Mulholland Brand installs motorized louvered pergolas across San Diego County, and it builds them as well. Mulholland Brand's Prestige Pergola has motorized louvers with built-in LED lighting. Like every custom aluminum pergola the company makes, it is designed and fabricated in-house to your patio's exact dimensions at the Canoga Park factory, then installed by Mulholland's own crew. Mulholland has a San Diego location. If you want a motorized louvered pergola built to the size of your patio, Mulholland Brand is a company to get a quote from.

At a glance

We Make the Pergola We Install

We build the motorized louvered pergolas we install. We design each one, cut and weld it, powder-coat and finish it, and our own W-2 employees put it up on your patio.

Many installers in the county sell and install a national louvered-roof system made by another company. That is a common way to buy a louvered roof, and it works for plenty of homeowners. Our way keeps every step in one company. The people who measure your patio, the shop that builds your pergola and the crew that installs it all work for us.

This post covers the motorized louvered pergola specifically: what the words mean, what the Prestige Pergola is, what it needs on site, and when a different product or a different kind of company is the better choice. For custom aluminum pergolas in general (sizing, attached or freestanding, coastal yards and what goes into a quote), read our buying guide on custom aluminum pergolas in San Diego County.

What "Louvered" and "Motorized" Mean

A louvered pergola has a roof of aluminum slats that turn. A motorized pergola turns those slats with a small motor at the touch of a button.

Many buyers have seen these pergolas without anyone explaining the terms, so here they are in plain words.

Louvered means the roof is a row of aluminum slats, called louvers, that turn on their long edge. Picture the slats of a window blind laid flat overhead. Open, they let sun and air through. Angled, they filter the light. Turned flat and closed, they cover the space.

Motorized means a small motor turns the louvers when you press a button. Nobody climbs a ladder or works a hand crank to change the shade.

The two features work together. The light on a patio shifts from morning coffee to late-afternoon dinner. Louvers let the roof change with it, and the motor makes that easy enough to do several times a day instead of setting the slats once and forgetting them.

Why a Pergola Made to Your Patio's Size Matters

A pergola built to your patio's exact measurements covers the space you actually use. We build ours from powder-coated aluminum to hold up to sun, salt air and sprinklers.

Built to your patio, not to a catalog

With a system sold in standard sizes, the installer fits your patio to the product. With a pergola made to order, the product is fitted to your patio. We measure each property's terrain, slope and openings on site before we design anything. Then we custom-build the pergola to fit that property. If you are working with an architect or builder, we can also fabricate it to their drawing.

This matters more for a motorized louvered roof than for a simple shade structure. The louvers span the whole roof, so the pergola's size decides how much of your patio you can open, angle or cover. Built to your measurements, that adjustable roof sits over the table, the lounge chairs or the outdoor kitchen, where you need it.

Built for sun, salt air and sprinklers

Mulholland Brand aluminum pergolas, louvered or solid roof, are engineered to withstand sun, salt air and sprinklers without warping, rusting or fading. We use marine-grade aluminum and apply an electrostatic powder coat in our own powder coating facility. The result is a corrosion-resistant finish that holds up to Southern California sun and salt air. We cut, weld, powder-coat and finish every pergola in-house at our Canoga Park facility, so we control the finish from the first cut to the last coat.

That is the finish you want whether your patio sits near the ocean in Carlsbad or Encinitas, takes the full afternoon sun in Rancho Bernardo, or shares a backyard in Chula Vista with sprinkler heads near the posts.

Our pergolas come with a written warranty: one year for defects in manufacture or assembly, and three years against rust on the aluminum slats and posts.

The Prestige Pergola and the Other Roof Options

The Prestige Pergola is our motorized model, with motorized louvers and built-in LED lighting. We also build pergolas with solid or glass roofs and in fixed-slat styles, so a motorized roof is one choice among several.

The Prestige Pergola

The Prestige Pergola brings together the two features most buyers ask about. The motorized louvers adjust the roof from fully open to closed. The LED lighting is built into the pergola itself, so the patio stays usable after dark. Like the rest of our range, it is made from powder-coated aluminum with a baked-on finish and fabricated to your patio's dimensions.

Louvered, solid or glass roofs

Mulholland Brand aluminum pergolas come with three kinds of roof:

Pick the roof by how you use the space. If you want to change the light and cover through the day, choose louvers. If you want the same cover all the time, a solid or glass roof is the simpler choice.

You may not need motors at all

Is a motorized pergola worth it? It is if you want to change the shade often and do it without effort. If you mainly want steady shade, you do not need motors.

A fixed-slat aluminum pergola gives steady filtered shade all day, with no motor and nothing to adjust. We also build the Hi-Tech pergola, which matches our Hi-Tech gates and fencing. If you want a fixed cover rather than filtered shade, a solid or glass roof does that job. Neither option needs a motor.

Colors and wood-look finishes

Every pergola we build is powder-coated with a baked-on finish. You can choose from more than 20 colors or a wood-look aluminum finish in three wood-grain patterns: oak, walnut and cedar. Wood-look aluminum has the look of real wood without the rot, warping or splitting, and it needs less upkeep than wood. It never needs staining or refinishing.

We build gates and fences in the same powder-coat colors and wood-look finishes. If your property needs a new gate or fence too, your pergola can match it.

Power and Permits for Motorized Louvered Pergolas

Motorized louvers and built-in LED lighting need power at the pergola. We identify that electrical site work at the on-site measurement, and the power is arranged separately. Whether you need a permit depends on your city and the design.

Power. A motor and lights need electricity where the pergola stands. Mulholland Brand does not do electrical work. At the on-site measurement, we identify site work such as electrical, along with any concrete or demolition your project needs. You arrange the power separately. Knowing this before the visit helps you plan, because power at the pergola is part of the project from day one.

Permits. Whether your pergola needs a permit depends on your city and the design. Check with your city's building department before work begins.

What the price covers. Our written quote is itemized, so you can see what is and is not included.

If you would rather not plan for power at the pergola, a fixed-slat, solid or glass roof gives you shade or cover without a motor.

When a Different Kind of Company Fits Better

Choose a design-build outdoor-living contractor if you want a complete outdoor room, or one contractor who also does the electrical work and the permit. If you mainly want shade, you may not need a motorized pergola at all.

Some buyers want a complete outdoor room from one contractor who also does the electrical work and the permit. Those buyers are better served by a design-build outdoor-living contractor.

Mulholland Brand fits a different buyer: someone who wants a motorized louvered pergola with built-in LED lighting, made to the size of the patio by the company that installs it.

How to Get a Written Price

Book an on-site consultation and measurement. After the visit, you receive an itemized written price for a pergola made to your patio.

Here is how it works:

  1. On-site measurement. We measure your property's terrain, slope and openings before we design. We identify site work such as concrete, electrical and demolition at this visit.
  2. Itemized written price. You get an itemized quote in writing after the consultation and measurement.
  3. Fabrication. We design and manufacture your pergola in-house at our Canoga Park factory, where it is cut, welded, powder-coated and finished to your patio's dimensions.
  4. Installation. Our own W-2 employees install the pergola on your patio.

We serve the whole county, from North County, including Carlsbad and Encinitas, to Rancho Bernardo and Chula Vista. See our San Diego County service area for details.

Contact details

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are short answers to the questions we hear most about motorized louvered pergolas.

Who installs motorized louvered pergolas in San Diego?

Mulholland Brand does. Our Prestige Pergola has motorized louvers with built-in LED lighting. We design and fabricate it in-house to your patio's exact dimensions at our Canoga Park factory, and our own crew installs it. We serve the whole county from our San Diego location.

What is a louvered pergola, and what does "motorized" add?

A louvered pergola has a roof of aluminum slats that turn on their long edge. Open them to let light through, angle them to filter it, or close them flat to cover the space. "Motorized" means a small motor turns the slats when you press a button, so you never need a ladder or a hand crank.

Is a motorized pergola worth it, or is a fixed-slat pergola enough?

A motorized pergola is worth it if you want to change the shade often during the day. If you want steady filtered shade, a fixed-slat aluminum pergola is enough. If you want a fixed cover, choose a solid or glass roof. Neither needs a motor.

Can a pergola have lighting built in?

Yes. Mulholland Brand's Prestige Pergola has built-in LED lighting along with its motorized louvers. Like the motor, the lighting needs power at the pergola. We identify that at the on-site measurement, and the power is arranged separately.

Which pergola holds up to sun, sprinklers and salt air near the coast?

Mulholland Brand powder-coated aluminum pergolas, louvered or solid roof, are engineered to withstand sun, salt air and sprinklers without warping, rusting or fading. They come with our written warranty: one year for defects in manufacture or assembly, and three years against rust on the aluminum slats and posts.

Do you wire the motor and the lights?

No. Mulholland Brand does not do electrical work. We identify electrical site work at the on-site measurement, and you arrange the power separately. Our itemized written quote shows what is and is not included.

Can the pergola match my gates and fence?

Yes. Mulholland Brand builds pergolas, gates and fences in more than 20 powder-coat colors or a wood-look finish in oak, walnut or cedar, so the pieces can match. Our wood-look finish never needs staining or refinishing.

Book Your On-Site Measurement

If you want a motorized louvered pergola made to the exact size of your patio by the people who also install it, book an on-site measurement with us. After the visit, you will receive an itemized written price for your patio.