29 QUICK Before-and-After EASY Decks Pergolas Pavilions Gazebos

Want more out of your yard? Do you have a free afternoon?

In just a few short hours —you could easily live closer to nature — enjoy an additional living area, a new-purposed space, a canopied deck —or anything from a private, cozy corner to a resort-style getaway.  See inspiring examples of before and after with old-world craftsmanship (wood-to-wood connections) in timber shelters delivering fun, function, comfort, and class.

Whether an area is established or under construction, ShadeScape® prefabricated shelters are custom prefabricated to fit the designated area.

A kitchen in the outdoors lets you prepare full meals with all the amenities available at your fingertips. Providing targeted shade, protection, and power made this outdoor kitchen more usable. With the help of a Design Manager, a ShadeScape® pavilion, pergola, gazebo, trellis or arbor can create the outdoor kitchen area to be everything you’ve dreamed about. Installation can be a do-it-yourself or done-for-you project.

The Earls family replaced their backyard deck with strength; bigger, stronger, and bulkier in substance with an easy-to-do, timber-frame heavy-duty deck covered with a ShadeScape® DFY pergola kit.

The previous porch deck had vinyl railings that would move. Vinyl is a soft and pliable material from the get-go but it also weakens and breaks down over time.

Thankfully for this family, the ShadeScape® interlocking mortise and tenon timbers with added metal railings give the "muscles" and "power" that was lacking in the old deck.

Triple-post, hip roof ShadeScape® pavilion after installation.

Contemporary is a style that stands out in a crowd. Unlike other timeless shelter styles, it has a minimalistic semblance with a futuristic flair.

On this Contemporary ShadeScape® pergola, the homeowners desired a solid wood louvered roof strategically positioned to direct and take advantage of the shade and the sun during the prime time of the day.

Pictures before, during, and after from the Owen’s family in Nevada who completed the installation of an 8000 Series ShadeScape™ DIY pergola kit.

With a roof size of 14' x 22', this pergola kit features the Champion style profiles. The homeowners chose to upgrade their knee braces to Arched Knee Braces with a decorative Keystone. They also have an upgraded the TimberVolt® Inferno Power Post so they can run lights and have multiple outlets to use under the pergola for year-round day or night use.

The Owen's family did a great job, it is beautiful!

An timber arbor is one of the fastest and easiest architectural elements sculpture a stunning new look. In the winter a timber frame arbor injects warmth and color giving a striking and beautiful contrast to snowy landscape. From a cozy sanctuary to an elegantly formal design there are many styles to transform an area into a place of interest —as in this example— the arbor made this barbecue grill area into a side yard showpiece.

Spherical or circular shapes reflect the earth and naturally give a welcoming curve appeal. Some of the oldest constructions of indigenous cultures were round or semi radius —e.g. the North American tepee, hogans, and yurts. Interestingly, a neuroscience study conducted at Harvard Medical School reported that when people were given a choice between linear or curved styles in architecture most chose circular or curved over linear styles. This was said to be more than just personal taste —it is as though it is actually hard-wired into our brains. It has been our experience with timber frame pergolas as well, curves, round, and radius are very popular roofing style choices.

Many coastal and high elevation areas can be brisk in the early mornings and evenings, even sometimes in the summertime and adding a fireplace to your pergola can create the perfect outdoor living environment. To fully enjoy the use of their outdoor fireplace, the Knight family installed a ShadeScape® pergola. Now, they have shade and sunshine as it is needed, and it is a favorite gathering place, year-round.

“We had the gazebo set up in the yard, and it decided to rain first time this summer, and it rained almost 2 1/2 inches and so they cleaned out there where we were going to have the reception, and we all went under the gazebo. Most of us fit. And It was a little cold, but everybody was chummy and got together, and it worked out real nice.

I think it saved the reception actually cause people got out of the rain and got closer together, and we had food in here and dances and all kinds of stuff going on. It was a real good experience. Like I say, everybody that comes in just loves it!” -Kent Peterson

An 18′ x 14′ rough-sawn, solid wood timber frame DIY pergola kit installed over backyard patio for shade. Pictured above is a couple of before and after photos. Latticed privacy screens are added for extra shade as well as privacy as found in outstanding historical Dutch and Colonial gardens and landscapes.

There were neighboring houses on either side and yet the yard felt as though you were in a world all your own, extremely private and secluded. The photograph of before the pavilion was installed with a privacy wall shows how close the neighboring house is. The privacy wall made all the difference.

A cantilevered pergola roof makes an enduring statement with its well-thought-out design creating the feeling of openness and space as it graciously provides expanded shade in a limited or smaller area.

The beauty of a ShadeScape® arbor, cabana, gazebo, pavilion, pergola or trellis kit is that they can be installed before many elements —concrete, fireplace, outdoor kitchen, etc. — are in,  or after. Here a six-post, custom pergola is installed before a concrete patio is poured.

Natural timber is a fantastic substrate for plants, compared to metal arbors or latticeworks, which can burn and freeze growing plants. A trellis can add a new dimension to unique climbing vines, vegetables or vineyards as well as garden flowers. They are excellent for vertical gardening to keep vegetables and flowers off of the ground, or even to grow a vegetable garden in a limited space, or a nook in your backyard.

Western Timber Frame™ garden arbors and trellises add a stunningly inviting feel to a garden and are also very practical to accentuate with hanging baskets, pots or growing boxes. They help facilitate beautifully inviting backyard living throughout the year.

Kits Manufactured to Your Specs

Western Timber Frame™ is different; we do not fit you with a pre-made, cookie cutter kit. These are not kits that you can buy in your average big box store. All of our kits are custom built to match your requirements and to fit your backyard. We call our pergolas and pavilions a kit because we ship them to your door ready to assemble. However, due to the heavy timbers, and their custom nature your Structure will not look like a typical kit. Your pergola will be an outstanding handcrafted room in your backyard. Building a Project with Western Timber Frame™ is a simple process you can do in person, over the phone, or via email.

"I searched for a pergola and various pictures came up and so as I searched through the pictures I eventually found something I liked and it took me to the Western Timber Frame™ website. The large timbers that I was looking for, I really liked that look. And then the second thing was the tapered dovetail design from a construction standpoint I thought that was superior to anything else that I saw. We love it.

As a family we are out here and when you look at it it is just very rustic; it’s manly. I just like it. They are excellent. The fact that I was out of State initially worried me but as we worked through the project, was evidently not an issue. You just need to have good dimensions and talk it through. And the sales rep, Ondi, he was excellent. They were very good. They are a good company." — Mark Church

We love trees, and all they do for us. ShadeScape® kits are made from the finest grade, sustainable trees. With a timber frame ShadeScape® pergola, pavilion, cabana, trellis, arbor, or gazebo you can enjoy all the happiness of trees without the upkeep, care and wait.

Timber is temperature regulating just as trees are. Like a good shade tree, ShadeScape® canopy timber kits have a perfect light to shade ratio of 85%. There are many benefits of a pergola in small areas where a tree would be more difficult to grow. Here are six reasons:

1. No clearing tree limbs from overhead power lines and utilizes. 2. No strong winds sending branches through a roof. 3. No roots damaging buried wires or gas lines. 4. No dropping leaves that clog gutters. 5. No watering or nurturing.

The sixth – and a biggest reason – is there is No waiting for the tree to grow.

An attached shelter is not a fit for every outdoor living environment. In an area with an existing structure to connect to, an attached arbor, gazebo, pavilion or pergola can be the perfect way to easily connect with nature and expand your living space. The attached ShadeScape® pergola gave this sunny deck comforting shade to enjoy the space at all hours.

Integrating shade shelters with various roof designs such as a gazebo, pavilion or pergola is beautiful but also practical. It offers the best of both: complete coverage and protection joined together with the openness and freedom of a pergola, areas of sun and shade combined.