Outdoor Furniture, Patio Furniture and more!

Many homeowners are constantly flipping through home and garden publications, reading outdoor living blogs, and wishing they had access to an outdoor pergola that fit their unique design needs.   Many homeowners fear that a custom pergola would be far too costly for their limited budgets.  But, this isn’t always the case.

Some of the most common situations requiring a custom pergola are covering a unique sized porch or patio, wanting to cover large spaces with angles as well as simply looking for a structure that will stand out from the crowd.

Unique Sized Porch or Patio:  Many custom pergolas are created to cover a porch or patio that does not conform to standard sizing.  Whether yours is long and narrow or short and wide, taking advantage of custom pergola options will help you create a covered outdoor living space that fits.

Angles and Spaces: Especially on large poolside properties, pergolas are required to cover a large span with custom angles.  Using an “L” shaped pergola creates more usable covered space that can hug the pool or other focal point.  It’s important to get the size and shape that nestled into your outdoor living space perfectly, so a custom pergola is incredibly helpful.  You will also want to ensure that all of your patio furniture and outdoor furniture has enough space to spread out beneath the beams.

Wanting to Stand Out in the Crowd:  Many homeowners just have that inimitable taste and can’t find their design personality in most standard pergolas.  Small touches like custom base trim or custom columns can turn any space into a designer space.  If it’s you, and not your space constraints, demanding a custom pergola… never shy away from getting what you want.  Outdoor living spaces deserve to be escapes from the everyday.

As February comes to a close, and the beautiful spring season comes upon us, it very may be time for a custom pergola.  Create a vacation get-away in your backyard this year, and enjoy every evening as if you were at a resort.

Tags: custom pergola, Outdoor Furniture, outdoor furniture cover, outdoor pergola, patio furniture, pergola

Many homeowners are constantly flipping through home and garden publications, reading outdoor living blogs, and wishing they had access to an outdoor pergola that fit their unique design needs.   Many homeowners fear that a custom pergola would be far too costly for their limited budgets.  But, this isn’t always the case.

Some of the most common situations requiring a custom pergola are covering a unique sized porch or patio, wanting to cover large spaces with angles as well as simply looking for a structure that will stand out from the crowd.

Unique Sized Porch or Patio:  Many custom pergolas are created to cover a porch or patio that does not conform to standard sizing.  Whether yours is long and narrow or short and wide, taking advantage of custom pergola options will help you create a covered outdoor living space that fits.

Angles and Spaces: Especially on large poolside properties, pergolas are required to cover a large span with custom angles.  Using an “L” shaped pergola creates more usable covered space that can hug the pool or other focal point.  It’s important to get the size and shape that nestled into your outdoor living space perfectly, so a custom pergola is incredibly helpful.  You will also want to ensure that all of your patio furniture and outdoor furniture has enough space to spread out beneath the beams.

Wanting to Stand Out in the Crowd:  Many homeowners just have that inimitable taste and can’t find their design personality in most standard pergolas.  Small touches like custom base trim or custom columns can turn any space into a designer space.  If it’s you, and not your space constraints, demanding a custom pergola… never shy away from getting what you want.  Outdoor living spaces deserve to be escapes from the everyday.

As February comes to a close, and the beautiful spring season comes upon us, it very well  may be time for a custom pergola.  Create a vacation get-away in your backyard this year, and enjoy every evening as if you were at a resort.

Tags: custom pergola, Outdoor Furniture, patio furniture, pergola

The origin of the word “pergola” comes from the late Latin word pergula, which refers to a projecting eave. Although the architectural word we use today in English is borrowed from the derivative of the original Latin word, the term dates back to before 1645 when an Englishman used it to describe what was built in Rome at the Trinitá dei Monti cloisters.

Modern Patio Pergolas:  When we think of the meaning of a patio pergola, nothing about cloisters or life back in 1645 comes to mind. In fact, we typically think of eating alfresco with outdoor furniture, covering a repose in the hot tub during inclement weather, and perhaps – if you’re well-educated in the outdoor living arena – the ShadeFX canopies that have recently boomed as an outdoor solution to gaps between backyard pergola rafters.

Al Fresco Dining and Hot Tub Coverage:  If eating alfresco or putting a cover over your hot tub brings the family outdoors on a more regular basis, the patio pergola or hot tub pergola is already worth considering. Not walled, like a gazebo or garden shed, a pergola shades you from the beating sun and protects from rain and snow. A cedar pergola can create the perfect scene for a Mediterranean dinner experience while a vinyl pergola’s versatility takes on a much more modern approach to covered spa or dinner party time.

Retractable ShadeFX Canopies:  If modularity is important, the retractable ShadeFX pergola is the best for opening up and closing when need be. The canopy can be automatically pulled close in case of rain or harsh sunshine but reopened quickly and easily – almost disappearing into its frame – when the skies above are desired.  Even if the weather isn’t fit for outdoor dining, using a ShadeFX canopy can protect your patio furniture as well.

A backyard pergola fills the spaces between structures fluidly while covering exposed patios and jacuzzis. Taking it all into account, pergolas keep outdoor dining and entertaining experiences just about unphased by the subtle shifts in Mother Nature.

Tags: backyard pergola, cedar pergola, dining pergola, hot tub pergola, Outdoor Furniture, patio furniture, patio pergola, pergola, vinyl pergola

“George to the Rescue,” NBC’s newest half-hour home improvement show debuting on September 25th has tapped GazeboCreations.com to provide a complete pergola system for the second show in the series.  On October 9th, GazeboCreations.com will partner with NBC to create a dream backyard including an 8′ x 12′, 4-beam vinyl pergola to surprise a deserving homeowner and his wife.

Airing on NBC’s owned and operated channels in the top ten markets of the nation, “George to the Rescue” is based on viewers writing in and the show responding by helping deserving individuals improve their households.  This backyard make-over is in response to an email written to the show by the wife, Debbie, asking the show to come to the rescue of her husband, John.  As a past recipient of the presidential service award, John is a stroke victim suffering from right side paralysis and impaired speech.  With his limited mobility and sensitivity to the sun, John now avoids leaving his home.

“We are looking for interesting and emotionally engaging stories involving good people/families that have had bad luck,” said Andrew Scerbo, show producer.  “In Debbie’s email, she mentioned John’s love of the outdoors and his desire to escape his home; however, he burns easily in the sun.”  Shade became a crucial factor in the design plan and the reason the producer approached GazeboCreations.com regarding their pergola kit that can be equipped with Shade FX, a retractable awning system.

“We are honored to participate in creating a functional outdoor space for John,” said Tim McTighe, president of GazeboCreations.com. “Being able to help create a covered porch for John and Debbie to enjoy together is a privilege.”   The episode to feature the pergola is being filmed in Seaside Heights New Jersey.

The vinyl pergola, one of the top selling structures from GazeboCreations.com, is weather resistant and durable in the outdoor elements.  The four beam design creates an open yet shaded exterior space.  By drawing the Shade FX retractable awning, the sun can be completely blocked and provide a safe area for outdoor enjoyment.

Television exposure is not a new concept to GazeboCreations.com as the company partners frequently with other home improvement and national television shows.  Recently Gazebocreations.com supplied a beautiful gazebo for the taping of Live! with Regis and Kelly during the show’s remote broadcast on Prince Edward’s Island.  “Our involvement with shows such as this comes with the same focus as our work with residential consumers,” said Hazel Jennings, marketing representative for GazeboCreations.com.  “We answer a call to provide the solution to an outdoor living space designed to the exact requirements of the homeowner.”   GazeboCreations.com also works with municipalities, educational institutions, resorts and parks by providing structures from arbors to amphitheaters as well as expansive lines of outdoor furniture that can be customized to fit each property’s unique needs.

Don’t miss it! Check your local listings!

Hazel.

Tags: amphitheaters, Arbors, Gazebos, Outdoor Furniture, Pergolas, vinyl pergolas

Today’s guest post is for all those passionate (or aspiring) urban gardeners (and, well, of course… all those interested in urban gardening)!  LaManda Joy, a Chicago vegetable gardener and avid blogger, brings us her tale of creating a fruitful vegetable garden right in Chicago! Her blog, theyarden.com, chronicles the joys and challenges of urban gardening and reflects the skills and passion of its veteran creator.

Follow LaManda Joy on Twitter @TheYarden and at Facebook.com/TheYarden.

In 2006, after seven very long and gardenless years, my husband woke up one February morning and said, “Let’s go look at houses!” What he really meant was “Let’s go look at yards!”

Finding a sunny yard that isn’t shaded with 100-year-old trees or an apartment complex looking down on it is a bit of a trick in Chicago. We thought we’d seen all the neighborhoods – and were sadly disappointed – when we stumbled upon a secret nook in Chicago’s 40^th Ward.

Long story short… we ended up “buying a yard with a house attached to it” with the sole, myopic purpose of putting in an amazing vegetable garden where we could grow heirloom vegetables, entertain and develop a community of neighbors and friends.

We wanted to install a privacy fence and a deck area over the concrete slab in the back as well as a “boardwalk” to cover an existing, but unsightly, concrete path from the front gate to the concrete slab. We also knew we wanted some “climbing area” for wisteria and sweet autumn clematis…

As you will see here we solved the “climbing area” issue with a pergola. The wisteria is barely visible behind the red chair – it is much more robust three seasons later…

This also created a nice sitting area that is the bridge from the “deck” to the garden… you will notice we bought some very inexpensive burlap and wove it between the slats of the pergola to create a shade canopy (you can see the overlap hanging down on the left side). This worked out to be a great solution to this sunny spot and a favorite sitting area for my husband. As you can see, I prefer the hammock

We liked the pergola so much we ended up putting a matching one by the front garden gate.

This pergola, too, has ended up being a lot of fun! We use the supports to train beans or vines. One year we grew Chinese yardlong beans up and over the pergola so you had to walk through them like the long rags in a carwash. We called it the “snack and slap” and laughed a lot whenever we had to walk the beany gauntlet.

Along with the raised beds, which you see partially in the photo above, we also put in a trellis for more vertical growing space and to block the view of a work area with a very large telephone pole (ah the joys of urban living!)

All of the construction was done with untreated cedar. It smelled great and sometimes still does on a very warm day. However, knowing then what I know now, I would have chosen a recycled wood-like material to avoid having to stain. But, ces’t la vie… perhaps that’s a solution for The Yarden 2.0 – if we can ever find a yard like this again in Chicago!

ABOUT LaMANDA JOY

Awarded honorable mention in Mayor Daley’s Landscape Competition for 2009, LaManda Joy’s 1,700 square foot, heirloom organic garden in Chicago’s 40^th Ward is a laboratory and teaching ground for friends and neighbors. LaManda speaks and writes about diverse aspects of a self-sufficient life in the city, Chicago WW2 Victory Gardens, canning and other related topics.

Tags: cedar, container gardening, pergola, urban gardening

Speaking of getting creative with your garden structures, the one that will particularly appeal to your inventive side is the pergola.  Fun and versatile, it will easily lend itself to nearly any landscape project that you can dream up. 

For example, if you have a plain, open space in your yard, you can use a garden pergola to instantly transform it into a shady little haven.  Just add a few Adirondack chairs and ottomans, some accent tables, and a few planters, and you have a nice, breezy little place to relax; or put in a picnic table and make it a cozy outdoor dining nook.      

Millions of people have also discovered that one of the coolest ways to use a pergola is as a patio cover.  The reason that it’s the coolest is that the shade that it provides prevents the brick, stone, or cement floor from heating up, which is doubly cool.  Moreover, in most cases, it keeps the sun out of at least one window, holding the temperature down in the house as well, which is triply cool. 

Another great use for a pergola is as an enclosure for a hot tub.  This one is wildly popular, and ideal for hot tubs in any location, because you can use a plain pergola for cover and shade, or get one with privacy panels, which come in solid and latticed versions.         

You can use pergolas anywhere, no matter how large or small the area, because they are available in all sizes; and they can be free-standing, or attached to your house, garage, or any other stable structure.   

On top of that, even though they are already adaptable to a variety of purposes, here at GazeboCreations.com, our pergolas are even more flexible, because of the talents of our designers and woodcrafters.  In addition to the dozens of sizes in which we already offer our cedar, treated pine, and vinyl pergolas, they will customize them for any situation.

So, put your imagination to work, then put us to work on your special project.

Of course, that’s easy for me to say – I only have to write about it!

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Tags: pergola, Pergolas

It’s interesting, the way that people tend to make associations about things.  Sometimes, it can involve colors; everyone develops ideas about which ones go together, and, before they know it, they have these unbreakable, personal rules.  That’s not really a good thing, because it can get them into a rut.  What’s even worse is when they take the advice of so-called experts who tell them what goes with what, and end up adopting someone else’s senseless views as their own. 

The same is true for food and beverage pairings.  While, undoubtedly, these usually stem from our own preferences, they are also notoriously dictated by self-proclaimed authorities who profess to have educated palates.  Unfortunately, these blowhards are everywhere, telling us, for example, that there’s only one specific wine that simply must accompany a certain dish, and if you serve anything else, you belong in a doghouse.

Sometimes, we relate things to particular seasons, and can’t envision them in any other context.  Garden structures, for instance, have long been connected almost exclusively to the warm-weather months.  While they have always looked spectacular in the spring and summer, covered with colorful climbing flowers and vines, pergolas, arbors, and trellises were often left looking forlorn and lifeless in the winter, standing dejectedly in a corner, entwined with a few dead branches.

Luckily, however, this practice is also becoming out-dated, as millions more people each year are realizing that their garden pergolas, planter benches, trellis screens, arbors, and arbor extensions can be fantastically integrated with their holiday displays.  In fact, in many cases, these structures, as well as planter trellises, garden bridges, and, of course, gazebos, can even be the main attractions, when adorned with strings of lights, holly, tinsel, and other ornaments.

Even beyond the New Year – in the time that’s known as the dead of winter – outdoor structures can bring new life to your landscape and brighten your outdoor décor.  Moreover, there’s no standard way to use them; they lend themselves to creativity, so you can show off your own, individual style.

Remember, the only rule that everyone really should live by is the Golden Rule. 

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Tags: arbor, bridge, gazebo, outdoor structure, pergola, planter, trellis

You have tons of options for designing your garden.  On top of the endless varieties of flowers, plants, trees, and shrubs, there are countless types of mulch, as well as decorative rocks, stones, and gravel, in every color imaginable.  Selecting from among them can be difficult and time-consuming; in fact, it may take so long that you could actually miss planting season. 

When everything on that lengthy list, from the necessities, to the accessories, is finally planned, picked out, planted, and placed, you can begin to make decisions about the ideal garden structures to complement your motif.  Once again, you’ll have an incredible assortment from which to choose. 

This, however, does not have to be a long, wearying process, if you know where to look; and that, of course, is right here at CedarStore.com.  Our unparalleled collection of cedar, treated pine, vinyl, polywood, and wrought iron backyard structures includes arbors, trellises, pergolas, and garden bridges, in dozens of sizes, and styles that range from simple, to sensational.   

For example, along with our plain arbors, we have arbors with gates, swings, benches, and extensions.  If you want more than a basic trellis, you can choose an elegant planter trellis, a garden obelisk, a classic five-spoke trellis, or a single, double, or triple garden screen.  We also have planter benches with lattice backs.            

Our equally-impressive array of garden pergolas features free-standing and attached pergolas, as well as pergolas with built-in benches.  You can even use our Custom Pergola Creator to craft a maintenance-free vinyl pergola , or a decay-resistant wood pergola, to your specifications. 

Of course, nothing will give your landscape a lift like a garden bridge; and we have several styles including plank, single and double rail, picket and half-picket rail, as well as captivating covered bridges that you can customize right on our site.  This is also the only place you’ll find the spectacular Opti-Breeze™ Bridge, which is bound to astound, as its dazzling design induces a delightfully deceptive optical illusion that will throw your eyeballs a tantalizing curve.     

This is truly something that you have to see to believe.  Really, you won’t be able to get over it!  Or, uh, I mean, of course, you’ll be able to get over it; after all, it is a bridge.  However, since it’s so hard to describe, I’ll just say that it puts the focus on hocus pocus!

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Tags: arbor, bridge, pergola, trellis

Trellises, arbors, and pergolas have been popular since ancient times; and it’s not difficult to understand why.  In the spring and summer, bursting with colorful mantles of climbing flowers and vines, they can bring an enchanting, exciting, and aromatic aura to any setting.  They make striking focal points, and attractive camouflage for unsightly landscape features, and can be used, along with planter benches with latticed backs, to create separate outdoor rooms, or cozy backyard hideaways.   

This time of the year, however, with Halloween quickly approaching, it’s even more fun to use them to enhance the eeriness of the occasion.  For example, you can string them with orange lights to create a truly bewitching effect (especially if the lights are twinkling).  On an arbor over your front walk, this is a fun and spooky way to greet trick-or-treaters and party guests.  If you have a gated arbor, or an arbor with extensions, cover the entire thing.  To conjure up an atmosphere that’s even more magical, decorate nearby patio furniture, such as garden benches, porch swings, lounge chairs, and picnic tables, as well. 

Along with plain lights, you can also use strings of light-up ghosts, skulls, or jack-o-lanterns, which can be found in most retail or Halloween specialty stores.  To make things a bit scarier, hang a skeleton, ghost, witch, or “dead body” from the arbor.  You can even rig it with a wire or rope so that you can raise it up, out of sight, and let it drop suddenly, in front of some sweet, unsuspecting, innocent little child coming to get some candy (that’s always a hoot!). 

Other items that are suitable for hanging are fake spiders and spider webs, which are available in abundance this time of year.  A few phony bats dangling from an arbor, trellis, or pergola, will also help to give ‘em some goose bumps.  If you’re having a backyard Halloween party, you can also use trellises to conceal fog machines, or boom boxes or speakers that are supplying spine-chilling sound or light effects. 

Indeed, these backyard structures are great, throughout the year, for so many things besides displaying beautiful, flourishing flowers and foliage.  In fact, it’s quite appropriate that, in many parts of the country, the flora will be dead by the end of October; it will only add to the delightful creepiness of it all.

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Tags: arbor, Arbors, Outdoor Furniture, patio furniture, pergola, Pergolas, trellis, trellises

          As our customers have proven, pergolas can be used in many different ways.  Pergolas can be used as hot tub covers (in place of hot tub gazebos), as deck accessories, or to create a cozy spot. 

          There are two types of pergolas:  Wooden and vinyl.  CedarStore.com offers Treated Pine and Cedar, in addition to Vinyl.  Each type of pergola can be a stand alone pergola, which includes at least four posts.  Each type can also be a wall mounted pergola, meaning one header beam will attach to a wall/house which replaces a pair of the columns. 

        Vinyl pergolas have become the structure design of choice for many landscape professionals, interior designers and architects.  Our vinyl pergolas are maintenance free, and in fact, they come with a lifetime warranty against fading, cracking and yellowing. 

         The vinyl pergolas also offer a more “modern” look, so they go well in newer housing developments or professional settings. 

          Originally, many customers used the wooden pergolas as garden covers.  They added vines and flower pots.  In my humble opinion, that is a classic look that doesn’t get enough consideration! 

          An increasing number of customers are using the wooden pergolas as deck covers, and deck accessories.  The wall mounted pergola is very effective in this circumstance. 

          It also helps to plan for the pergola when building the deck, so the deck joists may be properly placed, but that is a problem which is easily fixed, even by amateurs.  When discussing a pergola project, make sure to speak with our design consultants about such matters.

          Our Treated Pine Pergolas have a lifetime warranty against rot, decay and insect damage.  The wood has gone through the revolutionary new process, called Wolmanizing.   The process uses a StabiL3yzr™ additive to prevent weathering damage. 

          We do recommend a nice stain and sealer on the wooden pergolas to maintain their appearance, but how, when and what color you choose, is what makes your pergola unique!

Shari

Tags: pergola, Pergolas, vinyl pergolas, wood pergolas