Love it Tuesday: Backyard Pergola

I have an ultimate love for outdoor living rooms!! I just LOVE the look of a Pergola in the backyard (as opposed to a gazebo). I think its because the sun still shines in with a Pergola.

Doesn't this look so inviting with the outdoor fireplace and pergola and patio furniture! I LOVE IT!!! (photo from My Fireplace Designs)Or this one all lite up at night! (photo from Builders Services Inc.)

We have such a short summer season here in Canada and I would love to enjoy it to the fullest with a wonderful outdoor living room!!!!

Currently we have a gazebo in part of our yard and of course our above ground inflatable pool. Now I LOVE having the pool but realistically we will only get another year or 2 out of it. THEN Ryan and I both agree we will be switching to the more 'adult' yard with a pergola in the middle of the yard.

This is our yard now (the slide and the deck around the pool are gone though). Underneath the pool is a sand base so to convert from this into something like the pictures above it would just be a matter of putting a stone base and walk way. AND if Ryan has his way a bridge... Ryan has a secret wish to build a bridge... and I'm fine with letting him build a bridge over our imaginary river to get to our wonderful outdoor living room.

Here is another view of our yard from under our current gazebo. (Ryan and Dave are all excited because they had just finished fixing it! See picture further below of what the rainstorm did to it...) (Dave is my unofficial second husband who comes to help out around the house heehee) That is why I would love a nice wood pergola that we wouldn't have to worry about the wind taking down or always taking the canvas off the top for fear of it flying away!!! This picture the canvas isn't on the gazebo because we have to take it off after every use because that is what destroyed it in the first place! (sorry for the quality of the photo, its from my phone...)

Now here is what the rain storm did to our gazebo last year!! Isn't it a miracle that they fixed it!!!! It literally just crumpled under the weight of the rain!!

Anyway, the ultimate plan is to get rid of the interlocking brick that is around the pool on the right side and put all grass. Then once the pool is gone we will fill the sand pit with the interlocking brick (keeping the hostas around the area to add flare) and build a pergola in the middle of the yard. Then get rid of the gazebo and move the patio furniture under the pergola. If you love the pergola as much as I do you can find plans to build one here at Rona!