How to optimize your backyard and create your own private oasis with a pergola: An ideal solution for common backyard problems

If you’ve bought a home in the last 10-20 years, you’ve definitely noticed that yard size isn’t what it used to be. New communities are getting denser. With growing demand in - and around - urban centres, builders are dividing up traditional single-family lots to accommodate multiple homes. And what’s the result? Small lots with maximum house coverage and limited outdoor space, that sits within earshot of neighbours.

The biggest concern I come across with homeowners in these new homes is the lack of backyard privacy. Functionality of the space is another, as these backyard lots often have odd dimensions – long and narrow, short and wide or pie shaped. 

Another common problem I often have to address, is shade. While summer sunshine is lovely, and there are some great plants that can handle full sun, most of us will start to wilt within the first hour or two. It’s hard to enjoy extended periods outdoors when the sun is beating down. New builds and newer communities often face a painful lack of overhead tree canopy. For one, large trees need to be strategically placed to avoid doing damage to the home or its underground infrastructure, so long roots are a concern. Even with new trees, it takes 10+ years for that natural shade structure to grow in. That means full sun exposure from dawn to dusk. 

So how can homeowners make the most out of their limited backyard space? A well-placed pergola is a great solution.

I’ve worked on several projects with these challenges and have been able to overcome this through design – the backyard concepts I created for MicroPro Seinna Treated Wood last summer are perfect examples. MicroPro Sienna Treated Wood ran a contest to find homeowners whose backyard needed a boost with professional landscape design. There were two grand prize winners, one in Calgary and another Whitby, each representing common backyard challenges. The Calgary winners were in a dense urban neighbourhood, and the Whitby winners were in a more suburban location. Despite their different locations, both backyards lacked shade and privacy.

I designed both backyard solutions, which were then built out by local contractors. Both solutions involved adding custom pergolas built with MicroPro Sienna Treated Wood. This treated wood is unique – it offers the colour and look of cedar, but at a much lower price point. It offers a beautiful sienna brown colour that enhances the look of natural wood, is durable, and is also environmentally friendly and carries green certifications, perfect for the backyard – toddlers, kids and all. 

Courtesy MicroPro Sienna

Whitby Solution: Defining spaces
Contractor: Hand Crafted by Chris Palmer

A family of five in Whitby purchased a new home to accommodate their growing family. The detached 3,000 square foot home met all of their needs – except for the yard, which was a bit smaller than they’d hoped for. But factoring in the large park across the street, they felt it was a great compromise. 

The yard was shallow but very wide. It had an existing L-shaped flagstone patio where they put their outdoor furniture; but they found the lack of shade made it difficult to enjoy, a shame because they like to entertain. On top of that, the small yard meant they were way too close to their neighbours for comfort! 

My solution was to create a tandem pergola, one that would weave across both the seating and dining areas. Not only did it define these two areas, providing privacy and shade, but it also defined other areas of the yard for the kids to use and play. Working with the style of their home, I designed a complementary pattern into the overhead of the pergola. Controlling the amount of sun that filters through, on one side the pattern is woven more tightly than the other so that one offers more shade, the other a bit less, providing the best of both worlds! The positioning of the pergola structure also adds a buffer between the family and their neighbours, keeping the noise transfer down and the comfort level up.

The family now gets so much more enjoyment out of their yard, that for their next project, they are looking to install an outdoor heat source such a fire pit or outdoor fireplace, so they can enjoy their outdoor living spaces well into fall. 

Courtesy MicroPro Sienna

Calgary Solution: A playful distraction from above
Contractor: Maritime West Construction

With their new three-storey cliffside home in Bridgeland, the homeowners created an outdoor oasis including a swim spa for a much-used, low-impact fitness amenity. They focussed on proper permits and installation; but needed some help with privacy. The problem was that their south-facing yard put the spa in a fishbowl. All of the neighbours could see every lap and dip. The exposure was not only to houses flanking theirs, but because of the slope in the neighbourhood, most of the neighbours above had a clear view, too. There was little shade most of the day, limiting the amount of time they could use their yard – and with a toddler and a baby on the way, they needed the space!

My solution worked beautifully – a perfectly positioned pergola. A good fence will stop interaction to the back and sides, but when you need privacy from above, too, a pergola isn’t just a barrier, it also plays with the eye, distracting sight lines and creating visual interest. I designed the placement of the pergola so that it also buffered visual access into the home. The house was not square and had rooflines on angles, I followed the same angles with the pergola’s design.

Courtesy MicroPro Sienna

The pergola’s style added interest to the yard, plus it defined the space, allowing the swim spa to have its own area, while identifying space in the rest of the yard for seating and room for kids to play. Weaving a good outdoor fabric through the top of the pergola created more shade, without completely blocking out the sky, since nights out under the stars are a particular favourite of these homeowners. 

One design tip– if you want to fabric through the pergola, add grommets so that rain and snow can drain. A good quality outdoor fabric will stand up to the elements and can be changed out each season with different patterns or colours if you want to switch up your own backyard décor and views for your neighbours.

Carson Arthur is a landscape designer and TV personality. Throughout his 20-year TV career, Carson teaches homeowners how to raise the value of their homes through outdoor renovations while maintaining a focus on environmentally friendly choices. Homeowners have enjoyed Carson on several HGTV shows including the blockbuster Home to Win, as part of the Cityline team, as a columnist for the Halifax Chronicle Herald and the Sun Media group publications, and as a regular contributor to design magazines. Look for his new book – Vegetables, Chickens and Bees. All photos courtesy MicroPro Sienna​​​​​​​.