You might think a pergola is a pergola. It is not. They range from ugly to really ugly to stunningly beautiful. If you're looking for the stunningly beautiful type, here are 10 great options to inspire you.
Here's the thing with Canada. As soon as spring hits, the catalogues and flyers start showing up in the mail with pictures of happy families standing around a grill grinning like lunatics. In some photos they're sitting stiffly on outdoor furniture with sweaty glasses of lemonade in their hands. Everything look shiny and clean and wonderful.
It's all a lie. If they wanted to portray real Canadian outdoor living in their catalogues they'd show a photo of a woman with her head out the car window screaming at everyone to get out of her way as she runs 15 consecutive red lights in an attempt to get home before the surprise rain storm hits and soaks all of her family's outdoor cushions to the point that they weigh 742 pounds each.
You never see a photo like that.
Canada you see, is not really meant for outdoor furniture. Not the upholstered kind anyway. The only way around it is to throw a tarp over your furniture when you're not using it *just in case* it rains or to build a pergola and throw a tarp over that.
Most pergola's from home improvement stores come with a cover over them or a retractable shade but ... those aren't recommended for heavy rain or leaving out in bad weather. You're supposed to wind them up out of the way to protect them. Even though they're supposed to be protecting your outdoor cushions so you don't have to wake up in the middle of the night to thunder, trudge outside, get into a fight with a raccoon, trip on the hose and bust your lip while attempting to cover your furniture with a tarp.
Uh huh. As you may know, I built myself a copy of the Restoration Hardware Aspen collection furniture a couple of years ago. Here's the post on it. The furniture cost very little to build. A few hundred dollars if I remember correctly. The cushions? They were somewhere around $1,000 to have made.
That's just with regular foam and fade resistant fabric. I could have opted for waterproof fabric and foam but that would have jumped the price of my cushions up to around the price of a 5 vials of Martian eyeballs. So I cheaped out.
This is the area I want to protect with a pergola.
"Now I am that woman screaming home to throw a tarp over her cushions. I am that woman kickboxing a raccoon at 1 in the morning. I don't want to be that woman anymore. Which means I have to build a pergola.
And then I have to figure out a way to make it waterproof without blocking any sunlight into my house and keep the cost under a nuclear warhead. Good luck to me."
Those are the words I said to myself 4 years ago. FOUR YEARS.
I spent a lot of time on Google and Pinterest marvelling at all the pergolas I couldn't afford to build. But they did provide some great inspiration which I've ignored for the past 4 years. I just haven't had time to build or buy a pergola.
However, a couple of nights ago my sister and brother-in-law showed up at my house at 9:30 at night with 4 pergola pillars. Not an actual pergola. Just 4 black pillars that at one point belonged to someone else's pergola.
I believe they found them at my favourite store - the garbage. That was all the incentive I needed. THIS is the summer I make a pergola.
It turns out there are more pergola designs out there than you can shake a catalogue at. And now that I have 4 pillars to turn into a pergola I have some decisions to make.
I could leave them as is, or cover them in wood, make them modern, make them traditional. Whatever I want. Having 4 random pillars also gives me the opportunity to make the pergola the exact size I want. I don't have to stick with a store bought 10 x 10. Or 12 x 10. If I want I can make my pergola 12.74 feet long by 8.45 feet wide. I won't. But I could.
I'm looking for something rustic and modern at the same time. These (including the one at the top of this page) are 10 of my favourites.
no source for this image other than the spammy site I found it on, which I refuse to link to.
I love the shape and harshness of the design of this one up top.
Designed by Marnie Lewis
I mean this is just something else. From the chairs that are bums to the cantilevered steps leading to the outdoor fireplace. It's stunning. Nothing at all like I could have but it's still inspirational.
I really like this. I like it a lot. This retractable awning is soft and if made out of a waterproof fabric could actually ... dare I say it ... be a viable option for me.
All I have to do is figure out how to make a retractable roof for my 4 pillars.
I don't love all the squiggles on the roofing material but I do like the use of 2"x8"s (or whatever they are) as the posts. As a nature lover and someone who will choose to be outside rather than inside 99% of the time I'm embarrassed to say I'm digging the television outside.
I used to have a tv in my backyard and there's nothing like watching a baseball game out in the backyard.
no source found :(
This one is kind of a problem solver. It's a pergola with a glass roof. But glass seems kind of risky what with the raccoons prowling and pooing and my regular roof.
This pergola roof seems to be some type of wire mesh which would give a tiny big of shade. But no protection for cushions.
source
I can't quite tell from the photo but this room (take a closer look, it's all encased in glass) could have either a glass roof or a polycarbonate roof. A lot of pergolas and gazebos are being outfitted with polycarbonate roofs lately. They're a plastic material in sort of a honeycomb pattern that comes in clear or a variety of colours allowing light through them but no rain.
sources all spammy
Yeah. I can't have this but I like it. I have a thing for concrete fences and walls. I love them. I'd do exceptionally well in prison.
again ... all sources spammy
This is a real combination of contemporary with a traditional pergola style in terms of the roofing. Maybe too traditional for me, but I do like the black.
Why all this worry? All this debating and planning? Why put up a pergola at all?
- Function. Like I said, having a way to protect your outdoor furniture and cushions from the rain and other elements is a necessity in this climate. Depending on where your patio furniture is located in your yard, protecting it and you from the sun is also necessary.
- Defining the space. Putting a pergola around an area of your yard instantly creates a focal point and
- Enjoyment. Half the time in the summer when it rains, it's just raining. It's not a massive thunderstorm with squirrels flying through the air. It's just a bit of rain. With a pergola that has a roof on it, you can be outside cozy in your little outdoor room in the rain.
Watching baseball.
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Debbie
I keep thinking about this dilemma as I too eventually want to put a cover over my patio and not have it block out light. I have a front porch that blocks out light to my second bedroom, big time and I am always calling that room, "the dark room." I didn't want the same for my pergola to block out all light from my living room and master bedroom. What I decided to do with my "dark room" is to install a solar tube to let in light to the room. Since it gets hotter than Hades here, having a pergola in the back with slats wouldn't offer much sun and heat protection (which is what I want), so I will just install another solar tube in the master bedroom as well.
If I recall correctly, you were concerned about light in you kitchen. Seems like nothing but a solid cover will work for you for your patio, so how about putting in a solar tube in the area where the house and pergola "meet" so it would allow for sunlight in that area which would now be blocked by the pergola (whew, sorry for the long sentence). You can get solar tubes with led lights in them so it will add additional light at night. They are not too expensive and you can install them yourself.
Leslie Barnard
What if you built a storage chest for your cushions and just pull them out when your using your patio (just a thought)? At least till you figure out the alternative. I do like the idea of polycarbonate but that stuff's not cheap either. You could also hang those "sails" overhead (they're usually triangular for some reason) in white waterproof fabric so you get some light through them.
Or, like you said, there's scotch guard...
Karen
Hi Leslie! The point of the overhead structure is so I don't have to worry about the cushions if it rains. So I don't have to run out and cover them up or store them. (I actually have a big shed I could store them in, but that's a pain and also each of the 4 couch cushions are over 7' long and very heavy. So moving them whenever it rains isn't practical. I'll figure it out. One day. Maybe, lol. ~ karen!
Amy in StL
I built a pergola two years ago. I used the design my dad did years ago with 6x6 posts, 2x6 boards on all sides (double on the end) and 2x4 cross beams nailed in between. I used the corrugated polycarb in clear and it's held up to snow and branches. (however, I should have had more of a slope for rain run off 1/2" per foot is not adequate.
Karen
I discovered that whole slope ratio was a bit of a scam when I built my chicken coop. :/ ~ karen!
Janet
Maybe the sail shades from Lee Valley would work? http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=70744&cat=3,71685
Janet
What about the sail shades from Lee Valley?
http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=70744&cat=3,71685
Audrey
Perhaps a retractable awning would work - like an RV awning?
Other Karen
I don't have a picture of my backyard pergola handy, but I can offer up a link to the canopy we've used with it for the past several years now. IKEA to the rescue! LOL! https://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/40125786/
Karen
Ikea OFTEN comes to the rescue, lol! ~ karen
Andrea
What about a glass garage door? You could leave it in the “up” position and hide the hardware in the chuncky black framing.
https://goo.gl/images/wENbM8
Karen
I love that! ~ karen
Mari
I had to scroll back up several times to see the pergola with the "bum chairs". Not for the pergola, no. Um, that's a bathtub, right? Which could be a little funky if you lived way out in the back of beyond but may send you to enjoy those prison walls a little quicker than you anticipated in the middle of town. Maybe (no, OBVIOUSLY) you have nicer neighbors than I do but they have to draw the line somewhere!
Mqranch
Hey Karen, remember Paul Lefrance? He and his 'Decked Out' crew built one creation that had an open pergola over some VERY expensive furniture with a waterproof canvas cover that moved back and forth controlled by a remote control and I'm pretty sure he said it could be controlled by wi-fi. I remember I saved that episode for a long time because they showed enough close ups of the controlling mechanism that I felt I could probably figure out a way to build something similar myself. However, in the end, I built a two story 'outdoor' room that was post and beam and glassed in. The beauty of something that tall is that the roof of it is way above the roof line on your house so it does not block any light into your home. The floor to ceiling glass lets all the light in without any problem. I special ordered the 6mm tempered glass for the entire upper floor of the room (18' x 18') and two screened opening windows out of Vancouver and even with shipping, it was less than $2000. (You can also use recycled patio door glass which costs nothing) We had some awesome late fall and early spring (snow on the ground and freezing out) dinner parties in there for the two years before we moved. I could see the northern lights through that glass so if it's tall enough, I know if won't block light into your house window and it will provide a four season room. Have pics somewhere if you want them.
Rene Commons
Sounds awesome! Please post pics , I would to see what you have described!
Jane Baker
I'm sorry, Karen. I don't see anyplace here to post pics.
Susan
The first pergola looks easy enough to build if you have a few strong friends. Get a book on post and beam joinery (does anyone say 'Get a book anymore?). Those metal plates would stabilize it but you could use wooden pegs. We had a free-standing post and beam lean-to added to the garden center where I work and it was built on top of a stone patio. The owner sheathed the outside and has the polycarbonate panels on the roof. They turned cloudy after awhile, but its still bright inside. But the joinery is beautiful. This guy built it by himself and the posts are hand-hewn 6x6's ands its up to the second floor at the high point. You could do the notching with a circular saw and chisels easy enough. You just need muscle to help you get the beams up. Good luck!
debbie d
The louvers are moveable, so you can adjust them to get the amount of light that you want and close them during the rain or when you want a solid canopy. You can have the totally open or partially open or open to the way the sun moves or have them closed. Have seen this demo'd at the home and garden show here. They are pricey but they work. You can see them on the internet if you google the term louvered pergola covers. And, no, I don't work for the company nor google. If I worked for the company, I would probably have them in my yard!
Debbie D
Louvered Pergola Covers--this is what I was talking about in the previous comment. You can close or open them up for the light. They will block out the rain. Very pricey but I am sure you can DIY it somehow in all your cleverness and creativity. Probably can hook them up to wifi so you can close them when you are not at home.
Karen
Yes I do like louvered pergolas, but I'm not sure about how much they'd block the light in my kitchen. I wish I could find a louvered pergola that also slides closed. ~ karen!
Tracy K
I was just thinking of that. We get a wicked wind out of the west a lot. I thought it would be awesome to use that garage door idea to either have up for rain, or down for wind!
Raining and windy. yeah, I’d probably be inside anyway 😂
It’s a work in progress because I’m just starting my pergola planning. What timing for this to come in my mailbox!!!!
~btw, I’m taking notes from the comments. TONS of great ideas everyone! Thank you!!!
Cathy Reeves
Hi, I would have commented sooner but I peed my pants with the prison crack and I had to scrub the chair cushion.
Anyhow, I figured since you had a successful go with your RH furniture a pergola is kinda the same, right? I think any of the ones shown in black would tie in perfectly. But if you do some kind of clear roof, I’d make it frosted from the get go, because it’s gonna cloud over time and look really icky.
You’ve got this, Karen.
NinaMargo
Our pergola is the last photo. I've suspended green vinyl poultry netting from the top beams (exterior) on one end, to jasmine vines I planted. Three years later, they've cooperated and created a beautiful and intoxicatingly fragrant living wall. I had to keep weaving the new growth thru the netting every few months, and be very patient, but it was worth it. BTW, it doesn't snow here.
Jan Schaller
I have a clear acrylic roof over my back steps. Kinda ugly but lets all the light in and keeps rain out. But a big spring/summer job is washing, nay scrubbing, the winter's dirt and leaves and spring pollen off the top. This means dragging a garden hose to where I can reach and leaning out second floor windows with a long mop and brush. Very amusing for the neighbors. The back of the house is about 7' above ground so even if I had a ladder that tall there's no way I'm climbing up there.
june
I love a beautiful pergola and if you decide to got in that direction, sue it will be beautiful. In the meantime, I would recommend you look at marine fabric protectors for boaters. A brand named 303 is available in US. Maybe you can find it or something similar in Canada.
Sean Kelly
Why not build one with modern geometry, chunky black beams, sloped polycarbonate roofing, and a retractable weatherproof awning to cover the polyacarbonate at night from the raccoons? Seems like you could make all of these things happen and your end product would be both beautiful and highly functional.
Karen
Yup, all of those are possibilities. It's just a matter of me deciding what is best for my area. Which could take a while, lol. Much longer than the actual building. ~ karen!
Marie Anne
I'm having a similar dilemma myself right now. We are building a deck and I need to figure out shade but want the full sun too, and would love overhead lights but not a big heavy pergola. The landscaper is building the deck without attaching to the house which is stucco. So now I'm afraid to use the hook and eyes I was planning to put into the house to string lights, and maybe a sail shade. We have offset umbrellas but was hoping to save the floor space. If any of you have some ideas, comment away!!
Judy Persson
We had a pergola in our back yard when living in the Okanagan Valley, central BC. It was very similar to what you are wishing for....except it was covered with vines. I think they were called a Silver Lace vine. It was about 12 inches thick on top and grew about 3 feet a week! My husband HATED it (he tried to keep it trimmed). The neighbours also had it growing on their fence and there were competing hedge trimmers roaring every weekend. I liked it untrimmed as it would bloom with long tendrils of white flowers (hence the name Silver Lace). Because of the thickness on top we could sit outside in a rainstorm and stay dry! The rain would eventually soak through but only if it bucketed down for hours/days.
Hanna
Ah yes, that silver lace vine is also called mile-a-minute vine!