Not all pergolas end up as perfect squares or rectangles! Although most vinyl pergolas out there are very simplistic, 10’ – 12’ squares, today’s outdoor room commonly requires unique dimensions or sizes. While the installation may be a little more difficult – don’t shy away just because your space is unique! We can take a look at some of these different shapes and talk about some of the skills needed get the job done right with custom vinyl pergolas.
The possibilities for different shapes of custom pergolas are endless. Just keep in mind the more angles and creative you get, the more complicated the installation will be. Here’s some common requests and shapes we see in today’s outdoor living spaces:
Many patios are rounded on the edge away from their structure. Don’t try to make a square peg fit in a round hole – make your custom pergola mimic the patio! The finished product, like in this picture, makes for a classy and purposeful pergola that truly fits your unique outdoor space.
This project started off as a CAD idea and came to fruition just a few weeks after! This poolside custom vinyl pergola created a huge amount of shade in a much-needed area. The customer wanted a very large octagonal pergola to match their gazebo on the other side of the pool and we made it happen!
This pergola is in the works as we speak! As a custom attached vinyl pergola, this unit will end up 32’ wide with various custom post spacings. Our customer reached out with their house plans, and we designed a custom vinyl pergola to cover their entire space. The most efficient way to create a custom pergola is to provide us with a drawing!
Installing a custom pergola will require more advanced carpentry skills versus a smaller, perfect square or rectangle. These extra carpentry skills can range from pretty common (sharing a post to make a pergola roof longer) to very advanced (custom cutting angles in pieces to make them fit together). We do have DIY customers do some of the most advanced pergolas we’ve ever seen – but more often than not our customers are hiring an experienced professional to make it happen.
This is pretty simple compared to some of the other advanced skills needed for custom pergolas. Some of our vinyl pergolas share posts in the middle – which is very common once your roof lengths get over 20 or 24’. We have created some straightforward PDFs to explain these common advanced carpentry needs that are not in the installation manual for a standard pergola.
Miter cuts are a common occurrence for custom shaped pergolas. Any custom pergolas with octagonal roofs will likely need to create some custom angle cuts on beams that are sharing the same posts. Depending on the angle that a beam is coming in to join with a post – you will need to make miter cuts for the beam to safely attach to the post AND look good doing so!
On some custom pergolas a bay window or some other portion of the structure is going to get in the way. There are a couple different work arounds here – most commonly using what we call a floating beam. This beam is installed ‘upside down’ versus the traditional method and requires a little more know-how than the normal beam installation method. Another common scenario is the attached beam project. Normally the rafters attach to the house – but sometimes you can’t fit a post in where a beam would normally attach – so you make the beam attach to the house too!
There are so many unique outdoor spaces that each job may require some different skills or thinking to complete the installation. Experienced carpenters are used to these types of scenarios – whether it be custom pergola installations or any other products (decks, cabinets, structures, etc.). We are always available here at Heartland Pergolas to help with custom designs and installations. You can simply let us know what day you intend on installing and we will provide you with a team member’s cell phone to make sure you don’t get stuck in the field!
If you have a unique space you’d like designed or quoted – don’t hesitate to reach out to us at 563.345.6745 or aaron@heartland.ctws53sj-liquidwebsites.com!
If you can’t find what you’re looking for please give us a quick call at 563-345-6745 or use our chat box in the bottom left corner of your screen!
