Custom Pavilions & Cabanas in Charleston, SC

Beside a pool, a freestanding covered structure changes how the whole backyard gets used. It gives swimmers shade to retreat to, gives everyone else a comfortable place to sit, and turns an afternoon by the water into somewhere you can spend a full day.

Poolside builds are often described as pool cabanas — typically with more privacy or partial enclosure on one or more sides — or as pool pavilions, which stay open on all sides for airflow and sightlines to the water. We build both, and the choice usually comes down to how exposed the spot is and whether you want a screened-off feel.

If you need enclosed space for changing, storage, or a bathroom rather than just cover, look at pool houses.

A-frame and steep gable roofs give you height and a dramatic vaulted ceiling inside the structure. They read as a statement piece in the yard and carry a stained tongue-and-groove ceiling beautifully.

Hip roofs slope on all four sides for a lower, more tailored profile that often sits more quietly against a home with a similar roofline.

Lean-to designs use a single slope, which works well when the structure needs to tuck against a fence line, a garage, or a tighter corner of the yard.

Away from the pool, a pavilion works as the anchor for the part of the yard you actually want people to use — a dining table under a solid roof, a lounge around a fireplace, or a covered spot for the grill that works in the rain.

Because a pavilion has a solid roof rather than an open frame, it holds up as a shelter in Lowcountry summer downpours and gives you full shade through the hottest hours. Pair it with an outdoor kitchen and it becomes a genuine second living space.

Pavilion — freestanding, solid roof, typically rectangular with an A-frame, gable, or hip design. Full shade and rain cover.

Cabana — usually a poolside structure, often with privacy or partial enclosure on one or more sides. In practice, many cabanas are pavilions finished for poolside use.

Gazebo — traditionally rounded or many-sided in footprint. Not technically the same as a pavilion, though the word is often used loosely for any standalone roofed backyard structure.

Pergola — an open-framed structure with rafters instead of a solid roof, for filtered shade and an airier feel. See Pergolas.

Describe what you are picturing on a free pre-planning call and we will help you land on the right structure — the name matters far less than how you want to use the space.