The project demanded a sturdy pergola, one that was capable of being clad in climbing roses, bordered and segregated the patio/outdoor dining area from the rest of the garden, at the same time as not obscuring the views from the ground floor windows of the house.
When building pergolas, I prefer to use very strong timbers, both visually and structurally, eschewing the prefabricated versions available from well known manufacturers using thin legs and scrawny rails.
Here, I have opted for 225mm x 225mm upright posts, in sawn, planed and prepared well seasoned pine, pressure treated for extra longevity for the upright posts, and 75mm x 225mm rails.
The structure as shown is a very simple build, with the main structural lengthways rails bolted to the uprights, and double cross rails secured one either side of the uprights, again, bolted into position. I used Timberlok screws throughout.
This system is very simple, requiring no jointing, whilst at the same time, creating a very strong, linked and integrated structure, with the cross timbers acting as joints.
In order to preserve the views, I have installed stainless steel 6mm cables forming a series of struts or corner supports, which act as guide wires for the growing and frameworks of the climbing roses.
These cables are fixed using stainless steel round eye bolts, secured into the timbers, with one continuous length of cable being tightened with a single barrel tensioner linking both ends together. (If the cables become slack over time, they are easily re-tensioned by the owner using a couple of small spanners or pliers)
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The second and third photographs shows the same cable logic on a smaller scale. The cable system allows for vines to be grown over a pergola feature without the need for corner brackets, which are unsightly and awkward to fit by landscapers such as myself who are not carpenters!
This pergola required some joints to be made, although I minimised these to simple half joints, sawn to suit the fan style of the roof timbers. (the rear section is considerable narrower that the front, resulting in a splayed effect)
Both pergolas were constructed using heavy duty timbers, as I consider them to be long term features, which cannot be built using flimsy pieces of wood. Total working time on the pergola was four man days. Total cost of the pergola was £1,900.00 plus VAT. (Paving was extra)
NOTE: the corners of all uprights on both schemes have been removed to create a tactile edge, much as a non-regular octagonal pencil, with 25mm taken off each corner. This does not materially weaken the posts, but reduces the visual impact of 225mm wide timber.
