jutsuri
Full Member
Posts: 21
Joined: Mon Sep 10, 2007 1:22 pm
Location: North Bay Area, Ca

Pergola and Patio Questions

I am still in the design part of landscaping my yard, I want to install a pergola and I have a few questions. I want to have a large patio outside my back door, I would like to have a pergola to provide shade for the area because it gets full sun from about 10am to 4pm and it gets very hot in the summer, I hope that if I cool down that spot with some shade it will also help to keep the house a little cooler as well.

I drew up a few very rough pergola plans, I'm not sure how big would be too big although I would rather err on the side of larger. I would like the pergola to hug the house and workshop although I'm not sure if it would be better to attach it to the structure or have it freestanding but close. I would also like to be able to grow some hardy kiwis on either the shade pergola or a separate arbor, because kiwis can be such rampant growers I'm thinking a separate arbor might be the best way to go but I'm not sure where to put it or if it would look funny to have a kiwi arbor right next to a shade pergola.

In case you want to know more about the details of the area, the space is bordered by the house and a workshop that is attached to the house, there are doors leading from both the house and the workshop into the patio area. I'm still not sure how large the patio will be or what shape it will be, I was thinking it would be helpful to decide on the size and shape of the pergola first. I want both to be large but not so large they look funny. There is currently a shed near the workshop but I want to tear it down as soon as we have a new (larger) shed built in a less conspicuous place. There are two large oaks that are about 60 and 75 feet away from the house, they provide lots of nice shade but it doesn't reach the house.

Here are my plans and some pictures of the area I want to put the patio and pergola:

Plan #1 - Very Large Pergola. I forgot to note that North is up.
[img]https://i454.photobucket.com/albums/qq268/momo2820/Landscape%20Drawings/pergolaplan1-Copy.png[/img]

Plan #2 - L-Shaped Pergola
[img]https://i454.photobucket.com/albums/qq268/momo2820/Landscape%20Drawings/pergolaplan2.png[/img]

Plan #3 - L-Shaped Pergola with seperate Kiwi Arbor
[img]https://i454.photobucket.com/albums/qq268/momo2820/Landscape%20Drawings/pergolaplan3.png[/img]

This was taken looking North towards the workshop and soon to be torn down shed. A friend suggested cutting the extended part of the roof off and installing a pergola instead, I really liked the idea I'm just not sure the best way to do it.
[img]https://i454.photobucket.com/albums/qq268/momo2820/Landscape%20Pics/yard002.jpg[/img]

This was taken looking West, this is the view from the kitchen window and master bedroom.
[img]https://i454.photobucket.com/albums/qq268/momo2820/Landscape%20Pics/yard001.jpg[/img]

This was taken standing under the tree and looking back towards the house.
[img]https://i454.photobucket.com/albums/qq268/momo2820/Landscape%20Pics/yard004.jpg[/img]

I'm pretty sure none of my plans will make it to the final cut, I'm just looking for a starting point. I'm not sure how big is too big, I've never seen a 20' x 27' pergola before but I think having that much shade would be wonderful.

Any advice?



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