Awe Douglas-Fir Pergola, Planters, Deck & Suspension Table

When people are looking for a natural wood finish in a pergola, pavilion gazebo or arbor, very often, they will choose a solid Cedar wood, usually Red Cedar. Although different in its appearance and characteristics, Douglas Fir is also a stunningly beautiful wood as you can see here in this ShadeScape™ 6000 Series timber frame DIY pergola kit.

Dimensionally stable Douglas Fir is recognized for its superior strength to weight ratio and offers peace of mind in its ability to season well. It is also well documented that Douglas Fir has maintained a superior performance in its ability to perform against the natural forces of heavy mountainous snow, winds and earthquakes which is why it is an architectural engineer’s first choice for expansive ceiling beams, trusses, collar ties, wall-tie trusses, girders and more.

Douglas Fir accepts protective stains well ensuring longevity of the finish. Douglas Fir has a tighter closer grain which makes it much less likely that the knots will ever loosen or to fall out as in other species.

I could go on and on about the remarkableness and amazing characteristics of the Douglas Fir and it truly is but Douglas Fir is also pleasingly appealing. Even from this simple phone photo, sent to me by Design Manager Brian, you can witness for yourself. As knotty as Cedar wood is, and I love Cedar, I personally, would still choose Douglas Fir for its beauty, strength, stability and proven durability! It is not just beautiful on the outside. Its inside characteristics surpasses any other species for sound responsible architecture. With the abundance and availability of Douglas Fir you get unrivaled quality at a lower price that looks great! This is a wonderful heirloom architectural masterpiece.

The solid wood planters, deck and ShadeScape™ 6000 Series pergola is so incredibly warm, tied together they create a very welcoming ambience. I really like the height of overhead clearance on this pergola. From the solid wood deck to the bottom of the lowest beam is eight foot six inches. Standing on the deck beneath and looking up to the roof of the pergola gives an awe, almost cathedral-like feel. From the deck to the roof is ten feet six inches.

All Western Timber Frame™ timbers are pre-cut true to size. When I was a kid, it baffled my mind, I never understood why a two by four was not two inches by four inches. So, it is kind of fun to find that at Western Timber Frame™ when they said it was two inches they mean they are actually two inches wide. The shade planks are two inches by four inches with a roof size of fourteen feet by fourteen feet. The foot size, measured post to post is twelve feet by twelve feet. The rafters are 2 x 8 and the beams are 3 x 10, both with Champion style end profiles and Classic style knee braces and finished in a custom stain.

Beautifully done, thanks for the pictures, Brian!

Stylish summer table setting with oil lamp and table mat. The suspension table gives a bit of an illusion-like, mystic feel. It is so heavy and stable and yet free to move at the same time. When a glass full of beverage is placed on it, it will not just spill over. Suspension tables were used predominately in old maritime ships as they would ride with the waves and amazingly the vittles and drinks were able to remain steady for eating. Weight does play a part in it, and this suspension table is HEAVY, heavy-duty heavy. It takes the strength of these Douglas Fir timbers in harmony with Western Timber Frame™ patent pending design The Dovetail Difference™ to carry the weight so gracefully.

ShadeScape™ 6000 Series pergola kit installed for shade over backyard solid wood deck with suspension table and outdoor dining chairs.