What is the purpose of a pergola?

Pergolas have centuries behind them. With Italian essence ingrained in their distinct structures, they boast a creation dating back to medieval times. These charming, open-air structures are secured with four posts or columns and topped with cross beams or lattices. The airy structures are commonly made of wood, vinyl, or aluminum.

But of course, you’re wondering, what is the purpose of a pergola? Pergolas are most often installed on pavers or a concrete patio and allow for outdoor furniture and or grilling equipment to be placed underneath it. Pergolas are a great way to make a part of your backyard space a central hangout spot.

PERGOLA – pronunciation Per gow luh

You might have heard this word in a variety of places, possibly through the media, from your friends, or by your co-workers. But what has really drawn you to discover more about the purpose of a pergola? It is your love for the outdoors, careful attention to the landscape of your home, and your innate desire to create beauty and a hospitable, irresistible outdoor sanctuary for your family and friends.

Perhaps at times you look outside your backyard window and feel dissatisfied with your limited space or you simply wish your landscape design had more style or was more accommodating for hosting. Well, pergolas are your answer by ensuring that being in your backyard can be just as pleasant as being in your own cozy home. Everyone should be able to make their backyard an extension of their own creative indoor design.

Let’s explore the 5 purposes of a pergola.

1. Pergolas Create Versatile Shade

You might be curious, do pergolas really offer shade? Yes, pergolas were designed to add shade to your backyard space. They are excellent for providing relief from the harsh, direct rays of the sun while allowing sunlight access to fill the space. Although, as a stand-alone structure, pergolas do not provide full shade, their versatile structures allow many shade options. If you desire full coverage, you can add a retractable canopy. This option allows you to enjoy various levels of shade depending on the time of day or sun’s location.

Retractable canopies aren’t the only solution for full sun coverage. There are many more ways to add extra sunblock to your pergola that can reflect your personal style or preference such as plants, bamboo, or fabric sales, to name a few.

Follow these links below to discover different shade coverage options for your pergola. Pergola Shade: Practical Solution for Every Outdoor Space and Cheap Ways to Cover a Pergola

2. Pergolas Beautify Your Backyard

You have an eye for beauty and one that sees very well, for pergolas display undeniable beauty in their elegant structure. Their design is meant to add a stylish touch to any backyard, patio, or pool area. While their structures alone can turn the eye, possibilities for enhancing the beauty, style, or elegance of your pergola are endless.

First, you have the option of what material should make up your pergola. Pergolas for sale are available in wood, vinyl, aluminum, and fiberglass. Depending on your style, these different materials add rustic, modern, classy, or elegant beauty to your pergola structure.

Another way to add an extra touch to your pergola is by hanging plants or growing roses, wisteria, honeysuckle, or grapes vines through the beams. Give your pergola a romantic feel and some added dusk lighting by draping lights around the posts or through the cross beams. If you want to add a Greek touch, hang pergola curtains or pieces of colored, linen fabric around the outside or through the cross beams.

More than stand-alone beauties, pergolas offer a wonderful framework to add your own special and beautifying touches.

Pergola Ideas Gallery

3. Pergolas Offer a Pleasant Hospitable Outdoor Spot

Whether you wish to host a barbeque, provide a beautiful, memorable location for a small wedding, or simply enjoy a cup of hot coffee all by yourself, pergolas were designed for these exact moments. Pergolas draw people in with their shade and beauty. They offer a central location for friends and family to come together and the perfect spot to eat, sit, or play games. They add an attractive, fun, and stylish plus to any party, cookout, or wedding and can also be an inviting entryway to a garden.

Their design is all about inclusion, yet privacy can also be afforded with added drapes, latticework, or screens. When you look out your window, you want your wood pergola to be the one sweet spot that always makes you smile.

4. Pergolas Add lasting Value to Your Home

You may wonder if pergolas are worth the investment. Are pergolas really worth it? Yes, pergola’s shade, beauty, and accommodating, hospitable nature is designed to add market value to your home. The experts say that the landscape of your home has the potential to raise the value of your property by 15%.

Right now, outdoor living is becoming increasingly popular, which puts pergolas and other comfortable outdoor additions high on the list for adding value to your home. Pergolas add special character to your landscape design while being useful and enjoyable. They were designed to be either that final missing piece that completes your backyard landscape or the one piece that inspires you to further creativity of your outdoor landscape design.

So pergolas are worth it, but do they last? The good news is that whether you choose wood or vinyl, with proper maintenance, they have a lifetime of use. Vinyl tends to have less maintenance overall, whereas with wood you would need to repaint or stain every two years depending on how much sunlight exposure your vinyl pergola soaks up. The decision between wood and vinyl takes consideration of many personal factors. To find out more information to empower you in your decision making follow this link to Wood vs. Vinyl Pergolas.

5. Pergolas Offer Affordable Beauty

Many questions fill your mind as you consider the possibility of owning a pergola, and understandably, you may wonder if these Italian beauties are affordable? Pergolas are a more affordable choice, especially compared to their friendly competitor’s gazebos and pavilions. While gazebos and pavilions easily cost over $4000, the average cost of a custom pergola is around $3,500 with labor and materials included. If you build it yourself the price drops to about $3,000. Available as a cheaper option, there are do-it-yourself pergola kits that usually cost around $1,500 to $2,000 depending on the square footage.

Alternatively, if you are desiring to invest in a high-end pergola, the price comes closer to $7,000. For more detailed guidance in understanding the cost of pergolas follow this link to How Much Does it Cost to Build a Pergola. Take your time to research and become comfortable with the cost of a pergola that fits right into your budget. Pergolas were designed to be an affordable investment in cultivating your love for the outdoors and in your desire to have others enjoy your outdoor space with you.

The Purpose of a Pergola: In Conclusion

So whether you are looking for a way to bring some interest to your backyard or want to define your outdoor living space, a pergola is a great choice. For more information about getting your own pergola, contact us or request your free pergola quote today; we’d love to hear from you!