Pergolas in Abilene, TX

A pergola is an open frame of posts and beams over a patio, topped with rafters or adjustable louvers that filter the sun rather than block it. In Abilene a pergola has to stay square on moving clay and ride out thunderstorm gusts, so the posts, the connections and the footings decide whether it lasts.

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Will a pergola give enough shade for an Abilene summer?

That depends on which way the patio faces. The National Weather Service lists an average of 19 days a year at 100 degrees or more in Abilene for 1991 to 2020. Open slats filter that sun, and the shade moves as the sun does.

A north or east patio gets shade for most of the afternoon anyway, so a pergola adds light and structure without closing the space in. A west patio takes the full afternoon sun and usually wants a solid or insulated roof. Many of ours are half and half: solid over the seating, open over the grill. Our guide to shade that handles Abilene heat and wind compares the roof types side by side.

How do pergola footings stay put in Abilene clay?

The USDA describes the Abilene soil series as very deep clay, about 35 to 50 percent clay. Ground like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, and the top few feet move the most.

A pergola on that ground stays square only if its posts sit below the soil that moves. The footings go deeper than the seasonal swell and shrink, and the grade around each post sheds water instead of holding it. Posts set on a thin slab can lift or lean, so we design our pergolas around where the slab and footings can carry them.

Keep irrigation and downspout runoff away from the posts as well, since a soaked bed beside a footing keeps the clay there moving. Our post on building a backyard on Abilene clay covers grading and drainage for the whole yard.

Can a pergola hold up to West Texas wind?

A well-built one can, because open slats let wind pass. The risk sits in the posts, connections and footings, not the slats. Light kit pergolas with a few small fasteners are the first to fail in a strong gust.

A louvered pergola acts like a roof only when the louvers are closed. Storm lines can arrive quickly, so ask whether the louvers have a sensor or a timer, whether a power outage leaves them stuck open, and whether a manual override exists.

Does a pergola need a permit in Abilene?

Ask City of Abilene Building Inspections before you build, especially for a pergola attached to the house or wired for power. Longhorn files the permit and handles the inspection. Every Abilene project starts with a free design visit, where the slab, the soil and the sun direction get settled before anyone quotes a post count.

Questions from Abilene homeowners

Wood looks warm and can be cut to any shape, but under hard West Texas sun it needs restaining on a regular schedule and can check or twist. Aluminum costs more up front on some designs but asks for almost nothing afterward. We will show you both next to your house before you decide.

Deeper than the seasonal swell and shrink of the clay, with the exact depth set by the plan for your lot. Abilene ground often has a lime layer a foot or two down, and soil changes from lot to lot. We would rather look at your ground on the design visit than quote a depth from a website.

An open pergola will not. If you need to stay dry in a storm, look at a louvered pergola with the louvers closed, or a solid patio cover instead. A mix of the two, with a solid roof over the seating and open rafters over the grill, is a common answer.

A louvered pergola suits owners who want shade they can adjust through the day. Closed louvers act like a roof and take the hail, while open louvers leave the storm to the hardware. Louvered roofs cost more because of the moving parts and the power to run them, and someone has to close them before a storm.

More in Abilene: Patio Covers · Pools & Spas · Outdoor Kitchens · Patio Enclosures & Sunrooms · Hardscaping · all of Abilene