A pergola is a fantastic addition to your yard as it automatically enhances its look. You can utilize your yard much better and host intimate lunches and dinner in your pergola. You wouldn’t be surprised to know that pergolas contribute heavily to the concept of modern home design.
However, if you’re getting a pergola, please ensure it’s made from the best wood. If not, it can fall apart, which can severely hurt someone. If you want your home to have a more modern and chicer look, we suggest investing in a pergola. Correction: an excellent quality pergola made from the best wood.
This article will guide you through everything you should know before getting a pergola and the best wood types a decent pergola should be made from.
Getting a Pergola: Questions to Ask
If you’ve never had a pergola before and are about to invest in one, you must consider some factors. You need to ask yourself (and then your carpenter) all the right questions about your pergola. If you blindly get one made, you might regret it later since you didn’t carefully plan all the dynamics. Here are a few questions you should consider.
What Is the Pergola Made From?
This is the most critical question to ask. When you first decide you want a pergola in your backyard, you need to consider the material incorporated to make it. If your pergola isn’t made from sturdy material, it might develop cracks and fall apart. So, the material needs to be carefully analyzed.
What Size Pergola Do You Want?
The size of your pergola will undoubtedly depend on the size of your home. The bigger space you have, the easier it’ll be to have a huge pergola. Measuring the size of your potential pergola is part of the sensitive dynamics of building a pergola. The dimensions of your yard must be thoroughly measured if you want a decent pergola.
What Is the Style of Your Home?
This may seem irrelevant, but it’s not. The style of your home matters plenty while deciding on the kind of pergola you want. It’s always better to have a pergola that matches your home’s style. For example, if your house is constructed traditionally, it would help if you had a traditional pergola made. The same is true if you have a contemporary home.
What Is Your Budget?
Your budget plays the most integral role in deciding the kind of pergola you want. If you’re more flexible, you can get whatever you want in your pergola, regarding the material, size, and style. However, if you don’t have a loose budget, it’ll be better to stick to the basics and not have specifics in mind that’ll cost you plenty. In other words, your budget dictates the type of pergola you want.
Best Wood for Pergola
After you’ve decided to get a pergola, you should also know what wood type you want it from. Pergolas are built from numerous wood types, each having distinctive features. However, your pergola should be as sturdy as possible. So, choosing a wood type that delivers exceptional quality and strength is necessary. Let’s explore some of the best wood types for a pergola.
European Green Oak
European green oak is one of the most used wood types to build pergolas due to its sturdiness. It will blend perfectly well with your garden or backyard’s aesthetic with its light green color. Many claim it represents nature itself, making it a go-to wood type for building pergolas.
European green oak has been around for a while now. It has been commonly used in numerous industries and construction sites. This wood type will give your pergola a solid base, essential for every pergola. Hence, we give European green oak two thumbs up for quality, sturdiness, and durability.
Western Red Cedar
If you want your pergola to pop in your garden, using western red cedar will be the way to go. This wood type is known to have a stunning appearance, so many people use it to build their pergola’s base. Western red cedar might be expensive to afford, but you won’t regret it once you invest in it.
This woodblock will last a long time, eliminating looking for replacements. Western red cedar is naturally rot-resistant, so you don’t have to worry about rusting away with time, as it’s a typical case for many wood types. However, you will have to work hard to maintain it, or it might not deliver the quality it initially did.
Iroko
Some people mistake iroko for teak wood; however, it’s untrue. Iroko may have some similarities with teak, but these wood types are different from each other. This wood type hails from the west coast of Africa, which is why it earned its name of African teak.
If you’re looking for a thick and tough piece of wood, look no more as iroko will be a perfect choice. This wood type’s durability is unmatched, as it promises longevity and top-notch quality. If you haven’t invested in iroko yet, you should undoubtedly waste no time as this piece of wood is what you’re looking for precisely to build the most incredible pergola.
Cumaru
Cumaru will benefit you plenty when using it as a base for your pergola. It has excellent finishing properties, significantly contributing to its popularity. This wood type works perfectly in different weather conditions, making it a super easy piece of wood to maintain.
It has a relatively unique color scheme compared to other wood types. You’ll find cumaru in reddish and purplish shades, while some pieces come in yellow and green. Investing in this wood type will be wise as it’s highly resistant to termites and other insects.
Our Final Thoughts
If you want a beautiful pergola in your backyard, you can use any wood mentioned above. All these pieces of wood have exceptional qualities, making them pretty practical to use while building a pergola. You can always consult a professional woodworker or a carpenter to learn more about different wood and their features.
