Pergola patios are a great outdoor base. A pergola allows you to create a defined outdoor living space without confining yourself with walls or blocking the view of the sky. The structure provides moderate shade unless the sun is directly overhead, making your pergola a retreat in your own backyard. Because of its open structure, a pergola is the perfect spot to house your barbecue.
Pergolas and Barbecues
Video of the Day
Many people enjoy outdoor cooking under a pergola. If you are placing your barbecue under a pergola, use your common sense to make sure that the smoke and heat have ample room to escape. If your pergola has vines growing on it, position the barbecue as close to the edge of the pergola as possible to prevent smoke from accumulating in the leaves or even possibly heating them up and becoming a fire hazard.
Video of the Day
Don't set your barbecue against any of the beams of the pergola as they may become brittle or warp from the heat of the grill. The best place for the barbecue is midway between posts at an outer edge of the structure. Trim vines and branches away from the barbecue. Gas grills are safer than charcoal briskets that may have ashes escape the barbecue and possible set fire to any vines. Remember that anytime you have a fire going in the grill, it should always have someone manning it with a water hose or fire extinguisher handy in the event of an emergency.