If you are looking to enhance your outdoor living area, a cheap and easy way to achieve this is by adding a pergola. A pergola helps accent a lawn by providing a structure to shade a certain portion of the yard. Anytime you add a structure to your property, you have to do some planning ahead of time to ensure it goes off without any problems. Adding a pergola to your lawn may require permits, building supplies, and lumber. In order to achieve the look you are going for, here are some things you should consider before adding the pergola to your lawn. 

Positioning the Pergola

One of the first things you want to do when planning to install a pergola in your backyard is to determine the location of it. To get a good visual, you could take construction post and place them around the outline of where the pergola will be located. This will also allow you to determine if there will be shade under the pergola. When determining the construction of the pergola, you can go by the standard height to length ratio of 1:1.618. From there, you can expand it as you need to. 

Get Approval for the Plans

There are several organizations you need to check with before you start the building process. You local building codes may require that you have a permit to install a pergola on your property. If so, you will need to have a set of plans to show them what your idea is for the pergola. Additionally, you want to talk to your homeowners association about the application process. Some neighborhood codes restrict building additional structures on the property. Once you have the necessary approval and permits, you can then start building. 

Pick Your Wood

When selecting the wood for your pergola, you have many options. If you are looking for something with very little maintenance, then you may want to opt for pretreated wood. This can be purchased from your local hardware store. If you are looking for something that is insect resistant, then you want to look at cedar or redwood. For the least expensive option, your best bet would be to obtain some pressure treated pine. 

Purchase a Pergola Kit

If you are looking at getting it done quickly, you may want to consider using a pergola kit. Pergola kits vary in cost depending on the size and materials you choose, but on average you can expect to pay around $1,500 for a 10x10 vinyl pergola kit. If you choose to do it yourself, you can skim some of the cost by buying the wood and cutting it yourself.