Pergola Ideas
| January 11, 2011 | Filled under Landscape Design |
A pergola is a shaded outdoor walkway of path which comprises of numerous beams over which leafy vines or flowering creepers are grown. Putting them along the edge of a building, as a passageway between buildings or as an extension to another structure such as a gazebo are just some of the many pergola ideas that are available.
It is quite simple for a reasonably confident handyman to build a pergola by themselves, provided that they have all of the relevant local government approval. However, if you don’t feel up to doing it yourself you can just as easily employ the services of a professional tradesman in order to get the job done properly and on time. There are two main types of pergolas that you can build :
- The classic pergola design that was popular in years gone by was made with brick or stone pillars. This style definitely lends an air of grandeur and grace to the entire structure, but will cost you a lot more money.
- In today’s modern world, however, it is much more common to see pergolas that are made from weather resistant hardwood. This is because wood is much more affordable and makes it a lot easier to build yourself.
There are a number of benefits to having a pergola in your own backyard including :
- A pergola provides protection against the harsh sun and rain whenever people are walking along the pathway.
- It can become a focal point in your backyard landscape and, depending of what sort of plants or creepers you grow over it, your pergola has the potential to be a stunning visual attraction.
- You can place hanging baskets all along your pergola and turn an ordinary pathway into a colourful and fragrance walkway.
If you are looking at redesigning your backyard garden area or need to create a landscape design from scratch then it is always a good idea to begin your design with a pergola that connects your house to other buildings in your backyard, such as a shed, garage of gazebo. Then once you have the structural part of your garden plan in place then you can set about including trees, shrubs, garden beds and lawn areas into the final design.
In order to get some great pergola ideas for your backyard garden design you should first look at what other people have already done in their backyard. There is no point in trying to reinvent the wheel, so instead just look through lots of photos of how other people have used a pergola to bring their garden to life and then choose one that fits in perfectly with your property and the layout of your back yard.
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I found that building my own pergola at my place wasn’t too much of a big deal. By buying my own materials and doing it myself (although I needed a friend to help me with lifting all of the large beams into place) I was able to save a lot of money.
Actually the hardest thing was getting the plans and permits from the local council, after that it was pretty easy.
Cheers Bob.
Great post! Very useful tips