Shade structures like pavilions and pergolas can enhance your home by defining your outdoor living spaces. These bold structures lend beauty and lasting value to your home’s landscape. Find out what the difference is between a pavilion and a pergola and why HOMEFIELD shade structure design elements can add more value to your new outdoor living addition.
Outdoor Pavilion Design vs. Pergola Designs
Both pavilions and pergolas are outdoor shade structures supported by columns or posts. And while both pavilions and pergolas traditionally lack walls, it’s the roof of the shade structure that makes all the difference.
Pavilions are rather like a house without walls. They offer a full roof line closed off from the elements. Choose a pavilion if you want to provide full shade and an escape from rainy weather, but don’t count on catching a tan while lounging under its eaves.
A pergola features an open lattice roof that allows a clear view of the sky. Usually flat and open, these airy structures provide partial shade and an elegant setting, but not much protection from the elements.
Despite their differences, both structures are built with similar design elements. And the right outdoor pavilion design and pergola design elements can do a lot to enhance the value of your structure. Here are a few things to look for when planning a pavilion or pergola addition to your yard.
Smooth Lumber
Shade structures can be built from steel, but for many homeowners wood is the way to go. Lumber pavilions and pergolas have a natural, organic feel that blends nicely with the outdoor environment, providing a harmonious design.
HOMEFIELD pavilion and pergolas are crafted from milled and smooth lumber for a clean finish. In addition to added beauty, milled lumber is more consistent in size compared to rough sawn lumber. Working with smooth lumber from the start helps keep HOMEFIELD’s manufacturing process precise and exact.
Precise Cuts
The old adage “measure twice, cut once” is doubly important when designing a pavilion or pergola. With the load of the structure focused on a few stark columns or posts, precise cuts and joint work is necessary to keep the structure strong and unyielding.
At HOMEFIELD, our pre-engineered structures are pre-cut using a computer controlled saw for precision. This kind of exacting cut work just can’t be duplicated via typical backyard carpentry. The use of computer-aided precision cuts means that your pavilion or pergola has greater strength and beauty for years to come.
Big Timber Construction
For structures like pavilions and pergolas, bigger is better—at least when it comes to timber size. Some builders rely on combining multiple small dimensional lumber boards to create the illusion of heavy squared off, big timber. For example, stacking two 2×4 together rather than using a single 4×4. While this option is cheaper, it also lacks the strength that a single, solid piece of timber offers.
HOMEFIELD uses big timbers throughout our designs. This not only adds strength to your outdoor pavilion or pergola design, but it also ensures a balanced look throughout the entire structure, rather than simply relying on big corner posts alone.
Mortise and Tenon Joinery
Simple and strong, the mortise and tenon joint has been used by woodworkers for thousands of years. If you have any doubt of the lasting strength of mortise and tenon joinery, take a look at Stonehenge. The rocks of this ancient structure were assembled using mortise and tenon joints and its strength and longevity continues to amaze historians.
HOMEFIELD relies on well-respected timber framing influences like mortise and tenon joints to ensure that our post and beam connections offer lasting strength.
Fully Housed Braces & Structural Knee Braces
HOMEFIELD braces are fully housed to properly transfer the weight load to the post rather than the hardware. Not only is this embedded brace technique stronger, but it also ensures that your structure won’t develop unsightly gaps between beams.
All of our structural braces use knee braces for lateral support. These braces add a beautiful architectural element to your structure. They also work to increase the strength and rigidity. Knee braces improve wind shear resistance and help transfer lateral forces from the upper part of the building to the foundation.
Nail Free & Hidden Hardware
The beauty of a garden structure is found in the natural timbers and not the hardware. Superior pavilion and pergola designs build the structure in a way that the hardware is hidden from sight.
Unlike many backyard structures, HOMEFIELD pavilions and pergolas eliminate the use of nails and typical screws. Instead we rely exclusively upon hidden heavy duty galvanized bolts and GRK Fasteners to provide lasting strength without marring the structure’s elegant lines.
No Exposed End Grain
The end of a timber, referred to as the end grain, is more porous than the face grain. It exposes more of the fibrous tissue of the wood and can more easily channel moisture into your structure, weakening the wood.
End grain shouldn’t be exposed to the sky where it will collect water and accelerate the decomposition of the timber. At HOMEFIELD, our main beams are always the same size as the post which not only adds to the balance look of the structure, but also lets the post and beams fit snuggly against each other, covering and protecting the end grain from exposure.
Lasting Finish
With any wooden structure, a great sealant is vital for standing up to harsh sun and rain. HOMEFIELD uses a deep penetrating oil-based sealer to add beauty and longevity to each of our structures.
