A simple Pergola

Back in early spring of 2008 I was contacted by some wonderful clients to help create a pergola structure in their yard.

Above is the space before I got my hands on it and created the design... I still remember that day being -19 degrees Celsius and one of the coldest days ever for me to take property measurements. The design issues were as follows:

- Shade for both the sitting area on a patio as well as shade for the interior rooms of the home.
- A structure to add value to the home.
- A structure that would properly bridge between the home and the garage buildings without looking out of place.

After giving much thought and allowing my brain to thaw out, here is what I came up with!



I kept the structure away from the garage building and gave it some interest along the edge as it wraps around the building instead of joining right to it. The Architectural challenge to create a pergola that attached to the building would have proved to be too costly for the budget and would have looked out of sorts with the A-frame roof of the garage.




The details of the rafter ends and the other wood elements present, give the look of an elegant structure that gently rests between the two buildings and softens the transition in-between.


The clients went with Tiger Decking which is a form of hardwood used for exterior surfaces. It added a finishing touch to the new deck and really makes this space feel like an additional room to the home.


The deck carpenter for this project was Tony Fredericks of The Woodcrafters (416-420-3999)

Hummingbirds

As you search on the internet about Hummingbirds you'll find there are a lot of articles on the net that tell you how to attract the birds and how to keep hummingbird feeders with sugar water and so on...

I'm of the firm belief that we should not intervene with Nature's natural patterns and the natural migration routes of these beautiful little creatures... so my method of practice would be to create a natural hummingbird garden full of their favorite plants....

We may not know the right time of year to take out the feeders or to put them in but if it is a garden full of flowering perennials and shrubs, we can leave that guess work up to Nature. If hummingbird feeders are not kept clean, we can actually do more harm than good... even the plastic feeders baking in direct sunlight are found to leech chemicals into the syrup feed!

The photos in this article are from a recent trip to a friend's cottage... I was so fortunate to capture these pictures of the hummingbird feeding on Evening Primrose flowers. Rather than having open grass around the cottage, my friend had decided to plant wildflowers everywhere! The beauty of this is that you can spend time watching the flowers grow, watching the bees flourish and in this case... sit quietly in the garden and wait for one of these beautiful little jewels to buzz by you on his way to hover over a flower while you snap your pictures...

This guy decided to sit in front of my face and check me out first before he went to his flowers... I tend to look at this encounter as if he interviewed me before he would let me take his pictures. When they are in their natural element (sans man-made feeders) they are fearless and in control.

A unique dowtown backyard

In the confining space of some of the areas in downtown Toronto, deck designers can find some unique challenges. The picture below shows such a challenge. This is a continuation of the Deck spans article... showing what the 20 foot beam is holding up!


I was called into this project last year to help dream up a new look for the privacy screen/railings that enclosed this "backyard". The space is approximately 20 x 20 and sits at the second floor level over top a parking area in the back of a townhouse complex. The clients asked me for something that kept the privacy, allowed for air flow and gave them a view to the surrounding tree tops, all the while keeping it stylish and appealing to the eye.

I came up with a combination of the privacy screens for the sides of the deck and the glass windows along the back with etched in window frames on the glass. The glass windows were placed strategically so that when seated on the deck, no one could see you from down below but you had all the pleasure of the green surrounding from the tree branches.

This effect makes the space feel larger and more connected to the landscape even though it is 9 feet off the ground. The deck carpenter for this project was Tony Fredericks of The Woodcrafters (416-420-3999).

The glass panels for the screens were supplied by Verrage Glass and Mirror Inc. (416-631-6500 or 905-738-6565)...they are a great group to work with and will customize any glass shapes, sizes, patterns and specifications for your project!