The Spousal Unit and I are probably going to build a pergola over a cement slab we have left after a fire destroyed our woodshed and wood furnace. The dimensions of the slab are 14x17. Does anyone have anything like that of this size? There is also a smaller cement slab to the right of the site for the pergola............I told hubs that would be a great place for a fire ring or the nice little chiminea I found at Menards.

I want a basic structure, nothing fancy with cutouts on the ends of the pieces of lumber. We'll use treated lumber and it won't be painted or stained.

The furnace has since been taken out.

The other photo is some heavy plastic coated metal flooring that was in a pig nursery. There are 6 pieces that are 5x6 feet..........they would be PERFECT to put on top of the pergola to add a little shade, but most important, the stuff is heavy enough I can hang plants from it.

Ideas??? Suggestions??? I have said that if/when we get this done I am going to call it my "Phoenix Room", as it essentially rose from the ashes.

Hmmmmm...............not much interest here, is there.

Whilst I was lounging on the beach last week, I had a really big brainstorm for our "yet-to-be-built" pergola. I guess it really took root after I saw something sort of like it in Mexico, but it sure got me going.

I told the SU that we should go out to where he cuts wood (God knows we have enough places around this joint)..........and cut 4 "posts" that we could use for the corners. A bonus would be if they had a decent "Y" where the 4 long pieces could lay in there for the top part. Then just look around for trees that would be able to "donate" the long pieces for the top of it. Now, wouldn't that be just totally rustic and cool-looking?? And it would not cost us a cent for the lumber..............am I totally crazy??? I don't think so, I can see it in my head what it would look like. All that "natural" wood with the not being straight, etc, would give it real character. It would be great for some of my hanging pots in there too.

Any thoughts on THIS???

This is EXACTLY what I have in mind.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pini...

It looks like a lovely informal pergola. Do you have anyone clearing land around your town/county? You might be able to pick up what you need for supports right now.

Barb

Nothing that long. We'd be better off getting it off of our property/wooded areas.

Guess you have to wait for warmer weather.
I was at a local artists workshop...he built a pergola as an entrance to his garden.
I think the uprights were cedar..solid. We built a porch where the uprights were metal and then a cedar log was cut in half and wrapped around the metal. It held up part of the house roof...so maybe a precaution?

Anyway, not sure about your tastes...but this artist...hammered spikes into the top of each pole top...and slid colored bottles over...I can't remember ...maybe 3-4 long spikes each pole.

It looked so nice - the sun was hitting the glass perfectly that autumn day.

Having trouble visualizing this.

Well, if I didn't smash my iPad ...I could show you!

Ok, this is a stretch...

See this bird..well imagine a colored wine bottle resting over each spike....

That is what the glass cluster looked like sitting on the top of the 4 corners of the cedar poled pergola.

....Now that I think of it..5 not three....maybe...

It was quite beautiful.. Probably used 6 inch spikes. With the sun and the glass could not see how far the spikes went up inside the glass.

Hmmmm............wellllllll................doesn't sound like "my" taste, tho I imagine in the right setting it would be kinda cool.

It was very beautiful. I saw it at an art " walk" actually county wide ans so it was more "driving" tour. His art ( oil on canvas ) large landscape pieces was quite nice ( $$$$$$ ) but the crowd was really gathered at and oooohing and ahhhhhing about the pergola and entraceway to the garden.

LOL, I've seen quite a few of the "colored bottle" things... I have to admit I just don't "get it," but to each his/her own, I say!

I'm more into making my old bowling balls into "garden art," so it isn't as though I don't care for tacky chic !

I have a BB. 3/4 finished. Second year......piecing together shattered tempered glass. Tedious. Sprayed ball with copper paint first..was a terrible glow orange!
At our house..with the deer and assorted critters...sometimes the bottles are the only colors that are dependable. Had a bottle tree from a dead tree for quite a few years....but it finally decayed and fell over.

No bottles on our cedar structure...but there may be one day!!
I really don't see a space for it on the roofline.
Here are clusters of bottles similar to what that artist had on is corner posts.
And a bad shot of the bowling ball...needs cleaning.

Noooooo.............I don't think I will do the bottle thing. LOL

It's not for everyone. 😊

Any headway on your plan?

Hi Anna, I saw this pergola in a historic house in Monterey, CA..maybe you can make a simalar one but a shorter version:

No, no progress as of yet. But, it's too cold, and can't "bury" the end posts because of frost in the ground. We may be able to acquire some lumber for not much $$ or even the 4 letter "F" word if we help remove it..............FREE!!!!!!!!!!! Some friends built a new house last year, and they are going to demolish their old one. They have a large porch roof with boards that would probably work for the majority of our pergola. All we have to do is help take it down before they bulldoze the house in a hole.

That would be wonderful.
fun planning it too.

FREE! what an excellent 4-letter word!

Rosie, I like the bowling ball

Thanks, that BB process reminds me of an old Abbott and Costello movie ( that likely nobody remembers ) Hold That Ghiost...

"Step by step...inch by inch...."

for me..the process was endless...even with my CDs blasting... I just don't have the patience. I highly respect those who can do it and enjoy it.

Loving the natural wood pergola. Am looking to build one of that size in front of my greenhouse doors. I like natural look juxtapose to all that polycarbonate and aluminum. But unsure if i could dig holes for it? Might have to settle for store-bought.