Covered outdoor rooms are a growing trend, with ceiling fans and roofs designed to keep the summer sunshine at bay. But for those who don’t have the time or money to construct such a grand outdoor living space — or for those who simply like a little more open air in their outdoor living areas — there are pergolas, writes Tracy Rogers in HomeStyle.
Pergolas provide shade at a fraction of the cost of an outdoor room. Terri Duncan, co-owner of Archadeck of Central Arkansas, attributes the popularity of pergolas to the intense summers in Arkansas over the past few years.
“I think part of the reason for the uptick in pergola building is the fact that summer heat over the past few years has been so immense,” she says. “If you don’t have natural shade from trees, you need to manufacture it, because what happens when the sun hits the patio or the back of a house is that heat collects in the brick or on the concrete and it just throws it right back at you.”
Looking to build — or have built — a little haven from the summer sun? See Saturday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for inspiration.