Category: Outdoor Living

A duplex or shared-wall pergola sits on or near a property line instead of in the middle of an open yard, and that single fact changes the setback math, the attachment method, and sometimes who else has to sign off on the plans. In South Florida’s duplexes, townhomes, and zero-lot-line homes — common from Fort Lauderdale to Pinecrest — getting …

A pergola privacy wall blocks a neighbor’s view, a parking lot or the low afternoon sun on one side of a patio. Unlike a screen, it stays in place. Unlike a solid wall, a slatted panel still lets air through. That balance is why homeowners and restaurants in South Florida add them so often. However, a fixed panel changes how …

Accessible patio design is usually framed as something you do after a fall, and that is the expensive way round. The same decisions cost almost nothing at the design stage, and they quietly make the space better for everyone who uses it. South Florida makes this more relevant than most markets. People retire here, stay in their homes longer, and …

An equestrian pergola solves a problem every South Florida horse property shares: the people, the horses and the equipment all need shade, and the sun moves. From Wellington and Loxahatchee Groves to the farms west of Delray and Jupiter, owners are adding motorized louvered structures at ring-side viewing areas, wash racks, barn courtyards and entertaining terraces. This guide covers where …

A fire pit under a pergola is one of the most requested combinations we hear about in South Florida, and one of the least understood. Homeowners picture the evening: louvers open, a fire going, nobody swatting mosquitoes. Then the questions arrive. Will the heat damage the roof? Is gas or wood safer? Does the fire department care? The short answer …

A pergola misting system is the difference between a patio you use in August and a patio you look at from inside the air conditioning. South Florida humidity blunts a lot of cooling tricks, so homeowners reasonably ask whether misters actually work here. They do, but only within limits, and only when the layout, the pressure class and the water …

A pool house pergola solves a problem most South Florida homeowners discover about two summers after the pool goes in: the deck is beautiful and completely unusable between eleven and four. Adding covered structure near the water changes how the whole backyard works. It also drags in a set of code questions that a plain patio cover never touches, because …

Ceiling fan under a pergola in South Florida: wet-rated listings, blade span, mounting to a louvered roof and hurricane considerations.