A pergola is an arbor or trellised area for walking or sitting and was a popular feature of houses built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. You could even mail-order a pergola -- like this example from a Sears stock plan catalog of 1921
(courtesy Searshomes.org). Note that price! The word pergola derives from the Latin referring to a projecting eave. Most pergolas are distinguished by projecting rafters that create partial shade and a support structure for vines or other trailing plants like wisteria and bougainvillea. A pergola can frame the front entry, as it does in Plan 454-11 by architect Sarah Susanka shown at the top of this post. It can define part of a terrace or deck as it does in Plan 479-4 by architect
Peter Brachvogel and Stella Carosso, where a single line of paired columns supports it, as shown above, and in Plan 930-19 by Sater Design, where a small pergola shapes a terrace sitting area, shown below.
A trellised area or pergola can be an attractive and less expensive alternative to a fully covered porch roof.
Plan 120-190 uses a trellis to frame the breezeway between the house and the garage -- the overhead
beams here make the deck feel like an outdoor room. The Homestead Partners use a pergola as the defining
feature of their latest design, Plan 917-12 -- it wraps the house on three sides. Trail vines along it and the house will almost disappear in foliage!
To browse more plans designed for outdoor living click here.
(courtesy Searshomes.org). Note that price! The word pergola derives from the Latin referring to a projecting eave. Most pergolas are distinguished by projecting rafters that create partial shade and a support structure for vines or other trailing plants like wisteria and bougainvillea. A pergola can frame the front entry, as it does in Plan 454-11 by architect Sarah Susanka shown at the top of this post. It can define part of a terrace or deck as it does in Plan 479-4 by architect
Peter Brachvogel and Stella Carosso, where a single line of paired columns supports it, as shown above, and in Plan 930-19 by Sater Design, where a small pergola shapes a terrace sitting area, shown below.
A trellised area or pergola can be an attractive and less expensive alternative to a fully covered porch roof.
Plan 120-190 uses a trellis to frame the breezeway between the house and the garage -- the overhead
beams here make the deck feel like an outdoor room. The Homestead Partners use a pergola as the defining
feature of their latest design, Plan 917-12 -- it wraps the house on three sides. Trail vines along it and the house will almost disappear in foliage!
To browse more plans designed for outdoor living click here.
