As the weather begins to warm up and the last cold nights of spring become a distant memory, homeowners across Calgary start to dream of the long summer days that can be spent outside on the deck or patio. However, with the warm weather comes the pains of Calgary summers – the strong sunlight for multiple days in a row, and the occasional storm that spoils the fun. This is when part of your spring planning needs to look at providing shade and shelter for your outdoor areas.
Coverage Options For The Summer
When it comes to staying cool outside on your deck or patio, it makes sense to have some sort of overhead protection. However, you also want a structure that is open on the sides to allow a breeze through. Ideally, what you want is one structure that combines both of these, and what’s being described here is a pergola or a patio cover.
What is a Pergola?
A pergola is a free standing structure (although it can attach to your home) which is made up of post and beams. The “roof” is a lattice structure which provides a dappled shade, and many people try to grow climbing plants or vines to provide natural shade (think of pictures of outdoor eating in an Italian trattoria). They tend to be more aesthetic than practical in nature, but they do provide cover for your outside space and define a seating or entertaining area.
What is a Patio Cover?
On the other hand, a patio cover is exactly what it sounds like – a cover that sits over the top of your patio or deck. In most cases, a patio cover will attach to the external wall of your home and extend out over your outdoor area. If it’s a short space, the structure will support itself, while for larger covers, you’ll need support posts at the outside edge to balance the weight. The roof is usually made of a solid material like vinyl or aluminium and provides a cooling shade over your entire area. They tend to be more expensive, but they’re also easier to customize if your patio area is unusually shaped.
Getting The Best Of Both Worlds With A Hybrid Pergola With A Cover
As with most home improvement projects, when you’re faced with a choice between two different designs, a hybrid model of the two is often the best option. The same is true for a hybrid pergola and you get these perks from a mix of the two patio cover options. You get to customize the amount of sunlight and shade that comes onto your deck or patio, and you can work with your pergola contractor to create a hybrid pergola model that will fit the size and shape of your outdoor space.
Hybrid Pergola Design Ideas
If the idea of a hybrid pergola sounds interesting, but you’re not sure how to get the full benefit for your outdoor lifestyle, it’s helpful to start with your end goal and work backwards from there. Here are some common uses for your deck or patio, and how a hybrid pergola with a cover could elevate your design:
- Outdoor entertaining – the main way that Calgary residents like to use their flat outdoor spaces is to host friends and family for some chillout time during the day and into the evening. While the main goal here is to provide some shade so that no one overheats, you also want an opening in your pergola cover to allow for air circulation. Consider opening up the centre of your pergola and putting either a firepit or a coffee table underneath to create a central focus for your get-togethers while leaving the outer edges of your pergola under full shade.
- Grilling and eating – another common option for your deck or patio during the summer is to convert it into an outdoor dining area next to the grill. It’s likely that you’ll want to eat under the shade and grill out in the open so the smoke and steam generated by the cooking can escape. A hybrid pergola cover model means that you can do both options in the same space instead of banishing the chef to the kitchen or a different area of the garden. In this case, you’ll want to mark off where the dining table and grill will be to know where you want your pergola cover to start and stop.
- Supervising the chaos – if you have young children, either in your family or ones who come to visit, you’ll know the importance of having a home base on the patio to supervise the chaos from. In this case, the hybrid pergola cover comes into its own, with a solid cover next to the house to provide much needed shade and cool for the parents, then transitioning to the classic pergola lattice at the edges where the patio meets the garden where kids can leave their toys and food in between spells of playing.
Hybrid Pergola Cover Options
While it’s most common to have the covered part of your hybrid pergola be made from traditional patio cover materials like vinyl or aluminum, there are other options to give you even more flexibility in your design. For example, you can use fabric or cloth as your coverage which will let some sunlight through while keeping the strongest UV rays away. Another option is to pick mesh material that will provide more of that dappled sunlight all the way across your hybrid pergola. In both of these cases, it’s worth noting that they won’t be as waterproof or windproof as the solid materials. Finally, if you have a green thumb and plenty of time, you can grow climbing plants like clematis, jasmine or wisteria up the posts of your pergola and train them across the roof to complete the Italian trattoria vibe and provide a unique source of shade for your Calgary summer fun.
