Pergola design for shade?

[Michael Craig]

Anybody out there have any design suggestions for a pergola with shade from the sun as a prime essential? I'm thinking of using pressure treated wood and painting it. Thanks

Michael

[Rockwallgriller]

Re: Pergola design for shade?

Hello,
Put a search in for me and view my pergola I built.

Thanks
R

[Michael Craig]

Re: Pergola design for shade?

Thanks Rochwallgriller

M Craig

[blacknoir]

Re: Pergola design for shade?

I designed my own Pergola and love it. I'm currently planning a ground level patio with a WFO and outdoor kitchen which will also have a Pergola similar to this one.

It's a bit hard to see but if you look closely on the left side of the pergola hanging just below the main joists is a SunSetter screen which rolls straight down. It's got a handle for rolling and bungies which connect to some hooks on the railing. It's also a mesh screen so you can see through it but it blocks a TON of the heat from the sun when we're sitting out there eating dinner at 6pm and the sun slips under the pergola.

[Michael Craig]

Re: Pergola design for shade?

Rockwallgriller, How tall is your pergola? (from bottom of rafter)

[Ken524]

Re: Pergola design for shade?

Here's the pergola we built for our patio:

http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/21/m...html#post41550

We just planted a couple of Wysteria vines and are training them up the posts. Hopefully it will provide us with some ornamental shade.

[blacknoir]

Re: Pergola design for shade?

Nice job Ken, did you do that yourself? I like the wood rack too.. my wife would be so jealous of all the brick on your house, she's big into brick and we have none.

[Ken524]

Re: Pergola design for shade?

Thanks Shay,

Yep, all my own work. It was a piece of cake after building a pizza oven .

[mluttropp]

Re: Pergola design for shade?

I dont know if I am a little late on this one but I would suggest redwood rather than the painted pressure treated lumber. In my opinion the pressure treated lumber just does not take paint all that well and once you paint it you can look forward to repainting it over and over again as the years pass and given the number of little nooks and crannies in a pergola it is not a fun job.

Just my two cents.

After looking at everyones pergola pictures I am thinking I should have checked with all of you before I built mine. Nice work everyone.

[Rockwallgriller]

Re: Pergola design for shade?

Michael Craig,
The height to the bottom is 8' tall, over all the total height is aprox. 10 1/2' tall.

Thanks

[Ken524]

Re: Pergola design for shade?

I dont know if I am a little late on this one but I would suggest redwood rather than the painted pressure treated lumber.

The farther east you go, the harder it is to find (affordable) redwood. None of our HD's or Lowe's carry it here in KY. It would have to be special ordered making it prohibitively expensive.

[trialbyfire]

Re: Pergola design for shade?

I built mine from Kiln dried redwood and it was like buying gold bricks! you might consider a sunshade sail if you are covering a large area. They look pretty cool, but they do require some significant anchoring for wind loading.

[aurik]

Re: Pergola design for shade?

Our neighbours built a pergola, and thatched it with palm fronds (they also happen to have several large palm trees). It gives their backyard a distinctively "tropical island" look.

[fxpose]

Re: Pergola design for shade?

Our neighbours built a pergola, and thatched it with palm fronds (they also happen to have several large palm trees). It gives their backyard a distinctively "tropical island" look.

I thought of doing that several years ago but I live in a high fire zone area so I scrapped that idea. Besides, it could be a code violation in my city. I never bothered to check with the city.

[Fairview WFO]

Re: Pergola design for shade?

Here's a couple of pics of my cedar Pergola.