In Houston, a bare concrete patio gets used about three months a year. The rest of the time it's too hot or too wet. The two most common fixes are a pergola and a covered patio, and the right one depends on how you want to use the space.
A pergola is an open structure of posts, beams, and spaced rafters. It filters sun rather than blocking it, keeps the yard feeling open, and costs much less than a roof. Cedar is the usual choice for looks; pressure-treated pine is the budget option and takes stain well. Rafter spacing controls how much shade you get, and a fan or string lights make it an evening space.
A covered patio has a real roof, tied into the house or freestanding on posts, with a ceiling, fans, lighting, and gutters. It blocks rain and afternoon sun completely, which means you can put furniture, a TV, and an outdoor kitchen under it. It costs more and usually needs an engineered connection to the house, but it adds the most usable square footage.
The slab underneath matters for both. Posts need proper footings, and if your existing patio is small or cracked, extending or replacing the concrete first is cheaper than working around it later. A crew that does concrete, carpentry, and electrical together can plan all three at once.
Our usual advice: if you mainly want to soften the sun and keep the yard open, a pergola is the better value. If you want an outdoor room you'll use in a rainstorm, build the covered patio.