Pergolas are the most flexible patio covers available today. Pergolas create shade, protect the patio from inclement weather, and beautifully accent any home’s architectural style, making a pergola the perfect addition to any backyard, deck, or pool deck. With a pergola, any homeowner can live their best outdoor life. But pergola orientation will be an important consideration for maximizing your new relaxation area. Most importantly, the pergola placement will help ensure optimal sun and shade balance, and create privacy, all while maintaining sweeping views of the yard, beach, or pool.
Homeowners looking to create a tranquil respite from the blinding sun will love the flexibility an adjustable louvered roof pergola creates. The roof can be opened to allow sun to reach the patio, partially closed to create shade, or closed completely to seal out afternoon showers. Pergolas can be built as either standalone structures separate from the home, or as attached structures that seamlessly expand indoor/outdoor living space. Once you have determined the location that you would like to build your pergola, it is time to call SYZYGY to ensure your new patio cover is optimized for your chosen pergola orientation and placement.
Below, we’ll discuss some of the factors we will help you navigate as we design your new pergola.
We have the expertise and experience to ensure your pergola will maximize the sun, shade, and surrounding views, all while creating some privacy. The first step in the design process is to make sure the pergola is oriented properly. Ideally, the pergola louvers need to open away from the house. This ensures that when the louvers are in the open position, you will see beautiful blue skies rather than your own second-floor window or neighbor’s house. Prevailing weather and winds also impact optimal pergola orientation, as to mitigate potential wind damage. This is especially important here in South Florida where we see regular high wind events. The orientation of the pergola will also impact views from your new outdoor living space.
Most of our residential customers at SYZYGY Global fit into two general categories. Coastal projects for homes along our beautiful beach communities like Boynton Beach, and intercoastal communities along the vast South Florida canal network seen in neighborhoods like Parkland. In both areas, customers are eager to make the beautiful water views part of their outdoor design. Ensuring your pergola is designed to preserve those sweeping views is an important aspect of our planning process.
While Pergola orientation and location are only one element of that design, the physical layout of support columns and roof design are also important. Depending on the size of your pergola project, you will need sufficient support columns to meet local codes and to ensure the loads are properly supported. To protect your sweeping views, we can design a pergola that leverages a cantilevered roof, risers to elevate the roofline, and strategically place footings and columns. Combining these elements, our expert pergola designers will make sure your beach views remain sweeping and open.
Any pergola design has to balance multiple needs. Locating a pergola for optimal sun and shade balance, and maintaining sweeping views, need to be balanced with sufficient privacy for your new outdoor living space. This is why another element of our design process is to help you visualize the sightlines into your pergola space. For beachfront properties that might mean preventing beachgoers from spying on your sunbathing, while for tight-knit neighborhoods, you may find the view of a neighbor’s porch concerning. Often these sightlines can be obscured with strategic landscaping, but we also have some designs and pergola roof options to ensure total privacy. Options include privacy walls and outdoor patio screens embedded in your pergola. Privacy walls permanently block one side of the pergola. They can be fabricated from louvers to allow air to flow through the patio, or designed as a solid accent wall adorned with greenery or artwork. For more flexibility, another option is to include motorized outdoor patio screens which can be rolled up to enjoy the views, and then unfurled to create your desired privacy.
A modern pergola will completely change the way you enjoy your outdoor space. There are some fundamental design elements that need to be considered for your project, including pergola location, pergola orientation, the surrounding views, and privacy. Our pergola design experts here at SYZYGY Global are excited to help you navigate this process with precision and expertise.
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