A pergola is typically a wooden structure with an open latticework that lets vines climb and grow upon them.
It can be used as a cover for outdoor living areas like patios or decks, or it can be used to enhance the natural beauty of your house exterior.
If you are looking for ways to make your home stand out, you might want to consider a pergola added on top of your main entry door.
The pergola over the front door can be partially covered with vines and flowers. This is to allow for more privacy while also allowing some sunlight to filter through creating pretty shadows on the ground beneath it.
A pergola can be beautifully designed giving more attention to the front door. It’s surrounded by lighting creating an even nicer atmosphere at night time when they are returning home from work.
Here are ten examples of how you can use pergolas on top of your front door:
1. Wisteria Pergolas
If you want simple elegance, then wisterias are the plants for you. They come in many different colors and their beautiful blossoming flowers are the perfect accessory for your pergola.
2. Climbing Roses & Clematis
Climbing plants like roses and clematis work best because they, too, provide an excellent alternative to plain wooden shutters or curtains on French doors.
3. Bougainvillea Climbers
A bougainvillea climber is another great choice for any home exterior because of its gorgeous blossoms that go well with any style house you might have.
They also come in many different types so it won’t be hard to find one that will enhance the look of your front door area.
4. Wisteria Trellis
A wisteria trellis offers a charming and graceful appearance. The different vines and leaves make for a picturesque door area and the color of the blossoming flowers will add vibrancy to your home’s exterior.
5. Climbing Hydrangea
If you want an all-season flower that will work well with any season, then climbing hydrangeas are perfect for you.
This is because they come in vibrant colors like pink and blue, and their beautiful blossoms only get better when they bloom with white “puffballs.”
6. Clematis Or Roses
If you enjoy having colorful roses or clematis on your front door area, hanging baskets are another option for them as long as they can be secured properly so they won’t fall off.
7. Jasmine Trellis
Also known as Arabian jasmine, this plant is perfect for adding a romantic feel to your home’s exterior.
This is because of its beautiful star-shaped white blossoms which emit an intoxicating fragrance like roses.
8. Bouganvilla Twine
Another one of the more popular climbing plants that offers wonderful red blooms. It has enough foliage to cover up any unattractive areas of your home’s exterior.
It helps keep it maintained and protected from harsh elements like wind and rain.
You can use twine or rope to secure this vine on top of your front door area so be sure to choose one that matches the color of the flowers on your climbing plant.
9. Virginia Creeper
A Virginia creeper is another great choice for your pergola because they are also known as woodbines.
Their leaves look similar to ivy which can add a traditional feel to your home exterior. You might also want to use their scarlet red flowers instead for an added pop of color and contrast.
10. Potted Ivy
If you prefer potted plants, then the traditional English ivy is another good choice.
This is because its evergreen foliage adds year-round beauty and color. Its dark green hue works well with any style house exterior no matter if it has a contemporary, rustic or classic theme.
Benefits of applying pergola over the front door
1. Stylish and attractive – Exterior entryways are a stylish and attractive way to welcome you and your guests into your home, but sometimes they can be a little plain or even downright boring.
Adding a pergola with a garden attached to it can help with this problem if you have an existing exterior door, as the two create an inviting area at your home’s entrance that lets in natural light.
2. Sunlight is filtered through the leaves – Backlit by sunlight filtering through the leaves of plants below.
The patio area becomes part of your outdoor living space while giving everyone arriving at your house their first sight of what lies ahead for them inside.
And when you want to get out there yourself, all you need to do is step onto the patio from inside your home.
Steps to building the best pergola over the front door
If you don’t have a door, or if you want to add a pergola-type structure over a new entryway, you will need to plan carefully and follow certain steps when building it in order to get the best results. Here are some guidelines that can help:
Step 1: Acquire the necessary permits
Start by making sure that your site has all of the necessary permits before work commences. Once this process is complete and both parties involved have given their approval for construction, choose an appropriate location for the pergola.
The most common areas are over front doors or above existing exterior openings such as garage doors or overhead patio covers. If applying over a door, make sure that it opens inward rather than outward, since this will help to support the pergola’s weight.
Step 2: Choose a location with access to the necessary utilities
It is also important that you choose a location with access to the necessary utilities in order to provide power for lighting.
If done over an existing door or opening, you can probably use existing electrical wires and connections already in place there.
And if using solar lights, which are becoming increasingly popular these days, remember to install them so they receive sunlight throughout the day.
Step 3: Choose sturdy lumber for your pergola frame
Larger beams will be needed along its lengthwise edges while smaller pieces can serve as cross supports beneath it.
Be sure to measure properly before cutting any lumber down to size though, because ignoring this step can result in a structure that cannot support itself.
Step 4: Dig all post holes
Before you begin constructing the frame, make sure you dig all post holes down to their proper depth and width, filling them with concrete in the process.
This is necessary because pergolas can be quite heavy when fully assembled and it’s up to the posts which support them to keep everything properly stabilized.
Make sure that your structure is square before continuing; otherwise, you will end up with a crooked backyard entryway that doesn’t look good and may even stand a chance of collapsing.
Step 5: Attach lengths of lumber
Next, attach lengths of pressure-treated 2 x 4 lumber along each side of your pergola frame. This is for extra stability and adds cross pieces beneath it if desired to create an accessible walkway below.
Keep in mind when installing these supports however that they will take up space under the pergola that would otherwise be available for planting. Therefore, you should plan carefully before adding them.
Step 6: Figure out how much 2 x 4 lumber you require
Your next step is to figure out how much 2 x 4 lumber you need to attach between posts along the top of your structure’s frame.
This will act as your railing system and it needs to contribute significantly towards the weight of the whole thing in order to prevent movement or collapse later on.
Step 7: Add another support board
Add another support board beneath everything if necessary, spacing it between cross pieces at intervals one foot apart.
After attaching wire mesh fencing around this section’s outer edges, you can begin covering both sides with pressure-treated 1 x 6 lumber. Use finishing nails to secure each end piece into place.
Cedar is a popular material for pergolas because of its natural resistance to decay and insects, but you can also use pine or spruce lumber in its place if these species are easier for you to obtain.
The wood should be stained a deep brown color before attaching anything else in order to protect it from harm.
Pressure-treated 1 x 4s should then be used as the upright support beams that hold up your pergola’s cross pieces along its lengthwise edges.
Space them out evenly about one foot apart, screwing each one into place beneath both ends of the 2 x 6s which you attached earlier on top of the frame.
To cover this part of the structure, cut lengths of pressure-treated 1 x 6 lumber, leaving an inch on each side to overlap the center beams, and screw them down into place along the posts’ sides.
Finally, add brackets for hanging plants and anything else you wish to display beneath your pergola.
Conclusion
The pergola over the front door is a place that receives much foot traffic and brings the climbers up to the roof.
That way they can easily be maintained without compromising views from indoors.