Different Uses of a Spring Pergola

Most people have some sort of mental image of a pergola: a post and beam wooden structure that sits in a prominent space in your garden. It can be draped in fairy lights or covered in climbing plants to draw attention to it, or left unadorned to let the quality of the wood speak for itself. No matter how you decorate it, you can use a DIY pergola kit in many different ways:

• A new dining space – one of the most common ways to use a pergola is to use it as an outdoor dining or entertaining space. This is simple to do by making sure you’ve got a flat space underneath it (such as a flagstone patio or wooden deck) and then some high quality furniture that matches your overall garden aesthetic. Consider adding some ambience with a wireless speaker set up and finish the vibe by moving your grill (or upgrading your current model!) next to the pergola so you can chat while you cook.
• A quiet zone – another popular option is to set your pergola in a quieter space of your backyard and create a zen zone as a place you can escape from the noise and heat of the warmer months. You can achieve a small level of privacy by hooking up linen panels, and investing in comfy outdoor seating, or even a chaise lounge or two for a more relaxed vibe. To finish things off, consider adding a small fridge for cold drinks, and a small cabinet to hold your glasses. 
• A focal point – finally, your DIY pergola kit can be used to create a focal point for your garden. In this case, it’s unlikely that you’ll put furniture underneath it, and more probable that you’ll put a series of walkways (made from either paving slabs or stamped concrete) that lead to and through your new pergola. This new space becomes an excellent way to showcase some of your favourite flowers and plants, as well as creating a beautiful setting for photos and selfies throughout the summer. 

Why Choose a DIY Pergola Kit?

You can hire someone to come and build a new pergola for you, but you’ll get a lot more flexibility in timescales, budget and overall design when you choose a DIY pergola kit. They’re relatively simple structures and you can turn the building process into a fun weekend project to give your backyard a spring makeover.

Step By Step Guide To Your Dream Deck

Approaching a deck building project by yourself isn’t for the faint of heart, but with some planning, power tools and patience, you can enjoy a DIY deck in a matter of weeks. Here’s a rough outline for your DIY deck kit project:

1. Create your dream design – the most fun part of any DIY project is to dream up your perfect design. For your deck, you want to measure up the available space that is outside your back door and work out how you’ll connect your deck to the grass below. You’ll want to think about the furniture that you want to put on the deck, as that will also affect the shape and size of your final project.
2. Order your custom DIY kit – with your measurements in hand, it’s time to talk with the deck experts at Desert Sun Patios. We will help you flesh out your design to a final project plan and provide the lumber and materials that you’ll need to complete your DIY deck project successfully. 
3. Lay the foundation – after you’ve ordered it, but before your DIY deck kit has arrived, you’ll need to dig and lay the foundation for your deck. This will include digging post holes for your upright supports and making sure they are supported (handmade concrete is best). Make sure you’ve used string lines and stakes to make sure all the posts are exactly where they need to be. 
4. Add the decking board – with the supporting posts in place, you then add the joists from the DIY deck kit, and finish the main structure with the deck-board boards. Make sure that everything has a snug fit, but not so tight that that water won’t drain through. You’ll be amazed at the damage that snowmelt can cause if allowed to freeze and melt repeatedly during the winter months. 
5. Final touches – finally, you need to add your own personal finishing touches to bring your dream deck to reality. This will almost certainly include some stairs down to your garden, but also railings around the edge if you have younger children as well as posts for lighting. Finish everything up with the right deck furniture and you’re ready to make the most of all those sunny days outside on your dream DIY deck.

What Is A DIY Deck Kit?

Unlike most other major home improvement projects, you can save a lot of money by buying a DIY deck kit and completing the construction process yourself. A DIY deck kit will give you all the materials that you need to make a deck from scratch, including the lumber, stairs, joints and any additional features that you choose to install such as railings or balustrades. They are always sold as “what you see is what you get” so you can compare DIY deck kits to make sure that you’re able to build the deck of your dreams.

Why Choose A DIY Deck Kit

A major driver for choosing a DIY deck kit instead of having a professional contractor undertake the work is to save money. Doing the work yourself does require a fair amount of skill in construction, and you’ll definitely need a second pair of hands to move the larger pieces around, but you won’t have to pay for labour costs, and you can be sure that the work gets done on your schedule. Other reasons to choose a DIY deck kit this spring include:

• Customize your design – while DIY deck kits usually come in standard sizes (this is the main reason why they can keep the costs down), you can spend a long while looking at different kits which will have different materials, colours and configuration of stairs. You can also buy add-ons or design your own to create your perfect custom deck.
• Simplified decisions – when you choose to build a DIY deck, you’re taking a lot of the decisions off your plate. For example, they come in standard sizes, so you’ll only have a couple of possible locations, and you’ll only have a couple of choices about the height of the deck compared to your yard. A DIY deck allows you to pick the right design quickly. 
• Get started quickly – if you choose a local Calgary deck contractor to work with, you might find that other residents of the city have had the same deck dream as you, meaning you might have to wait for a while for your project to get started. Doing the deck yourself means that you can build your deck at your own speed and can start your new outdoor deck lifestyle sooner.

5 Steps To Building Your Dream Deck

Like with all good outdoor home improvement projects, the success of your deck project requires planning and organization before you even put a spade in the ground. These steps are needed to build the deck of your dreams:

1. Create a full plan – a successful deck starts with a comprehensive plan. Start by looking at the different dimensions of our backyard area and home to see what fits your space and planned activities the best. You can then mark out where the deck will sit in real life and make any adjustments necessary to get it in exactly the right location. 
2. Dig the foundations – once your Calgary DIY deck kit has arrived, you’ll need to dig the grass and soil down by at least 30 cm and make sure the base is flat. In some cases, digging below the frost line is needed, see your local guidelines or consult a professional deck building company to confirm the depth in your area. For ground level installations, gravel is a great material to give a solid base that can be made flat easily. Once you’ve prepared the ground, install the footings, making sure that your joists won’t touch the ground. 
3. Lay the joists – the joists are the backbone of your deck, so it’s essential that you lay them at the right distance from each other (a standard of 16” on centre is usually recommended) and that they are completely flat from beginning to end. A laser level is a great tool to have here especially if you’re installing a large DIY deck yourself. 
4. Prep and lay the decking – now comes the fun part. Your DIY deck kit will likely be faced with wood plank deck boards, it should be relatively easy to get everything screwed down in a short period of time. Remember to leave a space between boards to not trap water and decrease the life of the wood. Take the time to lay everything out ahead of time to get the right pattern and to make sure you have enough decking to cover your project. 
5. Pick the right stain – once everything’s in place, you need to think about long term protection for your dream deck. You need to think about finding the balance between the right colour to match your house and other outdoor structures, and enough weatherproofing protection to withstand the variable Calgary seasons. Be sure to leave your deck to cure once you’ve applied the stain so that you can enjoy your new dream deck to its fullest.

Why Choose A DIY Deck Kit

When you’re planning out your deck, you can choose to get professionals to come and run the whole project from design to finishing touches. However, it’s easy to see that putting together your own deck isn’t as hard as it sounds, and with a couple of helping hands, it’s the kind of thing that you can knock out over a long weekend. All you need is a DIY deck kit and some common carpentry skills. A DIY deck kit allows you to build your dream deck as you can completely customize every part of the deck, from the size and layout to the materials that you use. The team of deck experts at Desert Sun Patios can work with you to help you measure out your deck and compile a DIY deck kit that will give you everything you need to create your perfect deck. 

Putting Your Dream Deck To Good Use

Once you’ve built your customized DIY deck, it’s time to put it to good use. Here are some popular ways to use your new outdoor space:

• Outdoor dining – the most common way to get the most use out of your DIY deck area is to make it into an outdoor dining area. You can go more formal with a full table and chairs set up (of course making sure that you have enough room for all your family around the table) or more relaxed with a set of folding chairs and table so you can use the deck for other things when you’re not dining. In either case, you’ll want to think about a patio umbrella or a patio cover to keep things shaded while you’re enjoying your al fresco meals. 
• Party central – if summer means party time for you and your family, you’ll find that your deck is the perfect place to host gatherings. You’ll want a variety of outdoor seating, including individual chairs and some longer couches for sharing. Whether you choose a more classic wicker design or something more modern made from metal is up to your own aesthetic. Just make sure you have some small tables for drinks and snacks to keep the fun rolling all summer long.
• Garden command centre – finally, your new DIY deck kit will be a perfect place to run your garden during the summer months. If you need a handy place to store your tools, wrap up your hoses and keep your potted plants safe from younger children, your deck is the place for all of these things. Buy a range of storage shelving that can hold different size objects, and attach a row of hooks to your external wall to hang your tools for easy access during the warm gardening weather. 

What Is A Patio Cover?

To understand the benefits of a DIY patio cover in Calgary, you first of all need to understand what a patio cover is. Imagine your current sun umbrella that spreads out over your outdoor dining table, and now imagine that same shade and protection covering your entire patio area. Patio covers attach to the external wall of your house and typically are supported on the outside edge of your patio by a set of posts. A DIY can be made from either solid wood or lightweight aluminum to fit your design style and your overall renovation budget.

Why You Need A DIY Patio Cover

A DIY patio cover kit is a popular way for Calgary residents to get shade from the heat and bright sunshine. It comes with many benefits, including:

• Custom size – every patio is a different shape and size (especially if one of your previous backyard renovations projects was to extend it!). This means that an out of the box patio cover will either be too big or too small for your area. A Desert Sun Patios DIY patio cover will be the perfect fit for your patio, even if it extends round two sides of your home. 
• Pick your style – while you’ll get a few options if you shop for a pre-built patio cover, the choices will feel almost endless as you map out your DIY patio cover. If you choose the classic wooden post and beam format, you’ll get a variety of stains, while if you prefer the more modern look and feel of an aluminum patio cover, you’ll be able to pick out whatever colour posts you like. In both cases, you’ll also be able to choose the material and colour of the overhead shading, meaning that your DIY patio cover will truly customized to your needs. 
• No labour costs – the best part about a DIY patio cover is that you’ll save a small fortune by putting it together yourself (or with the help of some handy friends!). There’s nothing like the satisfaction of that first day out under your Desert Sun Patios patio cover knowing that you put the whole thing together from start to finish. 

As winter starts to fade away, start your DIY patio cover planning so that when the last snow melts, you can bring your patio cover renovation project to life.

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.