
If you are a homeowner, you may spend a considerable amount of time in your backyard and may want to improve your overall experience. In order to make improvements to the visual appeal, and overall beauty of your backyard, you may want to look for certain opportunities. You can do landscaping projects which will affect the exterior of your home, and also your mood, making your family so much happier. What you may want to consider doing is installing a pergola. This is why you should consider this type of project:
How Pergolas (further) Extend Your Living Space
Many people will install a patio or a deck outside of their home to expand the amount of living space that they have. If you enjoy outdoor living, especially during the summer, it’s good to be out and about without the sun coming down on top of you, and you probably need some type of climate or weather protection which a pergola can certainly provide. This is also going to extend your overall living space and will allow you to spend more time outside if you want to. They are designed to cast shade, even on the warmest afternoons, and if you do need additional protection while you are outside of your home, a pergola can also be equipped with a retractable shade cover which can be very helpful. There are some instances where the shade covers can be designed to protect you from rain, and these are perfect for summer storms that can often occur.
Why Design Options Abound With Pergolas
If you are going to install a pergola outside to improve your overall landscape, you may want to consider getting a custom one built or purchasing a kit. Contacting a professional will be a good idea if you want to design one from scratch, or you can simply purchase a kit that you can construct. You’re not going to have the same flexibility if you get a kit simply because they have fixed dimensions and are likely limited to rectangles in shape, yet everything will be delivered to your home so that it can be professionally assembled and installed in no time at all. It is probably worth mentioning that as well as a Pergola you also may want to invest in an outdoor kitchen if that’s the case then see ‘outdoor kitchen UK‘.
The next decision you will want to make is to consider all of the materials. There are many different materials that you can use and there are advantages and disadvantages to consider:
Pressure-treated wood: when deciding on a pergola, you may want to obtain one that has pressure-treated wood. They tend to have a much longer lifespan, yet it is also possible for them to crack or warp over time. This type of pergola is going to look best it is either stained or painted.
Cedarwood: in most cases, you are going to obtain one that uses Western Red Cedar which is a very popular choice. These tend to be insect resistant and will look absolutely beautiful ride out of the sawmill. You can also leave it untreated, allowing it to become a nice silver grey or you conceal or stain it so that it maintains its natural colour. A cedar pergola tends to be much more expensive, even over a pressure-treated pergola, and it will also have a much longer lifespan.
Vinyl: those that require the least amount of maintenance are those that are made from vinyl which is something that you may want to consider. You will not be able to paint as you would those made from natural wood, plus you are going to have limited colour choices.
Fibreglass: fibreglass is a material that is going to be very expensive, but it will be very beneficial if you get a pergola that is made from this material. It is extremely strong and the span of the pergola can be much longer and wider, sometimes reaching 20 feet and will have a very clean appearance. Fibreglass is also easy to paint any colour, and it’s going to last much longer than those made from natural wood. Finally, fibreglass pergolas are perfect for an existing patio or a deck. They are also very lightweight, and will not require deep footers that are often required with other types of pergolas.