My Wife Wants a Pergola. I Think They’re Useless.
The man who founded Western Timber Frame once looked at a pergola on a set of house plans and told the owner to take it off. He was one of the most experienced timber craftsmen in the state of Utah. He was completely wrong — and the next twenty-five years taught him exactly why, in ways he never anticipated.
We’ve heard it before.
“Pergolas are a waste of money.”
“It’s just a fancy frame with no roof.”
“My wife wants one.”
“I told her they’re useless.”
We understand that completely. And, we have something to tell you — starting with the man who founded this company, building pergolas, and why he laughs now that he once told someone not to build one. “Pergolas are pointless —it’s like a structure that doesn’t quite finish the job.” .
He Told SOMEONE Not to Build One. Then He Built Two for Himself.
Before I make the case for pergolas, I want to tell you about the man who built a company on them — and once told someone not to build one.
His name is Hyrum Thompson. He founded Western Timber Frame. He has spent his life working with wood with the kind of deep fluency that only comes from decades of genuine craft — understanding timber the way a musician understands an instrument. Not just technically, but intuitively.
What drove him into this work wasn’t the business of outdoor structures. It was the craft itself. Specifically, it was timber joinery — the ancient, demanding art of connecting heavy wood without metal fasteners, using only the geometry of the wood.
Hyrum developed what we now call The Dovetail Difference® joint system: a proprietary method of connecting timber that allows the wood to expand and contract through seasons without gaps, without hardware failure, without the creaks and separations that plague lesser structures. It is the kind of thing a craftsman spends a career chasing.
His primary passion — his real focus — was pavilions. Fully covered timber structures with solid roofs. Serious, sheltered, all-weather spaces that delivered on every promise a skeptic might demand. He believed in them completely, and for good reason. They are extraordinary structures. But ironically, today by choice, Hyrum doesn’t have one of those protective pavilions in his yard, instead he built two prized pergolas for his family to enjoy. And I will be telling you why.
The story Hyrum Tells on Himself
Every company has a story it tells with a wince and a laugh — the decision that felt right at the time and later became part of the lesson. For us, it started with a pergola.
Years ago, before Western Timber Frame became what it is today, Hyrum was reviewing plans for a home being built by Laurence Bunker, now our CEO. The design included a pergola on the west side. Hyrum, already deeply experienced in woodworking, gave his honest opinion: it wasn’t worth it. A waste of money. Better to leave it off. Laurence trusted him and took the advice.
“Pergolas are pointless — it’s like a structure that doesn’t quite finish the job.”
Today, it’s something both men laugh about. Neither of them could have known then what twenty-five years of building pergolas for families across America would teach them about what this structure actually does.
Over the years we’ve heard many stories from families about what their pergola became in their lives. But there is one I return to most often — because it revealed something about these structures none of us anticipated when we first designed it.
A Story We Return To
The Connors had lost their daughter.
If you have known that kind of grief — the particular, irreplaceable weight of losing a child — you understand that it doesn’t just fade. It lives in the walls, in the hallways, in the light that comes through windows at certain hours. In every room where that person used to be.
The Connors didn’t want to leave their home. Every memory they had of their daughter was in that place. But going outside wasn’t somewhere they could be. Not yet. The openness of it felt wrong. Too much world. Too little shelter.
They came to us wanting privacy. Enclosure. A sense of being held rather than exposed. They wanted to be outside without the full weight of the outside pressing back.
A fully enclosed pavilion would have given them shelter — but it would have given them a cave. Our design team suggested something in between: a pergola and pavilion combination. Solid cover where they needed protection. Open rafters where they needed light. Screening where they needed privacy. Sky where they needed to breathe.
They loved it. The Connors tell it better than we ever could →
What began as a place to hide from the world slowly became a place to invite the world back in — carefully, at their own pace. Friends came. Conversations happened there that couldn’t have happened indoors. The grief didn’t leave. But it found a different kind of air to move through.
They called it their wellness center.
Every time someone asks me whether a pergola is worth the investment, I think about what the word worth is actually capable of measuring.
Every time someone asks me whether a pergola is worth the investment, I think about what the word worth is actually capable of measuring.
During an interview after being unexpectedly named Utah Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration—an award Hyrum insists belongs to the Western Timber Frame team as much as anyone—he was asked why he chose a pergola for his own home.
“People imagine they need full coverage because of rain. But how often does it rain in a way that invites you to sit outside and enjoy it? Most of the time, it’s either blowing hard or pouring—hardly something you’d design your space around. Those quiet, soft rains? They’re rare.
What’s easy to overlook is how often the opposite is true—how many days invite you outside. And with the right structure, those days don’t end in fall. For many families, they carry on right through winter.”
And Then It Became Personal
Hyrum has always loved being outside with his family — grandchildren running freely while the adults ate and talked and let the afternoon stretch long past any reasonable hour. He understood the value of his pergolas the way you understand something after you’ve been wrong about it, with a depth that pure conviction never quite reaches.
And then his body introduced him to a new dimension of that understanding.
Hyrum was diagnosed with spinal stenosis. For a man whose hands and body had been his primary instrument for decades — who had built and lifted and shaped timber with the physical fluency that only a life given to craft produces — it was a reckoning.
What he needed, among other things, was sunlight. Real sunlight — the kind the body processes and uses, that warms joints and lifts mood and does for the human system what no supplement fully replicates. Not the harsh, overpowering midday sun that drives you back inside. The filtered, dappled, generous light that a timber pergola produces: present without being punishing, warming without overwhelming.
The “luxury” he had once dismissed had become something the man who built the company could not do without.
There is a difference between knowing something and living it — things in life that can’t be explained to you until you experience them. Hyrum believed in pergolas professionally, with everything he had built into this company. And still, life found more to teach him about why they matter.
See a DIY Timber Pergola Kit Being Built
The Mabey family and friends install a modular pergola pre-cut and designed with the Dovetail Difference® joint system — the joinery that makes these structures last decades. See How It’s Built →
Are Pergolas Pointless?
Let’s Address That Directly.
The personal stories matter. But so does the hard data. A pergola is not a failed roof, a thin umbrella, or a decoration. It is a precision climate tool — designed to deliver shade, airflow, light, and livable outdoor space with scientific accuracy. Here is what the structure actually delivers.
1 — Addressing Objections
On Rain
OBJECTION: “It doesn’t keep rain off”
True — and irrelevant. An open-beam pergola is not a roof and was never designed to be one. Judging it as a failed roof is like criticizing a convertible for lacking a sunroof. Different tool. Different purpose. If you need full weather coverage, that can be built. The base product is not broken — you spec it for your climate and your life from the beginning.
On SHADE
OBJECTION: “It doesn’t fully shade you”
This is where most people’s mental model is furthest from reality. A pergola is not trying to create darkness — it creates effective, comfortable dappled shade. With properly configured rafter spacing, it provides approximately 85% shade coverage from day one, adjustable by density, orientation, and your specific sun angles. The result is a bright, airy, inviting space that feels open rather than enclosed — unlike a solid roof that blocks all light and traps heat underneath.
Research: Field studies show that pergola-style open rafter systems reduce perceived temperature by up to 6.8°C in humid subtropical climates while maintaining airflow — outperforming solid roofs in both temperature reduction and humidity control. Partial shading is often preferred over full shade because it reduces heat stress while preserving natural light. (Evaluation of Outdoor Thermal Comfort, 2014; Impact of Shade on Outdoor Thermal Comfort, 2016 PMC)
Custom shade exactly how you want it Our standard structures deliver approximately 85% shade coverage for reliable comfort from day one.
But you can design it for more or less light, exactly as shown here. By simply adjusting the spacing of the shade planks, you control how much sunlight filters through — creating softer, brighter light for a morning coffee area or deeper shade for an afternoon dining space.
Your pergola is built for your specific location, sun path, and lifestyle. More light where you need it. More shade where you want it. No waiting. No guesswork.
- Partial shading and thermal comfort: Field studies show that open or slatted shade structures significantly improve perceived comfort by reducing radiant heat while maintaining pleasant light levels. Impact of shade on outdoor thermal comfort — a seasonal field study (2016 PMC)
- Dappled vs. solid shade performance: Research comparing shading types shows that controlled partial shade provides better overall thermal sensation and user satisfaction than full blockage. Evaluation of outdoor thermal comfort in sunlight, building shade, and pergola shade during summer (2014)
2 — What a Pergola Actually Delivers
Superior Natural Cooling
The open rafter configuration keeps the space measurably cooler than solid-roof alternatives — no condensation, no humidity buildup, no greenhouse effect. This is climate management by design, not accident.
Spaced rafters block direct solar radiation while allowing hot air to rise and vent upward through the stack effect, continuously drawing cooler air in from the sides. Solid roofs trap heat, create greenhouse-like buildup, and cause condensation and high humidity underneath. The pergola’s open design prevents this entirely, delivering true passive climate control.
Supporting research
- Open shading vs. solid roofs for thermal comfort: Direct field comparisons show that open rafter systems provide effective cooling (up to 6.8°C reduction in perceived temperature) in humid subtropical climates while maintaining airflow and avoiding the heat-trapping effect of solid covers. Evaluation of outdoor thermal comfort in sunlight, building shade, and pergola shade during summer (2014)
- Shade and ventilation prevent heat and humidity buildup: Studies demonstrate that partial/open shading with natural airflow lowers thermal sensation, reduces radiant heat, and eliminates condensation and humidity problems common under solid roofs. Impact of shade on outdoor thermal comfort — a seasonal field study (2016 PMC)
Light Management Against Your Home
A pergola or timber awning positioned over a west-facing window reduces direct solar heat entering the house — lowering cooling costs and protecting furnishings from UV fading. This is functional energy management, not decoration. Unlike interior blinds (which block light after heat has already entered), a pergola delivers exterior shading right at the source, blocking intense low-angle afternoon sun before it reaches the glass while preserving morning light and views.
Exterior shading on west-facing facades can reduce cooling energy consumption by 7.5%–16.8% and lower mean radiant temperature by up to 3.0°C. Strategic external shading can reduce solar heat gain by up to 77% on west-facing windows, cutting air-conditioning energy use by 10–50% depending on climate and design. (Effects of Interior and Exterior Shading Elements on Indoor Thermal Environment, 2024; U.S. DOE Energy Efficient Window Coverings)
Supporting research
- Reduction in solar heat gain and cooling loads: Exterior shading on west-facing windows can reduce cooling energy consumption by 7.5% to 16.8%. Effects of Interior and Exterior Shading Elements on the Indoor Thermal Environment (2024)
- Exterior shading effectiveness: External shading is substantially more effective than interior options at minimizing solar heat gain. Effects of Solar Shading on Thermal Comfort (2017)
A Surface Becomes a Room
Overhead structure is what gives outdoor space the psychological weight of a room. Without something above you, furniture feels temporary and space feels undefined. The pergola creates enclosure without walls — the signal your nervous system needs to recognize this as a place to be, not just a place to pass through.
Patio before installing prefabricated timber frame pergola.
Patio after installing prefabricated timber frame pergola.
Healing Light Without the Full Force of the Sun
For those who need sunlight — for mood, for joints, for the quiet daily medicine of being in real air and real warmth — a pergola delivers it filtered and generous. Present without being punishing. The open rafter design creates soft, dappled, diffuse light that lets beneficial wavelengths (visible light for serotonin and circadian rhythms, moderate UVB for vitamin D) reach you comfortably, while reducing harsh direct exposure that causes discomfort, overheating, or skin damage.
Research confirms: moderate sunlight increases serotonin (mood), supports vitamin D synthesis for bone and joint health, sets circadian rhythms for better sleep, and eases seasonal affective disorder — without the punishing intensity of direct midday sun. Just 20–30 minutes in a natural outdoor environment can reduce salivary cortisol by over 20% beyond normal daily decline. (Benefits of Sunlight, 2008 PMC; Time Spent in Outdoor Light, 2021 UK Biobank — 400,000+ participants; Urban Nature Experiences Reduce Stress)
3 — Placement, Privacy & Smart Integration
It goes where nothing else can
Against the foundation. Over a roofline zone. Along a wall. Beside a window. These are the places where shade is most needed and planting is impossible or unwise. A pergola occupies them precisely — no soil preparation, no root systems, no waiting for a decade of growth. Standard ShadePrint™ configuration delivers approximately 85% shade coverage from day one, with full control over location, density, and orientation.
flexible privacy options
Add lattice panels, vertical slats, privacy screens, or outdoor curtains to block unwanted views while preserving refreshing breezes and natural light — something impossible with trees or solid walls. The pergola’s posts and beams create a permanent structural framework for attaching screening elements precisely where needed. Lattice panels can reduce sightlines without fully enclosing the space, and layered approaches (solid panels to block, lattice to diffuse, curtains to absorb) can reduce perceived noise by 3–10+ dB.
Smart-Home Integration
A pergola cleanly mounts ceiling fans, misting systems, security cameras, speakers, and outdoor TVs without damaging house siding or roofing. Its robust rafters and vertical posts create a strong, permanent structural framework for secure, elevated attachments — keeping wiring organized and protected. Ceiling fans in partially shaded structures can extend the thermal comfort zone and reduce AC reliance by up to 30%. Misting systems in shaded areas can lower perceived temperatures and thermal stress indices by 9–15°C.
Impact of Ceiling Fans on Thermal Comfort and Energy Efficiency, 2025; A Literature Review of Cooling Center, Misting Station, and Outdoor Cooling Interventions, 2022
Instant nighttime ambiance
Overhead beams provide a perfect grid for string lights, lanterns, or recessed fixtures — no harsh floodlights, no extra poles. Evenly spaced rafters distribute lighting gently across the entire space, producing soft, warm, layered illumination that feels cozy rather than industrial. Research on outdoor nighttime lighting confirms that well-designed ambient lighting significantly increases perceived comfort, safety, and willingness to spend time outdoors after dark.
Ambient lighting leads people to feel safer and more willing to spend time in outdoor spaces at night, with over half of respondents willing to support upgrades for better nighttime livability. (Ambient Lighting, Use of Outdoor Spaces and Perceptions of Safety, 2021 PMC; Increasing the Livability of Open Public Spaces during Nighttime, 2022 MDPI)
4 — Health, Family & the Way You Live
It multiplies your outdoor time
Families with defined covered outdoor structures consistently spend two to three times more time outside than those without. You don’t need to change your habits. You need to change your space. A pergola creates a comfortable, sheltered yet open gathering space right outside the door — the dappled shade and gentle airflow make it inviting for extended, low-effort time together, encouraging meals, games, and conversation that often don’t happen as easily indoors or on uncomfortable bare patios.
Research shows over two-thirds of homeowners use comfortable outdoor spaces at least a few times per week. Shared time in natural or outdoor settings produces significantly higher feelings of interpersonal closeness and family cohesion than the same activities performed indoors. (JBREC Homeowner Survey; Shared Time in Nature Increases Feelings of Social Connection, 2024; University of Illinois study on nature and family cohesion)
safer for kids & Pets
A pergola’s permanent, anchored structure eliminates the hazards of tipping umbrellas and collapsing canopies, while providing reliable dappled shade that protects against sunburn and overheating. Unlike
portable shade options that can tip in wind or collapse unexpectedly, a pergola offers a stable, fixed overhead framework that remains secure in all weather.
Research shows over two-thirds of homeowners use comfortable outdoor spaces at least a few times per week. Shared time in natural or outdoor settings produces significantly higher feelings of interpersonal closeness and family cohesion than the same activities performed indoors. (JBREC Homeowner Survey; Shared Time in Nature Increases Feelings of Social Connection, 2024; University of Illinois study on nature and family cohesion)
5 — Design, Customization & Scalability
customizable to any space or style
Pergolas can be built square, rectangular, L-shaped, curved, or multi-level to perfectly match your home’s architecture, yard slope, or specific needs — covering a hot tub, walkway, grill area, or rooftop terrace. Standardized posts, beams, and rafters form a strong, modular framework that allows easy customization during design and construction without the cost or complexity of a fully custom solid-roof structure.
scalable and expandable
Start with a modest pergola and easily add matching sections, louvered roofs, or side enclosures later as your family needs or budget grow. New sections connect seamlessly, and adjustable roofs or enclosures can be integrated without demolishing or rebuilding the core structure. This makes a pergola far more practical and cost-effective than fixed, non-modular outdoor structures that require complete replacement when needs change.
Modular construction approaches enable easy reconfiguration and expansion while significantly lowering long-term costs compared to rigid traditional builds. Adaptive strategies allow structures to be expanded or upgraded efficiently, enhancing functional flexibility in response to lifestyle or environmental shifts. (Adaptability of Buildings: A Systematic Review, 2024; Smart Adaptive Homes and Their Potential to Improve Space Efficiency, 2023)
multi-purpose zoning
One structure can shade a dining area, frame an outdoor kitchen, and transition to a pool or fire pit — creating cohesive, defined outdoor rooms without walls. ShadePrint™ spacing is fully customizable: open it for a garden that needs sun alongside the structure, close it for near-complete shade over an afternoon gathering area. No other shade solution gives you this precision without eliminating the light entirely
6 — Cost, Value & Return on Investment
Openness Isn’t a Flaw in the Design — It Is the Design.
A well-built pergola provides roughly 80–90% of the livability of a screened porch at perhaps 30% of the cost — not because it cuts corners, but because it skips the expensive theatre of full enclosure: deep foundations, HVAC integration, permits that exist largely to justify other permits.
The counterintuitive part? Its openness is the feature, not the compromise. Airflow and dappled shade are often more comfortable than a glass box in July. You’re not getting a lesser version of something — you’re getting a different and frequently superior thing.
Lighter modular structures can reduce construction costs by 20–45% versus fully enclosed equivalents, while adaptable building systems consistently outperform rigid additions in long-term economic performance. (Adaptability of Buildings: A Systematic Review, 2024)
highest use-per-dollar-ratio
A pergola delivers more hours of actual family use per square foot and per dollar invested than patios, decks, pools, or play structures. Unlike a pool that sits unused for nine months or a play structure that becomes invisible after the first summer, a pergola passes the real test of value: how often people actually use it. The open rafter design provides comfortable dappled shade and airflow, encouraging frequent, spontaneous daily use for meals, play, relaxation, or entertaining.
Over two-thirds of homeowners use comfortable outdoor spaces at least a few times per week. Partial shade and airflow significantly extend comfortable usage periods, increasing overall hours of use and delivering better value per dollar than unshaded patios or high-maintenance alternatives. (JBREC Outdoor Spaces Survey; Impact of Shade on Outdoor Thermal Comfort, 2016 PMC)
documented property value
Quality outdoor structures return 70–80% of their cost at resale and frequently accelerate sale timelines. A pergola is a permanent architectural improvement — appraisers can photograph it, insurers can document it, buyers can see it on a listing and feel something. It adds value precisely because it looks like it belongs. What you build today is equity tomorrow.
The question was never whether a pergola keeps the rain off. The question is whether you want a structure that manages heat, delivers healing light, extends your outdoor hours, protects your home, adds documented equity, and becomes the place your family actually gathers. On all of those counts, the answer is clear.
The Moment You Genuinely Go Outside
You can drive the same kind of car for years and never question it—until one evening someone hands you the keys to a convertible. Driving it with the top down on a road that deserved it — not in a parking lot, not on a highway — but on a real road, curving through open country, the kind that makes you forget where you were going. The air came in and something in you exhaled that you didn’t know was held.
The roof wasn’t the problem. You never thought about the roof. But the moment it was gone, suddenly you realize… the roof wasn’t just blocking the weather. It was blocking something else.
The ocean is the same. After a lifetime of pools — clean, controlled, lane-marked pools — you wade into open water and something older than memory recognizes it. This is what water truly is, something in you says. This is the real thing.
That same shift happens when you step outside to eat. Nothing on the plate is different but the flavors are tastier. Everything feels more alive—especially when you’re with people you love. The air moves, the conversation lingers, and it is open in a way that a ceiling can’t replicate. The night arrives slowly and nobody moves to go inside.
A pergola — the right one, in the right place — belongs in that list.
Not a structure you admire from inside the house. One you live under. Where the light moves across the beams in a way that changes by the hour. Where a breeze finds you in a space that feels like a room — only the ceiling is the sky and the evening arrives slowly and nobody suggests going inside.
From underneath it, you realize the pergola did exactly what it was supposed to do.
It removed the barrier between you and the moment.
“The man who once told someone not to build a pergola now sits under one every day because his body needs what it gives him. That is not irony. That is the difference between knowing something and living it.”
The story above is why we build. What follows is what we’ve learned about how — the specific, engineered reasons a timber pergola does what no other structure can, and why the skeptic’s objections, however logical, are aimed at the wrong target entirely.
The interesting part is, it’s not always a pergola. It’s the right structure, in the right place, doing the one thing people didn’t realize they needed.
