdoor living addition. The honest part competitors leave out: design, engineering, permitting, and HOA review happen before that clock starts and can add several weeks, and concrete cure time plus city inspections set the pace. We build schedules with real buffers, not best-case fiction.

Who builds outdoor living spaces in Dallas–Fort Worth?

UHS Remodeling designs and builds outdoor living spaces – covered patios, outdoor kitchens, sunrooms, screened porches, and full additions – across DFW, from Plano and Frisco to McKinney, Allen, and Dallas. As a design-build team since 2014, we handle the design, the engineered foundation, the permits, and the build under one contract. We’re fully insured and pull every permit. Start with a free consultation: Let’s Discuss Your Vision.

07 · Let’s talk

Ready to build
your backyard?

Let’s Discuss Your Vision →(469) 850-7087

Outdoor living spaces,built for Texas weather.

How much does an outdoor living space cost in DFW?

Ways to extend the house outdoors

Outdoor living spaces we build

DFW outdoor living costs

From idea to first cookout

Where to go next

Outdoor living across Dallas-Fort Worth

Outdoor living FAQs

Ready to buildyour backyard?

Outdoor living spaces,
built for Texas weather.

Ready to build
your backyard?