3/01/2011

Learn about my Pergola

I have received a request to do a post on my pergola. So here we go...
 When we purchased this home, the back patio had two medium sized Bradford Pear trees at each corner of the patio.
 One became deseased and we had to remove it, the other one broke in two during a storm, so that one was removed too. That left us with a very sunny, west facing patio.
 The solution was a pergola. So I did tons of research on pergola's using the internet and settled on a maintenance free white painted aluminum with wood look embossing.
 I found out that the tube-like slats on the top for shade are called lattice. You have to find out the snow-load in your region so the pergola doesn't collapse under the weight of the winter snow. Your dealer can give you this information. Most kits come with 50% shade ratio of lattice. I wanted the maximum for my region in western Illinois which is 60% so I paid a little extra for more lattice slats and you just install them closer together.
Next, you get to pick the finished edge that you like. I think there are three or four styles to pick from. You can also get your pergola to be free standing or attached to your home or a structure. I wanted mine attached to my home. You also pick the size you want.
Then my problem was height. I needed my pergola to attach above my bay window. The height was taller than the posts (which you pick the design on too), so instead of the high cost of ordering longer posts, I decided on building brick pedestals to raise the height of my posts.

Cost. I found that there are just two or three manufacturer's of these aluminum pergola but many dealer's. I got three bids and believe it or not, Lowe's was the cheapest at $2700. Prices will vary by the style you choose, size and shade %.  After receiving the kit, I hired my young and cute, handy dandy handyman to come over and help me put it all together. We have had it two years now and couldn't be more happy with it. To clean all I do is spray it with a hose or pressure washer. It still looks brand new. We did hang a vinyl white shade on the front header so when the sun goes down in the evenings, and we are out on the patio, we can lower the shade for added protection from the sun. I hope this helps all of you interested in getting one of these.



NOTE: You should be able to click on most of the pictures to enlarge to see further details.
These parties I love to link up to or check out my Blog Parties tab
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps On The Porch
Make It For Monday @ Cottage Instincts
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping It Simple
Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative
Making The World Cuter @ Making The World Cuter
Twice Owned Tuesday @ House Of Grace
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm
Power Of Paint @ Domestically Speaking
Winter Blues Wednesday & DIY by Design
White Wednesday @ Faded Charm
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style
Piece of Work Wednesday @  Primitive & Proper
Good Life Wednesday @ A Beach Cottage
Strut Your Stuff Thursday @ Somewhat Simple
Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage
100 Ideas Under $100 @ Beyond The Picket Fence
Show And Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home
Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed
Frugal Friday @ Shabby Nest
Vintage Inspiration Friday @ Common Ground 
Creative Girls Blog Hop Friday @ The Girl Creative
Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors
Strut Your Stuff @ The Saturday Morning Blog
Sunday Showcase Party @ By Stephanie Lynn
Savvy Southern Style Summer Decks Party

39 comments:

  1. Your pergola turned out so nice! I'm sure you will really enjoy the shade this summer. We have the same patio furniture...Have a great week Terry, Cindy

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  2. Love it Terry..your home is just beautiful my friend..Thanks for sharing..Hugs and smiles Gl♥ria

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  3. Hi Terry,
    Love how your pergola looks,they really add that extra special something to the yard I think and yours looks great! ...we have one also that we had designed and installed the first month we move in our new to us home. Ours is 16 feet across the back of the house that faces the pool. It has really helped in keeping the sun heat down on the windows. I love how
    you added the brick to the base of the posts.
    Have a sweet day and hugs, Elizabeth

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  4. Terry your pergola looks beautiful, and I love how you added height with the bricks. Beautiful back yard! Martina

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  5. Terry I love your home! Where I come from we call this a patio cover, lol! I LOVE the word "pergola" and will be using this from now on to refer to our patio cover. Beautiful blog. I'm a new blogger and follower :)

    www.simplicity-tracy.blogspot.com

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  6. Thanks for this post, Terry. I love homes with patios and pergolas. Very nice! We have a deck now, but I miss the stone patio we had at our old house.

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  7. What a beautiful job! I love that pergola!
    Your home is so lovely and so much fun to see!
    Cindy

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  8. WOW! It's just beautiful. I've been trying to come up with a solution for our patio too..... I think we've had about four of the canvas gazebo do-hickeys now.... A new one about every other year. I don't know what goes on with the wind around here, but they always tear in the winter.... We would take it down and store for the season, but our home is toward the bottom of a hill and it gives us privacy so we leave it up.... Love this solution and it's easy care. I don't want the Hubbs on any ladders anymore....

    Thanks for coming to visit! It's nice to meet you...

    Warm blessings,
    Spencer

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  9. Wow, what a beautiful transformation. I love the way it enhances the back of your home and is functional all at the same time! Thanks for sharing.

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  10. thank you so much for posting about this!! I want a pergola and didn't realize you can get a kit!! I will be showing hubs this post so we can get started planning (after the winter is over). Your pergola has added a lot of value to your home, I think it is awesome!

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  11. I have wanted a pergola like this for about 10 years! I just love it! Does it cut the light coming into your house at all? Thanks for sharing!
    Liz

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  12. Absolutely beautiful and so crisp and clean....love it. Thank you for stopping by today and for the sweet. I just became your latest follower and hope you will follow back.
    xojana

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  13. So pretty! My husband and I were just a few days ago talking about wanting one of these. Thanks for sharing!


    Kelly

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  14. That is so beautiful! I have been wanting one just like that. Yours turned out so pretty. Wondering if I can get my dear hubby to put one up this summer?
    Debbie

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  15. Your pergola really is beautiful. I absolutely love it. We debated back and forth about adding one when we did our outside patio a few months ago. Thanks so much for linking up with the Winter Blues Wednesday party.

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  16. Hi Terry! Your pergola is exactly what I want on my back east-facing deck. It's soooo hot and sunny out there all day long, and this pergola is just the solution for a shady area to enjoy a summer afternoon. Thanks for the idea! :)

    xoxo laurie

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  17. Ohh your pergola is beautiful!! But this post reminds me of my pergola that just collapsed under the snow last week! :( I don't know if you saw my blog post, but aye... record amount of heavy wet snow, and into the house the pergola collapsed. ugh... At least yours gives me a smile of how rebuilding can be! :)

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  18. It's lovely! And your back yard is gorgeous. Very inspiring!
    Cheers, Andrea

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  19. Soo pretty! We hope to have one some day.

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  20. Beautiful pergola! And, I love your gravel and stone pathway. I can imagine how many summer nights are enjoyed out here! *Becca* (www.adventuresindecorating1.blogspot.com)

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  21. that looks wonderful! i am suuuper jealous, as i would love a pergola coming off from garage in my backyard. this is great inspiration, so thanks!

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  22. It looks great. We are considering something similar in our backyard so I was interested in reading your thought process in deciding what to order.

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  23. what a LOVELY home! I want to be sitting outside drinking some lemonade right now! You're blog is fantastic.

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  24. It is a great pleasure to tell you that I love your work. You are into a wonderful work. Keep up the work.And yes i have book mark your site foreverdecorating.blogspot.com .

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  25. The pergola really works for your space. It brings out that natural calmness and comfortable style.

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  26. Hey Terry, I want a pergola so bad, this is just the type I need!
    Looks fantastic.
    ~Jo
    Lazyonloblolly

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  27. It looks great Terry! I love the white color and love the low maintenance aspect of it. Nice work!

    Pam

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  28. Terry, I love your pergola and I love your green lush grass even more. Thanks for sharing this at the deck party.

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  29. Your pergola is wonderful!My husband built one on our last home and I really loved it! Great thinking with building it taller with the brick. It really is a nice touch!

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  30. Beautiful pergola and it's adds so much to your home & yard.
    Love the archway, too.

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  31. Love your pergola! Such a beautiful area. I have a pergola at the top of my wish list.

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  32. Beautiful home! The pergola is definitely the finishing touch and looks so inviting!

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  33. Beautiful Home... Amazing before and after makeover.... !! I love the patio furntiture..!!

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  34. I had a very productive afternoon talking to a sales representative at a model home site. She gave me a Pergolas Adelaide inspired plan for the one I fell in love with.

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  35. Just found your blog through Hometalk.com. Read your post about the pergola and had to smile. We just lost the pear tree that shaded our deck in late afternoon. (Storm a week ago with 60 mph winds!) We've been looking at the idea of a pergola - I'm all for it and yours is an inspiration!

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  36. Thank you for this post. Your pergola looks absolutely amazing! It sure looks like real wood! This feature really adds more appeal to the overall design of your home. I have to say, you have a great yard and those simple landscapes are beautiful. So sad, though, that those incredible pear trees are gone. Anyway, thank you again for this post. This is such an inspiration.

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  37. Beautiful! We just put up a new covered patio. Are you afraid to have the chandelier out there?
    We have some pretty powerful storms here. I would have a chandelier in every room if possible. :)

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