Pergola Natural – As customers look to extend their indoor spaces outdoors, we’ve seen the popularity of pergolas increase dramatically. Pergolas are known for their ability to create unique, functional and adaptable outdoor spaces. With open sides and slatted roofs, pergolas provide cool breezes, shade and a strong sense of connection to the surrounding yard. Its open structure provides a great visual impact while being relatively lightweight, allowing it to fit beautifully into yards of any size.

Our design team has put together a guide to one of the most requested hardscaping features, including costs, materials, styles, options, and more.

Pergola Natural

Pergolas are free-standing outdoor structures that have stood the test of time, first seen in Egypt around 1400 BC, and widely used in 17th-century Roman society during the Italian Renaissance. Today’s pergolas consist of pillars that support a decorative, open-structure roof (as opposed to a closed-structure roof such as a gazebo) with no walls beneath.

Mercia 4 X 4m Natural Wooden Pressure Treated Pergola

The purpose of a pergola is to block out sun glare while letting in soft light and fresh air. Pergolas will generally not completely block sunlight, but some designs include louvers or skylights to provide complete shade.

Pergolas create a pleasant outdoor space that is partly covered and partly open. The upper terrace creates an intimate feel, while the open sides maintain a strong visual connection with the surrounding courtyard, making the space below the terrace seem larger than its footprint. You’ll typically see pergolas placed in outdoor spaces that are meant to be for extended periods of time, such as outdoor kitchens, dining areas, or relaxation areas.

As a structural object, a pergola is often a focal point in landscape design, and serves as an indicator of style – a modern pergola helps make everything in your yard feel a little more modern. Practically speaking, pergolas also provide the infrastructure to mount a number of accessories (which we’ll review below).

13 Best Pergola Shade Ideas For A Cool And Relaxing Space

Wooden pergolas are popular for their beautiful and natural look. Wood as a material is easy to work with – it can take any color or stain, it can be shaped into decorative pieces typical of traditional styles, and it’s a good choice for DIY or custom builds. . All of these reasons make wooden pergolas extremely versatile and easy to use in any landscape design style.

Keep in mind that wooden pergolas used to be more cost effective, but the price of wood is very high. Today, wood is a medium to high priced pergola option.

Although wooden pergolas offer flexibility in design, they are the least durable and most maintenance-intensive material. A new coat of paint or stain is necessary every year or two to protect the wood from weathering.

Yardistry 12 X 24 Meridian Gazebo

Fiberglass pergolas have a smoother surface and a softer feel than wood. Like wood, fiberglass can come in any color shade, but looks best in modern versus traditional landscape designs. One advantage that fiberglass has over wooden pergolas is that they are very durable and maintenance free.

Because fiberglass is so durable, it can be installed over longer distances than wood – up to 26 feet in some cases, which is useful for reducing blockages in outdoor spaces.

The benefits of aluminum pergolas are the same as those of fiberglass – they are lightweight, strong, sleek and suitable for modern styles, and they require almost no maintenance.  Aluminum pergolas are rust resistant and usually powder coated, so wear and tear will not discolor the paint.

Sunjoy 11 X 11 Ft. Metal Pergola With Natural Wood Looking Finish And Tan Adjustable Canopy Shade

Vinyl pergolas are a low-cost option in terms of materials. The quality also appears to be low as the surface appears to be wood, fiberglass or metal. Another potential downside is that vinyl pergolas usually come in limited colors – you’ll see them offered in white or light neutral colors.

Although vinyl pergolas are low maintenance, they are not as durable as wood, fiberglass or metal. If longevity or flexibility in design is not important to you, but price is, a vinyl pergola may be the right choice. However, there are other low-cost options to consider.

Anchor will be placed in the ground. For most pergolas, this means building an underground concrete foundation for each post, although lighter kits sometimes attach the posts to an existing concrete deck or slab.

12×15 Durable Asphalt Roof Gazebo

The anchoring studs should stand perfectly vertical with the correct spacing to match the molding joist – if you’re off by more than half an inch, you’ll have to re-thread the studs. For this reason, we generally recommend that a contractor install your pergola, even for multiple pergola kits. Installation by a contractor costs between $3K and $6K more than the purchase price of the pergola, but it is usually worth it.

Sometimes pergolas require a permit, sometimes not. City codes and, if applicable, HOA requirements ultimately determine whether a permit is required.

If the pergola is large, attached to an existing structure, or uses a concrete foundation to secure its posts in the ground, a permit is more likely to be required. Areas that experience frequent snowfall, high winds, or seismic activity also require permits more frequently. Buildings with pitched roofs more or less definitely require a permit.

Fireplaces, Outdoor Kitchens, Pergolas

Prefabricated pergolas usually come with structural drawings that can be used when applying for a pergola. This can result in substantial savings by reducing the cost and hassle of hiring an engineer to prepare permit drawings.

In addition to materials, the type of pergola you buy—prefabricated vs. Custom-made ones—will affect the cost. In general, prefab pergolas are less expensive than custom-built pergolas.

As with any option, don’t forget that in addition to the purchase price of the structure or materials, the cost of professional assembly and installation must also be considered. As mentioned above, it usually ranges between $3K and $6K.

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The cost of a custom pergola varies greatly depending on material cost, time, size, and anything about your design that makes installation difficult. A basic pergola can be relatively affordable, but it is not unusual for a custom pergola to cost $20K. You can control costs by keeping the design clean and simple. Complex or structurally challenging designs increase costs exponentially through the need for additional labor.

After shipping and installation are taken into account, a prefab aluminum, fiberglass, and wood pergola will cost $8K to $15K for a standard-sized pergola. Increasing the size or adding accessories can add $10K more than this standard price range.

For the higher purchase price, you usually get a higher quality product that will last longer and look like a permanent landscape feature. You may also get the option to include a warranty or accessories.

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Keep in mind that kits or prefab structures that claim to be DIY may not actually be that easy to assemble. Many prefab pergolas initially seem more attractive than custom-built pergolas due to their lower price, but they require professional help to install which will increase the total cost.

We consider pergolas divided into two large groups: traditional and modern. In short, traditional pergolas have decorative trim, while modern pergolas do not.

Traditional pergolas often have roof beams that extend from the pergola’s center frame (these decorative protrusions are called “rafter tails”). Posts may be round or square, and may have ornamentation, either tapered sides or a thicker base (such features increase the overall cost). Higher-end traditional pergolas may sink the posts into square posts with a layer of stone or masonry.

Ocean Natural-charc Pergola 3×4

These decorative features are endemic to wood pergola designs, but some vinyl and fiberglass pergolas offer attractive versions of the same decorative features seen here—just be sure to get a quality product.

This traditional style pergola is a prefab vinyl structure that costs less than $3k. Hard gravel planting and low-maintenance plantings are other elements that complete this backyard makeover on a low budget.

Modern pergolas are smooth and intentionally devoid of ornamentation. All corners are 90 degrees, and the posts are square. As shown in the picture above, modern pergolas made of fiberglass and aluminum convey a more sophisticated feel.

10′ X 10′ Aluminum Pergola

You can transform a modern pergola to make it more rustic by choosing a wooden model and combining it with contemporary patio furniture.

One of our favorite uses for pergolas in landscape design is to turn a front or back porch into a patio by adding a pergola on top. We love this modern fireplace room. It is very easily accessible from different entrances of the house, and fits in perfectly with the exterior style of the house.

Modern pergolas adapt to a variety of design styles. Especially the white modern pergola manages to look harmonious in a quite traditional design (painted rows of boxwoods and hydrangeas).

10 X 10 Ft Retractable Pergola, Garden Gazebo Shelter With Nettings, F

The patio-to-patio effect of an installed pergola is even more stunning in the front yard. The beauty of this natural wood creates aesthetic warmth and a more functional outdoor living space.

One way to create complete shade is with a pergola. Some pergolas come with adjustable louvers, so you can control the level of shade under the roof. As seen above, it is now common to add a fabric “pergola canopy” to the roof of a pergola.

You can also install shade screens or retractable screens under the roof to block out light but also let sunlight in as needed, as seen above.

Sunjoy Steel Arched Metal Pergola With Natural Wood Looking Finish And Tan Shade

High quality pergolas can be used to provide hanging seating areas! This is a really fun fire pit seating area that gives off the ambiance of a carefree patio swing making it a unique outdoor living space for friends and family to enjoy.

Historically, pergolas were used to support

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