Pergola Designs Catch Your Eye

If you are interested in building a pergola in your yard and you have started searching for information on these back yard structures, I'll bet you are suddenly aware of how many there are in your own neighborhood. Once you know what you are looking for, you notice them everywhere. I took the above photo after going on my typical Sunday morning trail run and realizing that the house I passed every week had not one, but two pergolas in their yard!

The unique pergola designs along with their color and that there are more than one really caught my eye. The attached pergola above the patio closest to the house is a pretty common design. However, the free standing polygon in the corner of the yard with five posts is really quite unique. It does a great job of highlighting the unusual shape of the yard itself. The home owner's have placed their barbeque and seating out under that pergola allowing them a more open vantage point away from neighbors.

I think this yard showcases how much you can use your imagination when planning the pergola design you want to use. It is entirely possible to change up the shape, size and color quite easily. The best thing you can do is go out in your yard and look at the ground to determine the best and easiest place to secure posts either by digging in the ground or placing them in concrete brackets.In the example above what is not visible is that they added another concrete slab to that back corner so that both of their pergolas are placed in brackets. Using concrete is a great way to ensure that your pergola base is level and steady.

One other thing to consider in the placement of a pergola is the roof line. You want to check from the various places in your house and yard that the top of the pergola wont block any views you want to keep. Unless you are just automatically attaching the pergola to the house over an existing patio, you also might want to sit out on the spot where you intend to place the pergola to see if your neighbors look down on you or if your own view is going to be what you want.

However you choose to design your pergola, you will be pleasantly surprised at how many resources you can find to guide you in building this very easy back yard project.