Arbors, trellises and
pergolas have been
adding art and structure
to gardens for
centuries. Today,
America's growing
fascination with outdoor
living spaces and
gardens has renewed an
interest in these
versatile wooden
structures.
 For
anyone looking to add
space, style and
elegance to their
garden, "pergola" is
more than a fun word to
say. Building one of
these arbor-like,
post-and-beam structures
is a practical project
and fairly easy to
accomplish in a weekend.
Fall is an ideal time to
consider outdoor
architectural upgrades.
While it may be the last
major project of the
season, your
appreciation for the
effort will grow when
spring 2004 arrives. The
pergola is already in
place, ready to enjoy as
plants grow and flowers
bloom around it.
A popular building
material for a wooden
pergola is western red
cedar. It's stable,
resilient, and durable
while avoiding the
dangers of chemical
treatment.
"Safety is important for
people making building
material choices," says
Peter Lang, general
manager for the Western
Red Cedar Lumber
Association. "Cedar
looks beautiful and is
among the most durable
woods. For hundreds of
years, cedar has been
highly prized for its
natural compounds that
resist rot and mildew."
While western red
cedar's natural
qualities have always
been recognized, they
are taking on new,
heightened value among
builders from
professionals to
do-it-yourselfers.
Earlier this year, The
Environmental Protection
Agency issued a
recommendation to avoid
chemically-treated wood,
specifically wood
treated with a form of
arsenic. Recent studies
have linked the arsenic
in treated wood to
cancer. Above-ground
structures like
pergolas, which might
once have been built
with treated wood, can
be easily built of
cedar, known as the
"Tree of Life" to the
Indians of the Northwest
Pacific coast.
You may have seen
pergolas on houses and
called them trellises or
arbors. Like a trellis
or an arbor, a pergola
can support vines or
climbing roses. And like
a free-standing arbor, a
pergola can filter light
with its lattice-like
canopy. Pergolas are
often used as covered,
open-roofed gateways to
homes, paths, and
gardens.
The basics of pergola
construction are readily
available online or from
your trusted home
improvement store. Here
are a few handy
reminders:
- Ensure
that the
posts can
handle the
weight of
the overhead
beams. The
posts can be
encased in
concrete
postholes
you dig and
pour
yourself, or
be attached
to
ready-made
concrete
footings
purchased
from your
building
supply
dealer.
- Take
special care
when
deciding the
proportions
of posts and
crossbeams.
A set of
4-by-4 inch
posts would
be ideal
with 2-by-6
inch boards
nailed
vertically
for main and
crossbeams.
- Remember
to create
the layout
in the shape
of a
rectangle.
- Make
sure the
posts are
vertically
straight and
even in
height.
Ensure the
main beams
are level
and evenly
spaced in
parallel to
each other.
Use a
carpenter's
level for
easy
precision.
- Finally,
add
decorative
flair to the
crossbeams
with a
simple
cutting,
such as a
quarter
circle from
the
underside
ends of each
crossbeam.
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Consider attaching the
pergola to your home,
using it to shelter a
path between a main
house and a garage or
other outbuilding.
Because the overhead
spans are supported by
the uprights, they can
be made virtually any
size. Remember, one of
the great appeals of the
pergola is that it's a
piece of architecture.
In its simplest form,
a freestanding pergola
in the garden provides a
focal point. It can also
create an effective soft
screen from neighbors,
additional shelter for a
walkway, or the frame
for a view to another
feature within the
garden.
A pergola gives a
deck character and
creates a feature for
decoration and design.
Pergolas are great for
vines, other climbing
plants such as roses,
and hanging baskets. If
you don't have a green
thumb, adorn the pergola
with lights or
decoration for special
occasions. With slight
changes of the
supporting columns and
overhead lattice, a
pergola can fit almost
any house style.
A pergola can make a
dramatic change in the
yard and garden. It can
display a style or be
the final detail. Better
yet, you can do it in a
weekend. To begin the
construction process of
a pergola or any cedar
outdoor project, talk
with an expert at a home
improvement store or
visit
www.cedar-outdoor.org.
This article has been
supplied courtesy of the
Western Red Cedar Lumber
Association
www.wrcla.org
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