Renowned for our long sun-soak days, Florida’s Gold Coast is an international haven for coastal relaxation. Along our golden shores, elegant mansions and hotels touch some of the most sought-after beaches in the world. The unpredictability of the weather in Palm Beach County is almost as well-known as its famous residents. For homeowners looking to create some respite from the heat and routine afternoon showers, a flexible outdoor living space is a requirement. No outdoor structure can provide the combined protection from the sun, rain and wind quite like a pergola, especially one with an adjustable louvered roof.
When building pergolas for windy areas like Palm Beach Florida, there are several engineering and design challenges that will need to be addressed to ensure the structure can make the most of your relaxation time regardless of the blazing sun, saturating rain or aggressive wind storms.
Pergolas can be built from a wide array of materials such as wood and vinyl, but SYZYGY Global always recommends lightweight-yet-strong aluminum. Aluminum pergolas deliver sleek exterior lines that can accent any type of Palm Beach architecture. With a high-quality powder coating, our pergola projects can be customized to match any exterior colors, even textured with simulated woodgrain. The durable exterior powder coating is formulated to stand up to the daily blast of sun, as well as the regular rain and humidity of South Florida.
When it comes to selecting the style of roof for your pergola, there are a few options. Pergolas can be constructed as standalone structures to establish a separate entertainment space away from the home, or attached to the home for a seamless indoor/outdoor entertainment space. If full-time shade is the preference on your patio or pool deck then an insulated fixed roof pergola is an option, but we almost always recommend an automated adjustable louvered roof pergola for its sheer flexibility.
With a motorized louvered roof, homeowners can adjust the amount of shade under the pergola as the sun dances across its daily path. The customized pergolas which SYZYGY Global employs are also the only models on the market which can close those louvers to totally seal out the rain. So, even when Palm Beach’s notorious heavy rains build, you can still enjoy the magically-tranquil showers from the respite of your pergola. While push-button controls are easy to use, the system can also be completely automated with rain sensors that close the roof at the first sign of rain without you having to put down your rosé.
All pergola projects are subject to local building code requirements which require patio covers like pergolas to be designed for durability. This means that all SYZYGY Global pergola projects are site-specific engineered. These site-specific demands will be based on the location of the pergola on the property, the soil on which the footings will be placed, and the unique code requirements for your given area. So, an inland outdoor structure might require specialized footings for wet areas while pergolas for windy decks solutions could necessitate other engineering solutions.
While ensuring the pergola structure is engineered and installed properly is an absolute necessity, there are additional design elements which can make sure your pergola is ready for hurricane season. One of the reasons the SYZYGY team recommends the adjustable louvered roof pergola design, is because of its performance in high wind storms. Simply opening the louvers in high winds can eliminate most of the force exerted from dangerous updrafts, helping to prevent damage to the pergola roof and structure.
While these storm preparations can be done manually, adding an embedded sensor array to your louvered roof pergola can completely automate the operation of the louvered roof for true peace of mind. With an embedded wind sensor constantly monitoring the weather, as soon as the winds reach potentially-damaging speeds, the sensor will trigger the motorized louvers to open to minimize the updrafts.
Choosing the right pergola material and pergola features are important elements that will ensure your new outdoor living space will stand up to Mother Nature in high wind areas, but the quality of the engineering and installation of your pergola is of equal importance for its longevity. When searching for a pergola contractor in Palm Beach or surrounding communities, make sure they are intimately familiar with the local building codes. These regulations change from municipality to municipality. A mistake interpreting these rules, or taking a shortcut on engineering or plan approvals, will inevitably jeopardize your entire pergola project.
When choosing a local pergola contractor, also make sure they are experienced working within the covenants of the ubiquitous Homeowners Association (HOA) rules that are popular in South Florida. If you are part of an HOA, be prepared to furnish your pergola contractor with a copy of the covenants. Many HOA’s have prescribe allowable colors for home exteriors and those of outdoor structures. They may also define where on your property you are allowed to erect an outdoor living space. Any quality pergola contractor should ask in your first consultation meeting whether you live in an HOA, and begin exploring those covenants to determine how that could affect your pergola design.
As with any home renovation or home addition, it is imperative that you properly vet your pergola contractor. There is some key information you should make sure to request to help in this vet, and some important analysis you can do based on early meetings.
First, pay attention to how they communicate with you. A good pergola contractor will be able to translate “builder talk” into language that you can easily understand. They should also be able to answer your questions in your language. The ideal pergola contractor will be able to leverage their industry speak for regulators while making sure you are clear on each aspect of the project. Any contractor that is intentionally trying to confuse you is a major red flag.
Always ask to see their past work. While pictures or video might be a helpful pergola visualizer tool, any contractor that refuses to point you to a past customer is another red flag. Taking the time to go look at their past projects in person allows you to see the quality of their work. Again, the quality of the work is of the utmost importance when building pergolas in high wind zones.
Finally, taking a measure of past customer satisfaction. Review sites like Google Reviews are always a great arbiter of the service you can expect on your project. Read some recent reviews, and look for past customers statements on the quality of their service and well as the quality of their work.
With the proper engineering, installation and automated systems, our adjustable louvered roof pergola is built to last. If you would like to explore bringing some style and functionality to your Palm Beach pergola, deck, patio or pool deck, we have the perfect product for your needs.
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