As a pergola owner, you know the impatience that comes over you as winter starts to wind down. You wake up each morning and rush to the window to see how much of the Calgary snowpack has melted, before opening your weather app to check on the rising temperatures. Each day brings you closer to spring and the first day that you can get out for dinner or drinks under your pergola. This exciting time is also the perfect time to start planning your pergola renovation to upgrade your outdoor space.
Quick Fixes
As you plan your DIY pergola renovation, there are some quick fixes that you can undertake in that first warm weekend:
- Do a deep clean – the first thing you need to do to be pergola ready for spring is to perform a deep clean. This involves a soapy wash for your pergola, a power spray for your deck or patio underneath, and generally getting rid of the detritus of winter. A good spring cleaning also means that you’ll want to patch up any damage caused last season, or by the ravages of winter. This includes either filling or replacing damaged boards in the pergola deck, sanding and resealing splintered sections of the post and beam structure, and finally applying a new coat of stain or paint to make your pergola look brand new for the summer.
- Pick a new stain – if your pergola is made from wood, this is the perfect time to think about picking out a new stain colour. It’s amazing the difference you will see by going two or three shades darker, or going all out with a different coloured stain altogether. A quick note on adding a new stain to your pergola set up (instead of simply reapplying another coat or two of your existing stain colour). Unless you are replacing a very light stain with a much darker shade, you’re going to want to sand everything down, picking off at least the first couple of layers. Otherwise, your beautiful new stain will end up tainted by the old colour and you’ll end up having to do the whole project again. For that reason, it’s best to go with maintenance-free aluminum since it never requires touch up.
- Change the furnishings – a final quick change is to swap out the fabric on your chairs and cushions underneath your pergola. You could switch from solid patterns to something floral, or keep the same theme and just upgrade to a brighter colour palette. A spring DIY pergola renovation is also a good opportunity to change out items of furniture that have seen better days, or that have simply run their course. This definitely applies to soft furnishings who have lost their lustre in the sun, but it can also be a good time to upgrade to more comfortable seating, or to swap out the armchairs in favour of a dining table set to keep the party going outside all summer long.
As with any DIY project, these quick fix pergola projects still need some thought and preparation work. However, you should be able to undertake them in a weekend (or less, if you’ve got some willing helpers!) with a small but reasonable budget.
Longer Projects
With more time and money, you can go to town with your pergola overhaul. Of course, this might push your spring pergola usage back a little as you’ll need to save up and also find the time to complete your project. If you’re looking for a bigger DIY pergola renovation, try one of these longer projects:
- Add a cover – unless you’ve opted to grow plants over the top of your pergola, you can change the dynamic by adding fabric covers in between the crossbars. This will provide you with much needed shade as well as a different colour palette to work with. Adding velcro to both the fabric and the beams of the pergola will mean that you can add and take off the fabric covers at will. This allows you to change the use of the pergola throughout the season as well as being able to save your fabric from the winter storms.
- Install lights – you shouldn’t let the early nights stop you from using your pergola in spring. Adding a lighting system will create a more comfortable and romantic feel to your pergola set up, as well as allowing you to use it for longer. If the pergola is near to your home, you can run an extension cable out to the structure, while if it’s further away, solar powered lights can be a great option to light your pergola for free. You can either install wired lights to hang down from the beams of your pergola to give a brighter feel to your setup, or twist string lights up each of the supporting posts to make your pergola glow all evening long.
- Extend your pergola – a more extensive project is to extend your pergola in one direction. This means buying and installing additional posts and beams, but it will create a longer space for you to relax under. This is a great idea if you like the idea of turning your pergola space into an outside dining area as the longer structure will give you space for a bigger dining table. You could also extend your pergola in two different directions which will turn your outdoor space into an “L” shape. This allows you to create two different vibes in the same space. For example, you could extend your dining table down one arm, and set up a cosy post dinner living room space in the other so you and your guests don’t need to move far.
Whatever your DIY pergola renovation plan is, start planning early so that you’re ready to make the most out of your pergola this year. Be sure to map out your DIY pergola renovations carefully so you know how much your improvements are likely to cost, and how long they will take you to complete. Then all you need to is wait for the snow to melt to bring your pergola dreams to reality.
