Beat the Heat with a Pergola from OKC's pergola experts

Planning Your Pergola

Cost Considerations

Pergolas are normally cost effective mean for shading your backyard.  A Pergola is a worthy investment for your home and will not only pay off in enjoyment, but can also add to the value of your home, should you sell.

Your cost will vary depending on the types of materials you choose for your outdoor addition. Cedar is more expensive than pine, but absorbs rich stain better and is longer-lasting. Vinyl is another choice, and while requiring little maintenance, can be more expensive. Vinyl also is more prone to bending in high winds then natural wood.

Size and complexity of design are also considerations when budgeting for your pergola. If you are trying to fit your addition into a smaller budget, we can work with you to design a structure that will not only fit your needs, but also protect your wallet. Of course, the larger and more complex the structure, the more wood is needed to complete the project. This can increase cost, but will always be worth it in the end.

Design Considerations

While designing your pergola is the fun part, it does require careful planning and thought. Three important questions to ask yourself are:

• What function will it serve?
• How many people should it accommodate?
• Where will it be located?

These three questions will help determine price and design.

Function

If you desire an intimate retreat for you to drink coffee and enjoy the outdoors, then a smaller, more intimate design may work for you. If you need to cover a large area, such as a picnic area, then a larger, simple design may fit better within your budget.  Determining the function of your new outdoor pergola is crucial to a well throughout, cost friendly design.

Size

Are you an entertainer? Do you like grilling up steaks for all your friends? If so, you should consider a larger structure that will accommodate several people at one time. A sizable roof will ensure their comfort in case of extreme sun or rain as well as protect your outdoor furniture from the elements. Since our pergola are fully customizable, we can design and build to serve everything from a couple, to a large crowd.

Location

Another important factor to consider when planning your pergola, is where it will be located. If it will be over grass or another earthen surface, then it will need a solid footing. Our outdoor experts will evaluate the solidity of your surface and determine how to create a stable base for your pergola.  Most of the time, a concrete footing is poured to anchor the posts. If your structure will be built on an existing concrete base, then heavy duty foot screws are drilled to position and strengthen the posts.

Other important items to consider when designing outdoor pergolas:

• Desired sun exposure
• Drainage issues
• Distance to house

Maintenance Considerations

Your pergola is built to require as little maintenance as possible. If you choose natural wood, such as pine or cedar, you will need to re-stain the wood every 2 – 5 years depending on your weather conditions. Hotter, drier weather tends to dry out the wood faster and may speed up your need to re-stain. However, there are conditioning stains that protect the wood and allow the stain to last longer than normal.

If your natural wood structure gets damaged from flying debris, or other circumstances, it is easy for our outdoor experts to make repairs and get your pergola looking as good as new. Oklahoma backyard pergolas are subject to our extreme weather, which is why we build your structure, as solid as possible.

We want your pergola to provide you years of outdoor enjoyment!