Pergola Design to Enhance Your Landscape

What Can a Pergola Design Do for My Landscape?

Pergolas have been used to enhance outdoor areas for hundreds of years, dating back to the Italian Renaissance.

What exactly is a pergola?

A pergola consists of vertical posts that support crossbeams and rafters. They are open roofed, so it won’t keep you dry, but they add an architectural element and provide shade.

Whether you’re looking for something classical or a bit more modern, there is definitely a pergola that will compliment your landscape beautifully. Pergola design can be as simple or elaborate as you like, but either way they add a nice focal point to a landscape.

This pergola design has it all, it is stained cedar with shade sails woven through the rafters. — *This pergola has it all, it is stained cedar with shade sails woven through the rafters. The attached low voltage lighting ensures this will be a popular gathering spot day or night.*

Pergolas as a Design Element

Pergolas do serve as a very attractive design element. They really help to define an outdoor living area and provide the feeling of being both indoors and outdoors. They can be built with larger lumber to create a more substantial statement. You can add cross beams on top of a pergola’s rafters to create a lattice effect and gives it a bit more complexity. They also add some much needed height and substance to a new landscape.

Creative Ideas for the Design of Your Pergola

There are a lot of fun options that a pergola adds to you landscape as well. Staining will not only protect the Pergola’s lumber against the elements, but also gives you a chance to choose whatever color you would like.

You can easily weave shade sails through rafters to add a splash of color and provide total shade. Hanging string lighting from a pergola is a great way to get the space evening and night functionality. A Pergola also provides a nice opportunity to introduce some climbing vines like honeysuckles, clematis, ivy, or trumpet vines.

Outdoor living area with pergola, grill, and bar in the Broadmoor. — *This large lumber pergola is a very nice addition to this outdoor living area, and it incorporates an outdoor heater, allowing you to enjoy a chilly evening in comfort.*

DIY Pergolas

You can build a pergola to be as ornamental as you wish, but at their heart they are really the simplest structure you can build. If you’re looking for a nice DIY project to undertake, a pergola could be a great option. As long as your pergola is less than 200 square feet and doesn’t attach to your house, the Pikes Peak Region Building department doesn’t require a permit. You can check out Pikes Peak Regional Building department’s pergola requirements, even if you don’t need a permit, it gives you a good guide to follow.

Cedar is our recommended lumber material for any pergola project, it’s attractive, handles Colorado’s climate well, and is decay resistant. And if you aren’t quite ready to start from the ground up, there are also a vast amount of ready to assemble kits available.

*This cedar pergola was stained to match the home beautifully.*

If you’re looking to add some form and substance to your landscape, a pergola might just be the perfect addition to your outdoor space. Big or small, dramatic or simple, it’s sure to make a big impact and provide a space for years of enjoyment.