DIY

Pergola Designs-How I Built One the DIY Way With The Help Of a Pergola Plan

Pergolas are one of the most appealing features of a home garden, patio, or backyard as well as one of the most over priced, unless you resort to make one yourself choosing one from many pergola designs. A pergola kit can easily cost few thousand dollars for one of the easiest structures there are to build in construction. While materials can be a bit expensive, implementing a construction the DIY way is not rocket science, especially with the help of a well laid out pergola plan. In fact, I built a patio pergola myself and I can testify that not only is it cheap and money saving, but also fun and satisfactory.

Pergolas designs can encompass different sizes and shapes, the most common being rectangular ones. Circular or triangular pergolas are somewhat rare, but there are also plans for those . Very appealing are also pergolas over walkways, providing shade in sun drenched gardens for walkers by. It is better to decide your pergola size and shape well in advance so as to re-landscape the garden if necessary, as the pergola will become a central piece of the garden, drawing attention into it and affecting the whole picture. Materials can be as different as aluminium, vinyl, and of course wood.

Wood was my chosen material when I decided to build a pergola, and I think it is the most appealing and coziest of all, as well as very pliable. Should you decide to go ahead with wood, cedar and red wood are beautiful and very durable. Generally speaking, a pergola structure is very easy to assemble even without carpentry skills. It consists of few main posts and few main beams, to which rails or joists will be nailed or bolted at the span of choice to provide for shade and support for climbing plants and flowers.

I personally built my patio pergola in 2 levels as extensions of the first floor decks, greatly enhancing the coziness of the first floor front patio overlooking the garden. To do so, I followed a plan chosen from different pergola designs by a local construction foreman. Then I purchased the materials, red wood in my case, nails, nuts and bolts and then rented basic tools from a friend of mine such as a hand saw, an electric saw, a hammer, a spacer and a measure tape.

For the posts foundation I also had to buy some cement and steel net to give stability and support, and finally special resin based wood stain for extra sun and rain protection. That’s it. My friend’s help and a crate of beer finally completed the whole scenario. I saved myself a lot of money by going the DIY way and had the satisfaction to have a custom made patio pergola in a 3 days long weekend holiday. Flowers and climbing plants complete the picture of coziness, and a hammock set up between 2 main posts provides lazy relaxation.

Based on my own experience, I would certainly recommend building a pergola the DIY way rather than buying an over priced ready made kit. It is fun and easy even without previous carpenter skills, providing you follow an adequate an accurate pergola design of your choice. You can check my patio pergola pictures in my website by clicking the links below, just to have an idea.

About the Author

If you are planning to build your own pergola, whether in your garden, above your patio or in the backyard, check out my finished product result in my page about pergola designs. You will see what it is possible to achieve with a pergola plan even without previous construction experience. Don’t let your lack of skills be in the way to building a pergola. With the right help you can do it too and avoid being ripped off. Read more about pergola designs or learn how to build a pergola now.

pergola plans

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