Call Our Patio Experts Today!
Call Our Patio Experts Today!
Covington has more patio and outdoor living companies advertising than most people expect for a town this size, which makes the choice harder, not easier. Everyone claims quality work and fair pricing. What actually separates a crew worth hiring from one you’ll regret comes down to a handful of specific questions most homeowners never think to ask.
This isn’t a sales pitch dressed up as advice. It’s the list of things that genuinely predict whether a St. Tammany outdoor project goes smoothly or turns into a headache, based on what actually goes wrong on jobs in this area.
These same questions apply whether you’re pricing a concrete patio, a patio cover, a pergola, or an awning system. The project changes, the vetting process shouldn’t.
Louisiana requires a state license for residential and commercial outdoor construction work above certain dollar thresholds, and Louisiana’s licensing board maintains a public lookup. A legitimate business won’t hesitate to give you a license number, and checking it takes a few minutes. This single step filters out a surprising share of the operators who cause the most problems, since unlicensed work often comes with no real insurance behind it either.
Ask about insurance specifically too: general liability and workers’ compensation coverage. If a worker is injured on your property and the company carries no coverage, that liability can land on you as the homeowner. It’s an uncomfortable question to ask, and it’s exactly the kind of question a legitimate outfit expects and answers without friction.
A company that prices a Covington patio project over the phone or from photos alone is guessing at the two things that actually drive cost and outcome here: soil condition and drainage. Our alluvial soil and high water table mean site prep varies significantly from lot to lot, and a quote built without seeing the ground is a quote that’s likely to change, usually upward, once work starts.
A real site visit includes walking the yard, checking grade and drainage patterns, and noting anything that will affect the build, mature trees, existing utilities, soil that looks disturbed from prior work. If a crew skips this step, that’s a signal worth paying attention to before you sign anything. This applies whether you’re building in Covington proper or a neighboring St. Tammany community like Mandeville or Madisonville.
Anyone can draw a nice-looking pergola or patio cover. Fewer companies can tell you, specifically, how the structure is engineered for St. Tammany’s wind exposure and soil conditions. Ask directly: is this design sealed by an engineer, and is that engineering sized for this specific site or a generic template? The answer tells you a lot about whether you’re getting a real structure or a kit assembled to look nice in a rendering.
This matters most for anything with a solid roof, since wind load on a covered structure is a real engineering problem, not a formality. A team that can’t answer clearly, or that gets defensive about the question, is worth reconsidering. It applies equally to an aluminum cover or a bioclimatic pergola system, both of which carry real wind load.
Drainage is the single most common source of complaints on outdoor living projects in this part of Louisiana, and it’s also the easiest thing to leave vague in a quote. Ask specifically how your project handles grading, slope, and where water goes once the new surface or roof is in place. A company that has a clear, specific answer is thinking about the whole lot, not just the patio itself.
Get that answer written into the scope of work, not just discussed verbally. If drainage isn’t mentioned in the agreement at all, that’s worth raising before signing, since it’s the detail most likely to become an expensive surprise after the first heavy storm.
Two quotes with very different numbers often aren’t pricing the same job. Compare what each includes: excavation depth, base material, slab thickness or paver specification, drainage work, and warranty terms. The lower quote is sometimes genuinely a better deal, and it’s sometimes missing scope that gets added back as a change order once work is underway.
Ask each company to itemize what’s included instead of accepting a single lump number. It takes a little more time upfront and it’s the clearest way to know you’re actually comparing the same project. Our project gallery and testimonials give a sense of finished work if you want to see examples before deciding.
The Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors maintains a public license lookup online. Ask for the license number and check it directly instead of taking their word for it. This confirms both that they’re licensed and that the license is current and in good standing.
Yes, but compare scopes carefully, not just the bottom-line number. A quote missing drainage work or proper base prep will come in lower and cost more later. Ask each company to break down what’s included so you’re comparing the same project across quotes.
Ask whether the structure design is sealed by a licensed engineer, and whether that engineering accounts for your specific site’s wind exposure and soil conditions instead of a generic template. This matters most for any covered structure with a solid roof.
A company that skips the site visit, won’t discuss drainage specifically, or gets vague when asked about licensing and insurance. None of these alone is disqualifying, but together they’re worth paying attention to before signing an agreement.
Planning an outdoor living project in Covington and want a team that does the site visit, the engineering, and the drainage work right? Big Easy Patio is licensed and insured across St. Tammany Parish. Call (504) 384-8978 or use our contact page to schedule a site walk.
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