Pergolas are being used in our yards and gardens a lot these days. This is primarily due to their versatility and the simple cover they make for many of our areas. Pergolas are free standing structures that are made of wood, metal, vinyl, fiberglass, and are just good looking structures to have in our yards. They also provide great opportunities for landscaping and screening.

BUILDING PERGOLAS – Building a pergola is not difficult at all and the average homeowner can build a pergola with a decent set of plans. These plans will give you all of the dimensions and if you purchase the right plans you will also get a complete materials list which makes your material shopping easy and also allows you to get several bids on the materials you will need. There is a lot of flexibility in the style of pergola you can build and I am sure you can find a plan well within your skill level.

KIT FORMS OF PERGOLAS – There are many online sources for finding kit forms of pergolas today and they make it really easy for installation. Even if you decide to build one yourself you can now buy concrete pillars/columns and have them shipped to your house. From there you can construct the pergola you want depending how you set the concrete pillars. But with all of the choices out there today you can probably easily find the kit form of pergola you want for your yard.

CUSTOM MADE PERGOLAS – You can obviously have a carpenter come to your house and have a pergola made but there are also companies that will build you a custom pergola and in kit form and have it shipped to your house. Now you get the best of both worlds in that you have a kit form of a pergola but you also have one custom made to fit your needs.

WHAT MATERIAL TO CHOOSE FROM FOR MY PERGOLA? -  This is probably going to be a function of whether you are trying to match anything in your yard or near your house. Most all pergolas that are purchased in kit form hold up well. Pergolas can be purchased that are made out of vinyl, metal, fiberglass, and wood. They come in all shapes, colors, and sizes.

HOW DO I MOUNT MY PERGOLA? You can put your pergola on a concrete slab by using concrete mounting brackets, you can set your pergola on a gravel base and leave it free standing, you can set a pergola on  stone pillars or posts, and you can plant posts in the ground and build your pergola from the posts.

USES FOR PERGOLAS – The primary purpose of a pergola is to provide cover to some area or object.  Pergolas are used to cover entertainment or sitting areas, to cover spas, patios, barbeque areas or outdoor kitchens. The roof of the pergola can be solid providing complete rain protection or the roof can be beamed or slated and therefore partially open. There are many uses for pergolas including covers for areas in which to hold weddings or other special events or parties. Some pergolas structures have seating built into them and some pergola structures are used for screening purposes.