Modern Garden Pergola Design

A wide range of Modern Garden Pergola Design is available in this application!

Building a garden pergola can be a fun and rewarding experience, but there are a few things you need to know before beginning this type of do it yourself project. If done right, a wooden pergola just might be the most beautiful addition to your home garden. If you enjoy building things and take interest in experimenting with home improvement and gardening projects, it is time you learn about various pergola designs and understand what they can do for your garden.

What is a Pergola?

If you have heard of pergolas but are still not quite certain of what they are, let me offer you a brief description. A pergola is a structure which creates a cool, shaded, and pleasant area beneath. Support columns run along the sides, connecting to various types of latticed framework above. It is most common to leave the sides of the structure open, while the top may be covered by a variety of plants or vines across the top.

You can certainly train your plants to climb to the top of your pergola, so choosing things such as roses, grapes, or jasmine are most appropriate. Climbing plants or vines are not a requirement however, and choosing what you want your structure to look like will depend on your own personal likes. Professional pergola builders will often incorporate their structure into a trellis or gazebo, offering even more accents to the garden. Your pergola might be a simple feature in your garden, or it might even be a more elaborate structure acting as a walkway or pathway, or designed as a corner pergola.

Materials to Build a Pergola

Pergolas can be made of either wood, stone, or a combination of the two. Popular pergola structures of today feature wooden materials, as they are much more affordable to construct. Weather-resistant wood will be important, since this type of garden feature will most certainly be exposed to some harsh elements of weather. Western red cedar is a fantastic choice when choosing wood for your project. This type of wood is easy to use, easy to maintain, looks beautiful, is extremely durable, and even gives off a pleasant aroma. You'll find that today's most top rated pergola kits will feature western red cedar.

My personal preference is to build a cedar pergola, but you may choose to construct an aluminum pergola, vinyl pergola, or an iron or metal pergola. Again this will be determined by how you want to incorporate the structure into your own garden, focusing on each particular garden and pergola style.

The Importance of High Quality Pergola Plans

The last thing I would like to focus on is the importance of following high quality and detailed pergola plans. Anyone who experiments with woodworking projects knows how difficult and time consuming DIY projects can be without good blueprints or plans to follow. This is why I highly suggest taking the time to do some research and obtain a good set of plans for your project. Plans with clear step by step instructions accompanied by photos will make a do it yourself pergola project much easier in the long run.