We have a small bungalow with a garage that creates an "L" space in the back, currently occupied by a patio.

We need more space for cooking/eating, and rather than taking garage space or adding on, the current idea is to build out the patio space to build an indoor-outdoor kitchen and sitting area.

The patio obviously needs a makeover including some shade.

Our questions are

1- the eternal roofline problem - how to create enough ceiling height in the outdoor kitchen with the roof, and not killing all the indoor light.

2 - after reading some threads here, I am wondering if a separate structure on the other side of the patio might be better.

Weather here is such that we could use this space at least 9 months a year.

Budget-wise, we believe that using the patio will be better than co-opting garage space or adding on. We don't want to over-invest for resale, but are willing to make a significant investment to add some cool living space and make the cooking situation better.