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What Is A Pergola Used For

Pergolas Lend Plants A Helping Hand

Best Pergola Covers To Use For Your Structure | Cover Your Pergola

Not only are pergolas beautiful on their own, but they can also lend support to other lovely landscaping features like climbing flowers, vines, and ivy. Plant these flowers and vines in the right place, and theyll weave their way up the pergolas supports and through the roof-like beams. Consider plants like wisteria, clematis, or even grape vines! You can also hang planters from the beams. Imagine a vast pergola teeming with clambering vines and colorful flowers. In addition to adding vertical interest to your landscaping, this can provide a valuable visual link between your home and your garden.

Plus, climbing plants generally require very little help to wind their way up the posts of a pergola and clamber across the lattice. If you tie them onto vertical wires attached to the posts, they will typically climb readily up the structure on their own. Research your options a bit beforehand to ensure you can give your chosen plant the support it needs. Roses and wisteria, for example, do require more assistance with climbing than other plants.

Best Pergola Material: Wood Vs Vinyl

Youve admired pergolas for years. You love the look and the elegance that they bring to a backyard space. Now that youre finally ready to buy one, you have one question: whats the best pergola material? Vinyl, pressure treated wood, or cedar you have a few options. The pergola material you choose determines the pergola price, the style, the maintenance needs, and how long your pergola will last. At The Backyard Showcase, we are the headquarters for all things outdoor living, and were here to help you find the best pergola for your yard and your budget!

What Is A Pergola Make Use Of Vertical Growing Space

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Systemic psychology claims that we create environments that then, in turn, shape us over time. What we choose to make as a living space then takes on a whole new meaning. Surround ourselves with beauty, tranquility, and order produces the same in our lives. For many of us, our garden is that space.

A pergola is a structure with no sides and a flat roof. The roof may be slatted, allowing the sun and air in, but adjustable to shut rain out. The sides may all be left open, occasionally covered with canvas, or used as a space to grow plants.

A pergola offers owners a unique opportunity to create a dedicated space reflective of who they are and want to be. In this piece, we provide you with some food for thought on using a pergola to create a unique environment that will feed your soul, using the open spaces to create vertical gardens.

In a previous article, 13 Perfect Garden Structure Ideas For Growing Vertically Simplify Gardening, we shared 13 options for vertical gardens. Its inspirational and very worth the read, but here were going to focus less on productivity and instead emphasize beauty and tranquility food for the soul.


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What Is The Purpose Of A Pergola

Pergolas have centuries behind them. With Italian essence ingrained in their distinct structures, they boast a creation dating back to medieval times. These charming, open-air structures are secured with four posts or columns and topped with cross-beams or lattices. The airy structures are commonly made of wood, vinyl, or aluminum.

Pergolas are most often installed on pavers or a concrete patio. This allows for outdoor furniture and or grilling equipment to be placed underneath it. Pergolas are a great way to make a part of your backyard space a central hangout spot.

PERGOLA pronunciation Per gow luh

You might have heard this word in a variety of places, possibly through the media, from your friends, or by your co-workers. But what has really drawn you to discover more about the purpose of a pergola? It is your love for the outdoors, careful attention to the landscape of your home, and your innate desire to create beauty and a hospitable, irresistible outdoor sanctuary for your family and friends. Perhaps at times you look outside your backyard window and feel dissatisfied with your limited space or you simply wish your landscape design had more style or was more accommodating for hosting. Well, pergolas are your answer by ensuring that being in your backyard can be just as pleasant as being in your own cozy home. Everyone should be able to make their backyard an extension of their own creative indoor design.


Fiberglass And Plastic Pergola Tops

Pergola Kits

Fiberglass and plastic pergola roofs are durable materials that are fairly inexpensive to purchase and more permanent in comparison to other types. Both materials are designed to allow complete light exposure but do a great job keeping rain and harmful UV rays from passing through.

Plastic usually comes in lightweight panels of different sizes that can easily be cut down to size if needed. Fiberglass may be a little bit harder to find but it is also a very green alternative. Most fiberglass materials are made by using recycled materials, which helps reduce the amount of waste on our planet.

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What Colors Are Pagodas

Identify what areas of the pagoda to paint and in which colors. Japanese pagodas are often painted red, with the details in white, gold and black. You could blend the design into shrubs by choosing a selection of greens. Japanese styles are detailed so include elaborate and decorative colors such as gold or silver. via

Are You Creating A Flat Roof Pergola Or A Pitched Roof Pergola

When thinking of the pitch, or slope, of a pergola most people tend to envision either flat or a medium pitch, however, every pergola most have a slight pitch to allow for water drainage. Pergolas can actually be created to any angle however, the pergola style tends to be low pitch roof and a minimum 5 degree pitch is considered to be normal best practise


Did you know that the steeper the slope of your pergola the more self cleaning it will naturally be? The steeper the pitch the better the rain and water run off will be which in turn cleans your roof better and reduces the chance of direct/leaves settling on top

Slope roof pergolas or slanted roof pergolas are 10 degrees plus which creates a distinctive silhouette and can be great in complementing the angle on your house. This means pitched roof pergolas tend to be popular for lean to pergolas that are against a house wall or on a back door patio.

In comparison, flat roof pergolas are between 5 to 10 degrees so are the typical choice when you are creating a freestanding pergola in your garden. This is because the flatter slope can look more natural on top of a decking or patio area and be a more subtle natural shape in your garden!

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Is It A Timber Pergola Or Self Supporting Pergola

The next key question to address is what your structure is going to be made of and there are two options here wooden or aluminium.

Timber Pergola


Our Timber Pergola glazing bars are our Snapa® Snap Fix system or our Alukap-XR Aluminium Glazing bar system, see the next point for more info!

Self Supporting aluminium Pergola

If you are looking to build a free standing pergola with a polycarbonate roof like this you will need to use self supporting glazing bars, like our Alukap-SS Glazing Bar range.

They Probably Wont Increase Your Property Value

What Wood Should I Use For My Pergola?

Whether or not a pergola adds value to your property is up for debate. While sites like Extra Space and Outdoor Living Today claim that a pergola can increase your homes value, a chat forum on Trulia adds that it may or may not add value depending on where the seller is located.

But Beatrice de Jong, consumer trends expert at Opendoor.com in Los Angeles, says pergolas typically dont add value to your home.


But there could be a buyer who loves it and sees value in having one, she adds.

At the end of the day, if a pergola is the answer to your mental backyard vision board, you now have all of the information to decide whether building or buying one is the right path for you.

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What Is A Freestanding Pergola

Pergola. A freestanding structure with an open roof that is supported by columns or posts. A pergola may be used to cover a walkway or to provide filtered shade for an outdoor living space. The word pergola has come to be used interchangeably with patio cover.

Also asked, what is the point of having a pergola?


Generally, a pergola is a wide-open structure with four support beams, no walls, and a decorative roof design, such as a lattice. For shade or even a touch of shelter from the elements, screens can be added to the roof or walls, although the primary purpose of a pergola is not to shelter its users.

Also, what is a pergola with a roof called? Traditionally, a pergola is a structure with a crossbeam or latticed covering that can be freestanding or attached to your home to provide visual interest to your landscaping or patio. Structures that are similar to pergolas but have fixed roofs may be referred to as pavilions or gazebos.

One may also ask, what is the difference between a pergola and a Pergoda?

You could say that Pergodas are a combination of both the Pagoda and pergola, as the pagoda resembles a fixed building with a floor, walls and a roof, whereas the pergola only offers a sheltered roof. Modern pergodas are normally made from aluminium or other durable metals.

How do you brace a freestanding pergola?

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What Is A Pergola Used For

What is a pergola used for? This is the first question people ask when they begin the journey to learning about whether a custom pergola is right for them. The main purpose of a pergola is to provide shelter and shade for an outdoor living space such as a hot tub, living room, outdoor kitchen, or patio of any kind. Pergolas are also great for just making your backyard more appealing to the eye. With Italian craftsmanship ingrained in their design, pergolas make a great and easy way to spice up your backyards character.

Backyard Living Structures is happy to help accommodate any needs you may have moving forward in the pergola process. We provide top-notch service to our customers and look forward to helping you in any way that we can. Please call us at 800-352-1672! If you prefer, you can always email us at , and we will respond to you as soon as possible!

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Pergolas Can Add Value

In certain cases, installing a pergola can add value to your home. While this isnt a sure thing, if its well done and properly maintained, you may get a decent return on your investment. However, youll see this mentioned again in the cons section, because it depends on many different factors that are hard to predict. To find out if a pergola will add value to your home, you should do research on your area.

Does A Pergola Add Value To Your Home

What Is A Pergola and What Is It Used For?

Here’s what we tell our customers: yes, a pergola will add market value to any house. Since outdoor living has become more popular than ever, the value of properties with a pergola or a comfortable outdoor space has been on the rise. A safe gauge for a deck or backyard improvement is about 50% 80% for your ROI. via

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What Is The Sense Of A Pergola

A pergola is an outdoor garden feature forming a shaded walkway, passageway, or sitting area of vertical posts or pillars that usually support cross-beams and a sturdy open lattice, often upon which woody vines are trained. The origin of the word is the Late Latin pergula, referring to a projecting eave. via

What’s The Point Of A Pagoda

A pagoda is a tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Nepal, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist but sometimes Taoist, and were often located in or near viharas. The pagoda traces its origins to the stupa of ancient India. via

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When A Pergola Needs A Helping Hand To Deliver Shade And Comfort

Written by insolroll

Love outdoor living? Have a pergola, and love it? Okay, almost love it? Maybe it gets a little too hot or bright riiiiight when you want to use it? Oasis Patio Shades can help you fall back in love with your covered patio. Pergolas are HOT in exterior design today, and why not? They are gorgeous, help to define a space, and add architectural interest and detail. Theres no denying that they can vastly improve the appearance of an outdoor space. But why didnt someone tell us that they were vulnerable?

Pergolas Are Easily Installed

McLube Sailkote Dry Lubricant Demo – Used on a Pergola Canopy System

Easy installation is also an attractive factor. Its not out of the realm of possibilities for you to do it yourself if you have some basic DIY skills. The ease of installation also contributes to the low cost and limited hassle of having a professional do it. Pergola installation is usually less involved than that of a .

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How Do You Cover A Pergola For Rain

A fabric cover provides shade, but for rain or snow protection youll need something more sturdy. You can purchase a pergola with a metal roof, or you can build your own waterproof cover out of corrugated metal or plastic. As a bonus, the raindrops will sound beautiful as they hit the solid pergola cover.

Do Pergolas Really Provide Shade

Disclaimer | This article may contain affiliate links, this means that at no cost to you, we may receive a small commission for qualifying purchases.

Pergolas are gorgeous freestanding structures that have been around for centuries. But the amount of shade they provide primarily depends on the build material.

To answer your question yes, pergolas can provide shade, but in modern establishments, its more of an aesthetic addition that enhances outdoor living through shade. That said, this quadrangular structure can truly elevate your porch or deck, creating a cozy hangout for family and friends.

So, if youre looking to add a vibrant and exquisite element to your home, pergolas are a great way to do it. And as far as their practicality is concerned, lets discuss the different shade materials and the purpose they fulfill.

Without further ado, lets begin.

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Pergolas Offer Affordable Beauty

Many questions fill your mind as you consider the possibility of owning a pergola, and understandably, you may wonder if these Italian beauties are affordable? Pergolas are a more affordable choice, especially compared to their friendly competitors gazebos and pavilions. While gazebos and pavilions easily cost over $4000, the average cost of a custom pergola is around $3,500 with labor and materials included. If you build it yourself the price drops to about $3,000. Available as a cheaper option, there are do-it-yourself pergola kits that usually cost around $1,500 to $2,000 depending on the square footage. Alternatively, if you are desiring to invest in a high-end pergola, the price comes closer to $7,000. For more detailed guidance in understanding the cost of pergolas follow this link to How Much Does it Cost to Build a Pergola. Take your time to research and become comfortable with the cost of a pergola that fits right into your budget. Pergolas were designed to be an affordable investment in cultivating your love for the outdoors and in your desire to have others enjoy your outdoor space with you.

Reasons You Should Consider A Pergola

What Is A Pergola and What Is It Used For?

Homeowners who have discovered the merits of relaxing and entertaining in their backyards are often considering the next enhancement they can add to their outdoor space. Backyard enthusiasts crave continued improvements, as each adds beauty, visual appeal, and an opportunity for enjoyment. Landscape enhancements help create a mood or personality for your home and they extend your familys warmth and hospitality. If you are considering the next addition to your landscape, consider installing a pergola. Heres why:

Pergolas Extend Your Living Space

If you have already installed a deck or patio, you likely added it to extend your living space beyond the walls of your home. If you have found that you love your outdoor living area but that its not quite so useful on a summer afternoon when the sun is beating down or if you wish you had protection from inclimate weather, a pergola may be for you. A pergola extends your living space and increases the amount of time you can spend outside. Designed and oriented correctly on your lot, a pergola can cast enough light shade to make even a warm afternoon enjoyable or if you still need additional protection, you can install a retractable shade cover for more shade. Some shade covers will even protect you from a light rain, perfect for those unpredictable summer storms.

Design Options Abound with Pergolas

Your next decision will be materials. There are a variety of materials to consider and all come with advantages and disadvantages:

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