A pergola is not just a structure thrown up in the backyard to give you some shade. They are now an essential and elegant addition to your homes, giving you the flexibility to extend your outdoor living and entertainment area.
To help you get the pergola of your dreams, follow these guidelines to make sure you want the right design, material, and structure that suits your lifestyle and home.
- Planning
First, look at your backyard and discuss your options. When you’re talking about the materials and designs, consider things like winds and storms, as some are more suitable than others in high wind areas.
- Budget
You can get easily carried away with different materials and designs available in the market. Thus, before you go to the market and find your pergola, work on your budget. While pergolas aren’t extravagant features, a few materials will cost more than others. It’s good to do your work beforehand, so you know how much you can spend on having a unique pergola at your home.
If you want, you can hire a professional consultant or a builder. Not only they will advise about the right pergola but they will also whip it up in no time at all. As expert can also show you any danger signs with your area council, to ensure you have a stress-free process.
- Check with council
Check with your area council to see whether you need any approval to build one or not. Not all boards demand planning permission, but it would be best if you inform them in advance to avoid headaches. Many councils will help you by telling their rules and regulations for where and how to install a pergola and decking.
- Space
You can build a pergola in your backyard, garden or attached to your main building. It depends on the area you have, but an attached is considered more stable. If you’re choosing a freestanding, it can be propped up just about anywhere on your property.
Just ensure that the spot where you’re adding your pergola is easily accessible, and not blocking any landscape flow.
- Material
To build a pergola first, you need to decide what material you want it to be made of. Mostly in Melbourne, people usually select timber material because it is cost-effective and looks stunning. However, it doesn’t require any maintenance in protecting it from the ravages of the outdoors.
Steel pergolas are also trendy because they are durable and need less maintenance as steel doesn’t rust, get decayed, or need repainting. You can also pick aluminium for your pergolas and it is also a new material option. It is durable, light in weight, and needs low maintenance.
If you stay near the coastal area, then this material is perfect for you as it will not be strain by salt in the air. There are also other materials such as PVC and brick or stone.
- Design
You can design your pergola in a square, rectangular, circular, or hexagonal shape. It is a significant feature in your backyard, so you need to make sure that you choose the design according to your lifestyle and home. Builders offer multiple kits and standard plans that you can select from various styles and sizes.
Don’t think that it’s a kit so that it might be tedious. You can even customize it if you have a bit more room in the budget. You can opt for custom design if you want to fit it in your landscape.
- Roof
Whether to add a roof or not is based on your decision. Nowadays people love adding roofs, to enjoy their pergolas, no matter what the weather conditions.
To choose the roof, you have a wide range of materials that start from straight or angled traditional Colourbond to polycarbonate and thatch. Even you can add retractable roofing, climbing vines and shade sails or cloth.
You can even leave your pergola’s roof open to the sky. And, by putting twine or netting, you can encourage creepers to grow, which will eventually provide natural shade. But if you have decided to install a roof, consider the deflective heat properties of your roofing materials. You can discuss this with your pergola’s builders.
- Customization
While you are happy with standard pergola, an extra few modifications can make your pergola from ordinary to an excellent one. You can add a ceiling fan for your summer days, and retractable screens around the sides to give an enclosed room feel.
Also, by adding climbing plants will turn your pergola more colourful and shaded centerpiece, along with that, add some lights, comfortable furniture to relax and a fire pit for warmth. Investing in all these little extras will increase the overall price of your pergola, but you’ll get more value out of them.
Conclusion
These are just a few things that you need to consider before making your pergola unique. By doing a little planning and hiring a pergola builder, you’ll be able to create a shady, stylish, unique structure that will be complementing your home.
