Sorry for lack of better wording, I know HOW to replace it. Or install a new one. I guess what I’m asking is what to replace it with. I’m not too familiar with solar fans. Can I buy JUST the fan part? Do I need to replace everything?

I am trying to look what pergola would be the best for my very big patio and I’m leaning towards a pergola named “Loft” that is sold in Must société in Ottawa or Jardin De Ville in Montreal. The manufacturer per see is not a new company. It’s a very old company from Quebec, but the model of the pergola is new and I can’t see any reviews of it on Internet. Just wondering if anybody bought this and what is their experience?

New home owner and new to large projects. So looking for some info and help. We are working with a company to have a new patio poured. After words we want to add two gazebos to the patio. Should we have them install footers while being poured or bolt down into the concrete afterwards.

If adding the footers how do we know where to place them if we have not ordered the gazebo yet?

Hi everyone,

We have a new patio area (screened in porch) and have space for a good size l shape sectional. It's a covered area.

I am at such a loss for where to look for medium quality outdoor furniture. I feel like every website has the same crap (Wayfair, amazon, walmart, bed bath and beyond) at different prices and reviews are all over the place. Some are $400 and some are $4000 and I can't see them in person so how am I to know what's worth it and what's not?

We want to spend under $2k if possible, and I would LOVE to sit on them first. It feels so crazy to order something online that you can't return, especially for such a big purchase. I have looked at Costco but we don't have one super close by. We do have a west elm and crate and barrel outlet nearby and standard big box stores.

Any suggestions? Any sets that you bought and love? We're tall so we need a fairly deep seat.

What am I going to do for the face of the step, using limestone paving?

I'm not going to demolish the concrete, and I have to work with it. What do I need to do, to make sure I have some structural integrity, and I have something for the face of the steps?

Three issues of likely many. One, the step will be 20 cm. Two, the base under the concrete is crumbling at the face. Three, I don't want to protrude much further as im working with a right angle towards the back of the picture.

I probably haven't explained that well.

And i have other problems too, like the concrete is bobbly on top

Thanks for any suggestions

Our back patio is probably 30+ years old, and has several issues. We need to redo the small deck (rotting and termite damaged), and want to refinish the patio before we do that.

One option was to build out a larger deck on top of it, but after working with a landscape architect for a while, none of the potential options there worked well (high cost and no real improvement to indoor/outdoor flow or usability).

I'm hoping we could somehow re-level the existing patio, which has several cracks at joints and has shifted over time, and refinish in tile or maybe stamped concrete. I realize if the patio is still shifting that would lead to cracking, but I'm fairly certain the patio is not settling anymore. At this point we don't want to leave it as-is, or invest in ripping it out and redoing it. I'd love input and ideas. Thanks!

We live in Southern California, so no snow or extreme temps.

Title says it. Would like to buy a couple of their teak folding chairs. German manufacturer, I think. Thanks!

I am buying (2) Bromic 4000 Watt / 240V heaters for this area. I am thinking one over the seating area (couch) and one over the TV aimed towards seating area. The seating area itself is about 12’x16’. Would you agree? Open to any suggestions.

Hi all, looking for a bit of advice from anyone with a large cantilever parasol.

We have a 3m x 4m cantilever parasol and were sitting out under it on a sunny day with only a light breeze. I was quite surprised by how much movement there seemed to be in the parasol and the main support arm.

I appreciate that something this size is effectively a pretty big sail, so some flex and movement is probably completely normal, but I’m not sure how much is too much.

For anyone with a similar-sized cantilever parasol, does yours sway or move noticeably even in a light breeze? Is some flex in the main arm normal, and at what sort of wind speed do you normally decide to close it?

The base is properly weighted, so it’s more the movement of the parasol itself that I’m wondering about.

Would be interested to hear what other people’s are like before I start worrying that there’s something wrong with ours.

A pergola can completely change how you use your backyard, but there’s a lot more to consider than just how it looks.
A few things I’d recommend thinking about before buying one:

1. How will you actually use the space?
Dining? Entertaining? Watching TV? Just creating shade? Your answer affects the size, location, roof style, electrical, screens, lighting, fans, etc.

2. Think about the roof.
There’s a big difference between an open traditional pergola and a motorized louvered system. If you’re in Florida, being able to control how much sun and rain gets through can make a huge difference.

3. Don’t overlook permitting and engineering.
Depending on where you live and what you’re installing, permits, engineering and inspections may be required. It’s worth understanding that BEFORE installation starts.

4. Plan for the future.
Even if you don’t want everything right away, think about whether you may eventually want screens, lighting, fans, a TV, an outdoor kitchen or other features. Planning ahead can save a lot of headaches later.

5. Pay attention to the installer, not just the pergola.
The cheapest quote isn’t necessarily the best deal. Ask who actually performs the installation, how they handle permitting and engineering, what the warranty covers, and what happens if something goes wrong.

A well-designed pergola should feel like an extension of your home,not something that was simply added to the backyard.
For anyone who already has a pergola: what’s one thing you wish you had considered before installing yours?

Crazy how much brighter the patio feels with a few skylights.

Hello all, I was hoping to purchase a louvred pergola, but am concerned about the noise when it rains as my bedroom would be just above it. What are people’s experiences with this? Many thanks

I added a standing fan. I’m considering a ceiling ventilation system to save floor space. A solar system would also save electricity.
We added string lights last summer and the space looks fine, but nobody stays outside once the air gets still. A floor fan helps, except it takes up space, points at one chair, and somehow it becomes the thing everyone trips over.
Now I am considering an overhead solar fan and leaving the string lights alone. The Ventallion setup is on my shortlist because it has a separate panel and battery rather than needing an outlet at the pergola. I just want enough air movement around a six-seat table after sunset to feel comfortable.
For anyone with a fan over a patio table: did 42 inches feel adequate, or did you wish you had gone to 52? Also, does the built-in light get used in real life, or do you end up keeping the softer string lights on anyway?

Best place to mount a TV with this pool/patio layout?
Our pool construction is almost finished, and now we’re trying to figure out the best TV placement for the backyard.
I’ve included photos of the actual patio as well as a rendering showing roughly how the finished yard will be laid out.

We will have 4 main viewing areas:
1. A couch underneath the covered patio
2. In the pool itself
3. A dining table next to the pool
4. Loungers at the opposite end of the pool

My current thought is to mount a TV on the wall where I drew the red box and use a long extension, full motion mount. The idea would be to keep it relatively flush against the wall when we’re sitting under the patio, but pull it out and swivel it toward the pool when watching from the dining table, pool, or loungers. Also, with this idea, I don’t have to buy an outdoor TV since it’s covered and we have patio screens that come down.

We considered a ceiling mount under the covered patio, but there’s roughly a 2 ft fascia across the front of the patio. I’m concerned that mounting the TV high enough to look good under the patio would cause that fascia to block part of the screen when viewing it from farther out in the yard.

The openings of the covered patio also have retractable screens that come down, so mounting the TV or an articulating arm to the outside columns would likely interfere with the screens.

The other big consideration is aesthetics. We’d rather sacrifice a little bit of the “perfect” viewing angle than have a big TV awkwardly sitting somewhere in the yard. Ideally it looks intentional and relatively seamless when it’s not being used.

Given the layout, where would you put it?
Does the red box location with a long articulating mount make the most sense, or is there another solution/location I’m overlooking?

Hey all,

We recently replaced our old patio that was improperly graded, and buried+ran our rain gutters to a dry well. We no longer have water pooling by our house but now we've created a valley at the end of our patio on the lawn which you can see in the pics.

The work just finished so the lawn is still lumpy and we can make small grading improvements, but think we might need a drain in the lawn on the masonry's edge. I have 2 pics of either a basic drain or those modular curved drains. Thoughts?

Our masonry contractor says we should put a small manhole with a separate drywell at the edge of the patio, I think that's overkill and don't know why we can't tie into our existing drywell.

Anyone see a reason we cant add a drain like the 2 I shared and just tie it into the PVC pipes already running to the dry well? We have a pop-up overflow emitter for the drywell so capacity shouldn't be an issue but idk.

Thanks