The other day a neighbor asked Doctor FX what a “pergola” was? He thought it was a new health food or maybe a new baby stroller. He was pleasantly surprised to find a pergola is something he’d seen all over Colorado Springs and even enjoyed himself.

While, unlike my friend, you likely know a pergola is a backyard and garden feature that provides a sheltered area where one can entertain, relax and enjoy the natural surroundings of our great Colorado outdoors with friends and family. In the old days, pergolas were bulky structures with stone pillars and a crude roof structure typically covered with vines for shade.

Now they’re built with contemporary materials such as treated lumber, brick or masonry, vinyl, fiberglass, aluminum, steel or CPVC. Across the top are beams, lattices and sometimes vines or netting providing shade and privacy to those sitting underneath. Pergolas either attach to your house or, more commonly, are free standing in the backyard. For many, they are the number one central location for enjoying our temperate El Paso County weather and viewing Pikes Peak and its surrounding Rocky Mountains. Your pergola will be a shade structure in daylight and an outdoor entertainment and dining hub in the evening!

What many of Landscape FX customers enjoy most is the ability to customize a pergola to fit their outdoor entertaining and relaxation needs by outfitting it with a fireplace or fire-pit, outdoor kitchen, bar, fountain or other water feature, surrounding terraced gardens, outdoor lighting, stereo sound system, big screen television, lounging furniture and whatever else strikes their fancy making their pergola the place to be in their home. Adding radiant heaters can extend your pergola’s season by at least four months or, for some, year round. Landscape FX pergolas are all custom designed and built to fit each client’s needs and budget.

A quick look at our pergola photo gallery (click here) will give you an idea of what is possible. These beautiful and functional outdoor additions brings you into nature in your own backyard and makes outdoor living and entertain comfortable, convenient and a true lifestyle focal point. Pergolas reflect your taste, improve the value of your property and create a place where the outside of your home is as comfortable as the inside. Just imagine …

• No more “slepping” dinner out to the backyard. You can prepare it right there surrounded by family and guests in your own outdoor kitchen!
• Drinks under Colorado’s gorgeous star-filled night skies. No cocktail lounge can match this atmosphere and you may even spot a shooting star!
• Listening to a bubbling fountain or splashing waterfall while you relax in overstuffed outdoor furniture!
• Watching your favorite sporting event on the big screen surrounded by the sounds of nature in a pristine garden environment!
• Relaxing in the shade and cool breezes while playing with the kids on a warm Colorado summer afternoon!

Doctor FX has observed that pergolas have come a long way since they were the exclusive privy of wealthy aristocrats and nobility in sixteenth century Italy. Today they’re affordable to all and a key element in making the most of your home and surrounding outdoor space. Doctor FX’s “prescription” for increased outdoor fun … give Landscape FX a call at 719.439.3169 and let them show you pergola options to make your backyard more enjoyable and your home more valuable.

Remember … listening to your Doctor is always a good idea!