Pergola Construction
Pergolas, Arbors & Trellises
Outdoor Living Space Reimagined
Pergolas, arbors, trellises are a great accent to your landscaping. They can be used to accent your deck, patio, gate or pool or be a freestanding focal point in your landscape.
Pergolas
Have you been thinking about how nice it would be to have a beautiful outdoor living space? Or thought about a relaxing outdoor room for entertaining friends and family while enjoying our Minnesota summers? Family time has gone the way of the dodo bird with the fast paced life and technology that is difficult to escape from. It’s time to get your family outside and under a new pergola or trellis!
Our custom pergolas will help you do just that. A new pergola will define your outdoor living space and give you, your family, and friends a gathering space for relaxing in the fresh Minnesota air. By defining and highlighting your outdoor living space with a new pergola, you attract and help congregate people to be and stay together. If you build it they will come!
Our custom pergolas can be built to attach to your home or stand on their own to create the most ideal outdoor living space. Our pergolas are oftentimes paired with our patio installations to transform your space from average to extraordinary. We offer fully customizable designs and installation to enhance your existing landscape or to go along with your new dream landscape.
What is a pergola?
A pergola is similar to an arbor but is used to define a space rather than being just a tunnel structure. Pergolas have posts usually 8’ or taller supporting an open roof structure. The roof of a pergola can be anything from a few beams and rafters which will allow the most sun to shine through, up to the entire roof covered in lattice to give the space more shade.
What’s the difference between a pergola, an arbor, and a trellis?
The terms are often used interchangeably but there are some key differences in each structure. A trellis is a single wall like structure with a lattice to allow vines to grow on and around it, usually used accent or block a sight line. An arbor is a passage way or tunnel used in entrances or in gardens to help define the entry points. Arbors commonly incorporate a trellis into the design to allow for creeping vines to grow up them giving them the look of being part of the natural landscape. Pergolas often incorporate parts of a trellis and an arbor. They are usually bigger and cover more square footage allowing the space underneath them to be utilized. Pergolas are used to create and define a usable space while adding shade to the area.
What are the benefits of a pergola?
Pergolas are great for a number of reasons. First, they provide you with a comfortable shaded area to enjoy the hot summer days while staying cool. Whether you choose to create a reading nook, open sitting area, or an outdoor kitchen the rafters and battens on top of the pergola are customized to provide just the right amount of shade in your space. The second great thing about a custom pergola is that it defines your boundaries to create the feeling of an open air room. This gives people a gathering point and displays your intensions for your space. The third reason our custom pergolas are so great is that they are both functional and beautiful. We use only the highest quality wood and design details to create a work of art out of your pergola.
Pergolas look great on their own but they can also help add architectural dimension. Pergolas help break up tall flat walls and areas of your house that look bare by adding dimension and giving your eyes a new point of interest to compliment your homes existing architecture.
How much does a custom pergola cost?
Since we customize each pergola to fit and match each individual client’s needs, the price varies on each installation. Along with customizing the general dimensions you will have the option to choose different types of wood, different wood sizes, and stain colors as well. Just give us a call or feel free to fill out our simple quote request form and one of our designers will be happy to get you more information on specific pricing for your project.
Home and Garage Arbors
Everyone can tell the difference between a home with curb appeal and a home without it. What most people struggle with is coming up with the strategy to transform their home into one with that same curb appeal. Creating that welcoming, beautiful front yard is what we specialize in. Adding curb appeal can often times be accomplished just by designing and implementing a new front landscape. However, there are some situations where a small detail on the home itself can make an exponential transformation. Our custom home and garage arbors are the perfect example of how we can increase your curb appeal and accent your new landscaping.
Many of us live in homes where the first thing a visitor sees is the garage. Some garages are built with extra detail and sight lines that accent the homes architecture, others are not. Large, flat open spaces pull our gaze and highlight the “missing piece” that many homes and garages are built without. This missing piece is one of our arbors! Our custom arbors help break up long open spaces and give your home the needed extra dimension to create a visually pleasing first impression. The arbor acts as a gateway to you home and can be used to hang exotic flowers or grow creeping vines.
Our customized home and garage arbors are great for over your front or back entrance, over the garage, or any area of your home lacking dimension. Our arbors are built with the best quality wood and hardware to hold up to our Minnesota winters and give you plenty of strength to hang your plants or accents. Each arbor is custom designed to fit your specific space and create the most appeal. The length, width, and braces can all be customized to accent your homes existing detail.
Call us today to learn more about our over the garage arbors and find out if a custom arbor would be a good fit for your home!
Trellis Design and Construction
We have many clients who call us talking about what an eye sore the side of their garage or the side of their home is in their backyard. It is just a blank space. A trellis is the perfect solution to this blank slate. Trellises are wooden structures that allow plants to grow vertically. They often a lattice shape up to the top which has some perpendicular boards.
The trellis is very popular in Europe, especially for growing roses. You can position a wide variety of vertical growing plants on it. Some plants can naturally grow up a trellis, others need some help by tying them to the structure. The plants soften the edges of your outdoor space to provide a visually striking feature while also blending into the existing landscape.
KG Landscape Management will provide you with experienced assistance and advice on how to design the trellis to make the most visual impact, as well as be functional. As University of Minnesota trained landscape designers, our team has expert counsel on what plants to attach to the trellis for maximum impact and beauty.
Staining and Caring for your Pergola, Trellis, or Arbor
Staining new smooth wood
Most wood is milled to have smooth edges. The smooth edges give the wood a more finished look than rough cut wood. During the milling process, a glaze is used to help leave the edges as smooth as possible after running through the saws. This glaze, although helpful in the milling process, ends up filling in the woods pores and prevents stain from entering the wood. The glaze also prevents moisture from escaping the wood which will prevent wood from absorbing the stain. Because of this glaze, smooth wood should be allowed to weather for a minimum of 45 days before the staining process begins. The weathering period gives the wood time to relieve its moisture and naturally allow the milling glaze to break down.
After the 45 days and before the staining process begins it is recommended you first apply a wood cleaner to remove any dirt, UV graying, and left over mill glaze. After you have cleaned the wood, let it dry for a few days before applying the stain. Be prepared to apply another coat 12 months after the first coat as the wood is still in its infancy when you applied your first coat and will still have trouble fully accepting the stain. It takes a few seasons but after a few years stains will work better and better as the stain will be penetrating deeper and deeper as the wood ages.
Staining rough cut cedar
Rough sawn wood is exactly what it sounds like; its edges are rough after it leaves the mill. Due to the milling process which does not include using a milling glaze, the wood is very absorbent right away. As long as the rough cut wood has low moisture content, it can be stained right away.
How to Prep for New Smooth Wood:
- Install wood and let weather for at least 45 days. This varies depending on the stain brand. Read and follow the manufacturer’s directions.
- After the 45 day waiting period, you should use a wood cleaner to clean the wood. This will remove the dirt, UV graying, and any leftover mill glaze.
- Let the wood dry for a few days after the cleaning before staining.
- Only apply one coat of stain! Even after the waiting period, new wood is still not very absorbent to stains. Over applying the stain will not give longer lasting results. One even coat that soaks into the wood is what you would want to achieve.
- Be prepared to apply a maintenance coat in 12 months. Once you get through the first couple of years, your stain will perform much better as the wood will allow more stain and a deeper penetration into the wood.
Advantages of a Wooden Structure:
- Beauty – Both a pergola or a trellis are beautiful additions to any backyard living space. They add a sense of warmth and home to an area that can sometimes feel a little too wide open.
- Growing Space – Many beautiful and interesting plants grow in a vertical fashion. Wooden structures give them a space to grow that is both functional and beautiful by themselves.
- Privacy – A trellis can be added to the top of a fence or be a fence itself to restrict some views into your yard. The wonderful part about them is they can be designed to fit into your existing outdoor space so they are not an eyesore but an asset.
- Value – Wood features add value to the price of your home in numerous ways. They extend the living space, provide another place to entertain, and are functional for shade
KG Landscape is the right choice for your Pergola or Trellis!
As your Minneapolis landscape professionals, KG Landscape Management will walk with you through the design process of your new wooden structure. We have a dedicated account staff taking calls 24/7 for clients. For a landscaper who will fulfill all your lawn care and wood structure installation needs.