Are you intrigued by pergolas? So many homeowners are, and with good reason! They’re functional and ornamental at the same time. When you add a pergola to your outdoor living space, it will make more of a contribution than you might realize. A pergola can define your outdoor space, visually, in a way that nothing else can, and the effect is somewhat subliminal. The brain recognizes a pleasing view when it sees one, though you may never stop and wonder why.
Archadeck of Fort Wayne designed and built this cedar pergola in Fort Wayne’s Sycamore Hills neighborhood. The homeowners wanted to add a pergola over their existing patio purely for aesthetics. Here the pergola draws the patio, the benches, and the French doors together as a unified space. The new structure adds vertical interest and transforms this area from “just a patio” into an outdoor room.
Notice the ornamental cuts at the ends of the large beam across the front and the rafters that run from front to back.
Even though the design of this pergola was ornamental, it serves two significant functions as well. This pergola will provide a bit of shade—not a lot, but more than this patio had before we added the pergola. Also, the new structure provides the homeowners with a place to hang a ceiling fan, an added bonus! Now they can enjoy a refreshing breeze on a sultry day.
Explore Archadeck of Fort Wayne’s Pergola Design Options
If you’re interested in adding a pergola to your northeast Indiana home, we’d love to talk with you about the many design options. Pergolas work well as part of a larger outdoor living project such as a deck or patio. We can also add a pergola to your existing outdoor space as we did with the project pictured here. We will custom design your pergola specifically to meet your needs and to blend with your home and other outdoor structures.
Read more: Designing Your Custom Deck and Pergola Together Just Makes Sense!
We have a wide selection of materials available for building pergolas, from wood, aluminum and vinyl (PVC) to composite decking materials. If you prefer a wood pergola, we can use cedar, pressure-treated pine, or hardwoods like ipe. We can stain or paint a wood pergola to achieve the aesthetics you desire.
If you’re adding a pergola specifically for the shade it can provide, we will adjust your pergola design to provide the degree of shade you’re looking for. Several aspects of a pergola’s design determine how much shade it can offer. The number of rafters and purlins across the top, how far apart they are spaced, and whether they are angled—these are just some of the variables. The orientation of your pergola in relation to the sun’s path is also a factor.
Archadeck of Fort Wayne is northeast Indiana’s premier designer and builder of beautiful, high-quality outdoor living spaces. If you are interested in learning how we can design the perfect pergola for your outdoor living space, call us today at (855) 931-4746.
— Craig Whitman, owner at Archadeck of Fort Wayne.
