Patio roofs are a great way to provide shade and a sense of enclosure to outdoor decks. And, in some cases, patio roofs can be built more easily and affordably when a deck already exists to serve as a foundation.

Where local building codes allow this practice, you can bolt a patio overhead's posts directly to existing deck beams, joists, or other heavy structural members. Or, you can lag-screw through post bases and decking into the top of a deck joist or beam.

When bolting to the deck's structure, be sure to use heavy-duty galvanized lag screws that are long enough to penetrate the deck's framing by at least 2 inches.