Pergola Designs - What to Consider When You Are Going to Build a Wood Pergola

Custom built wood pergola with benches

More and more often, people who have grown a bit tired of their patio are choosing to build a pergola over it. Pergolas are also perfect to cover a walkway between two buildings, and for other uses as well.

What is a pergola? It is an open wooden frame supported by posts at regular intervals, and beams across the top that are sometimes crisscrossed with latticework. It creates an outdoor room, albeit one without walls or a roof! It gives you a feeling of being both inside and outside at the same time, which is very pleasant. Pergolas were quite popular in Italian Renaissance gardens, often doing double duty as grape arbors. They were also used in Greece, Rome, and Egypt.

A pergola might not sound very appealing to you if you are picturing a frame of plain wood in your mind. But most wood pergola designs are far from being plain! The framework of the structure is perfect for the support of all sorts of climbing flowers and plants. Hanging baskets work very well with one of these structures, too. You can create a veritable bower of color and shape that will enhance your patio beautifully, making it a perfect location for entertaining in the warmer months.

There will be no worries about too much sun during a morning or afternoon party if it is held beneath your pergola! You will find it easy to choose plants that will grow to form an enchanted area of dappled sunlight. A pergola is much more versatile than just a plain patio, and it is a lot cheaper to build than it would be to tear out the concrete that makes up your patio and replant the area with sod. Place one above your hot tub, or use your fire pit beneath it in the autumn and winter. You will find that a pergola can be used in different ways, year round.

So, are you ready to get started on getting a pergola of you own? First of all, you need to figure out whether you want this structure to attach to your house, or be a free standing pergola. There are several different types of designs for you to choose from. One of the most popular anchors the four corners of the pergola with handsome wooden planter boxes. Another includes columns instead of posts, giving the structure a touch of old-world Roman charm. There are designs called Box pergolas, so called because the latticework across the rafters is shaped in small squares. A Walk-through pagoda simply means that the size and shape of the pagoda is such that it resembles a hallway or walk-through.

Basically, the looks of your pergola can vary depending on the kind of wood you choose, the type of posts of columns you decide on, and whether or not you leave the rafter ends square or decide to change the design by using wood that has been cut into shapes to crown the ends of the rafters. By mixing and matching these aspects, you can come up with a pergola that is personalized to suit your needs. Think about what you plan to do beneath the pergola to make sure that you build it large enough. You can build any of these designs in the size you need to fit the area you have in mind for the pergola.

If you are going to put the time, effort, and money into building a pergola, then you certainly want to use materials that will stand up under the weather. When you purchase plans for building a pergola it should have a list of essential materials that you will need in order to construct the pergola. There should be more than one type of wood suggested for your construction.

Treated Pine is an option that can be less expensive than other types of wood. Treated Cedar is a recommended type, as it wears extremely well and should last for quite a few years. As such, cedar will cost more. In the long run, it may be worth it to you to spend a little extra for the type wood that should guarantee that you will get as much enjoyment from your pergola as possible.

With the proper pergola designs, you should be able to construct your new pergola in a weekend, perhaps less if you have a friend to help you. Then, you can choose the climbing flowers and plants that you want to grow across the roof and down the sides of the structure. While you are waiting for them to grow, you can use hanging baskets to set the mood. Enjoy your pergola!

For more information on Pergola and other garden structures, please click on these articles

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