Bring Art and
Structure to Your Garden: Pergolas add
Space, Style and Elegance
(ARA) Arbors,
trellises and pergolas have been adding art
and structure to gardens for centuries. Today,
America's growing fascination with outdoor living
spaces and gardens has renewed an interest in these
versatile wooden structures.
For anyone looking to add space, style and
elegance to their garden, "pergola" is more than a
fun word to say. Building one of these arbor- like,
post-and-beam structures is a practical project and
fairly easy to accomplish in a weekend. Fall is an
ideal time to consider outdoor architectural
upgrades. While it may be the last major project of
the season, your appreciation for the effort will
grow when spring 2004 arrives. The pergola is
already in place, ready to enjoy as plants grow and
flowers bloom around it.
A popular building material for a wooden
pergola is western red cedar.
It's stable, resilient, and durable while avoiding
the dangers of chemical treatment.
"Safety is important for people making building
material choices," says Peter Lang, general manager
for the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association. "Cedar
looks beautiful and is among the most durable woods.
For hundreds of years, cedar has been highly prized
for its natural compounds that resist rot and
mildew." While western red cedar's natural qualities
have always been recognized, they are taking on new,
heightened value among builders from professionals
to do- it- yourselfers. Earlier this year, The
Environmental Protection Agency is sued a
recommendation to avoid chemically-treated wood,
specifically wood treated with a form of arsenic.
Recent studies have linked the arsenic in treated
wood to cancer. Above-ground structures like
pergolas, which might once have been built with
treated wood, can be easily built of cedar, known as
the "Tree of Life" to the Indians of the Northwest
Pacific coast.
You may have seen pergolas on houses and called
them trellises or arbors. Like a trellis or an
arbor, a pergola can support vines or climbing
roses. And like a free-standing arbor, a pergola can
filter light with its lattice- like canopy. Pergolas
are often used as covered, open-roofed gateways to
homes, paths, and gardens.
The basics of pergola construction are readily
available online or from your trusted home
improvement store. Here are a few handy reminders:
• Ensure that the posts can handle the weight of
the overhead beams. The posts can be encased in
concrete postholes you dig and pour yourself, or be
attached to ready- made concrete footings purchased
from your building supply dealer.
• Take special care when deciding the proportions
of posts and crossbeams. A set of 4-by-4 inch posts
would be ideal with 2-by-6 inch boards nailed
vertically for main and crossbeams.
• Remember to create the layout in the shape of a
rectangle.
• Make sure the posts are vertically straight and
even in height. Ensure the main beams are level and
evenly spaced in parallel to each other. Use a
carpenter's level for easy precision.
• Finally, add decorative flair to the crossbeams
with a simple cutting, such as a quarter circle from
the underside ends of each crossbeam.
Consider attaching the pergola to your home,
using it to shelter a path between a main house and
a garage or other outbuilding. Because the overhead
spans are supported by the uprights, they can be
made virtually any size. Remember, one of the great
appeals of the pergola is that it's a piece of
architecture.
In its simplest form, a freestanding pergola in
the garden provides a focal point. It can also
create an effective soft screen from neighbors,
additional shelter for a walkway, or the frame for a
view to another feature within the garden.
A pergola gives a deck character and creates a
feature for decoration and design. Pergolas are
great for vines, other climbing plants such as
roses, and hanging baskets. If you don't have a
green thumb, adorn the pergola with lights or
decoration for special occasions. With slight
changes of the supporting columns and overhead
lattice, a pergola can fit almost any house style. A
pergola can make a dramatic change in the yard and
garden. It can display a style or be the final
detail. Better yet, you can do it in a weekend. To
begin the construction process of a pergola or any
cedar outdoor project, talk with an expert at a home
improvement store or visit www.cedar-outdoor.org.
Courtesy of ARA Content
This article has been supplied courtesy of the
Western Red Cedar Lumber
Association
www.wrcla.org
