Making a pergola in the garden? You can!
Are you a creative mom or dad and do you dare to build a pergola yourself?? Good job! Of course, it all depends on what you have in mind, but with a bit of skill you should be able to do it. Look, it should obviously not become a complete garden canopy with electricity and lighting, because then you would exceed the purpose of a pergola.
But do you want to make a pergola with, for example, a shade cloth? Then read on!
Building your own pergola
My husband took the step to build a pergola in the backyard a few years ago. It ended up being a square pergola with a harmonica shade cloth over the entire width and length.
The big advantage of a pergola compared to a garden canopy is of course that it is much less work. Less material is needed and therefore the costs are much lower.
For example, you can make your pergola with spruce beams or Douglas wood. The advantage of pine beams over Douglas fir is that it’s a lot cheaper. Depending on the size of your budget and of course personal taste, you can make your own choice here.
No foundation needed
You do not need to build a foundation for a pergola. We chose to put two posts of the pergola in quick setting concrete. These are the two posts that are not placed against a wall, but free in the ground.
This way you can be sure that they are solid and can stand up to a little wind and impact.
After placing the posts, you can proceed to attaching the beams. You can attach it with screws or with iron profiles. If you attach them with screws you can use a corner profile in the corners for extra strength.
If desired, you can also make beams across the width, this breaks ‘the roof’ slightly. Keep in mind that it will then be more difficult or no longer possible to place, for example, a harmonica cloth for shade.
Climbing plants
You can also build the pergola and then let it grow with climbing plants. This is what a pergola is traditionally intended for and is perfectly suited for this purpose. Besides looking beautiful, it is also a nice, natural way to create shade.
I personally like the wisteria the best, it can grow beautifully around a pergola.
Do you like plants, but you do not want the pergola completely overgrown, you can also opt for hanging plants that you attach to the pergola. That still looks very nice and playful, without letting the whole pergola grow over.
How long does it take?
Basically, you could make a pergola in about 8 to 10 hours, depending on the size of course. But in practice you can have your pergola assembled and ready within a day. Just keep in mind that during construction, an extra pair of hands can come in very handy every now and then, so make sure there is someone around who can help lift things from time to time.