How Getting Dad a Deck Pergola “Made Something He Loves Even More Special.”
In an interview with PERGOLUX, homeowner Sarah Wagner explains how adding a pergola to her husband’s deck project created the family’s new favorite place.
[Editor’s Note: We gifted Sarah a Sundream pergola in exchange for her honest review and feedback. She was given a personal discount code to share, but does not earn any payment, commission, or affiliate earnings for purchases made using the promo code.]
Sarah Wagner lives on farmland in the Pacific Northwest. Their sprawling yard often gets winds hitting 65 miles per hour. Rains regularly rolls through. Her husband recently built himself the deck he'd always wanted.
He designed it exactly as he’d pictured. But when it was finished, they both had the same nagging thought: something was still missing.
That something, they decided, was a pergola.
“We both found this pergola and fell in love,” says Sarah, a mother of four, who recently installed a new PERGOLUX pergola. “My husband really wanted it, and I just knew that it would fit the space perfectly.”
A dad gift that keeps on giving
“For my husband, he was just so excited to have it and be able to have an extra space. He loves to be outside. This just elevated the deck that he loves and designed. It made something he loves even more special,” says Sarah.
The Wagners’ new deck sat away from the house, in a garden area fully exposed to open sky and sprawling fields.
“We don't always get to enjoy being outside since it rains so much, but literally no rain gets into this pergola. It's been amazing. We have a space we can use all year round,” says Sarah.
While she describes her husband as “not a fan of metal tables,” Sarah says the low maintenance of the aluminum pergola frame and integrated RainLUX drainage system has been a game changer for the space.
“There’s no upkeep. His favorite thing is how it actually keeps everything dry and clean underneath. He's like, ‘We actually have a spot where we can have furniture out all year long,’ which is amazing. We all just hang out there,” says Sarah.
Why they went with PERGOLUX
Sarah and her husband looked at many pergola brands. They landed on PERGOLUX based on quality and durability.
“We chose Pergolux because it could withstand a lot. We live in the farmlands and get Northeastern winds. It gets really windy. Like, there could be 65 mile per hour wind. So we wanted something that can stand up against the wind and rain,” says Sarah.
All PERGOLUX Series 4 pergola models are rated for hurricane-force winds as high as 165 mph on the Pro Max, and engineered for snow loads between 60-75 pounds per square foot depending on configuration.
“We don't get a ton of snow, but when we do, we get huge snow drifts. So we knew this could withstand any type of weather,” says Sarah.
This wasn’t the Wagners’ first pergola rodeo. They have a more traditional pergola attached to their home. In 2020, the couple documented their journey to retrofit the older pergola's roof with plastic panels in an effort to maintain sky views while adding weather protection.
To spare her husband the same work this time, Sarah opted for the PERGOLUX motorized roof. It’s now her favorite feature.
“I love the louvers, and how you can control them with the app or just the remote. It comes in handy and is nicer than the hand crank, which was the only option a lot of the other brands offered,” says Sarah.
The newest motorized PERGOLUX pergola kits come standard with remote, Bluetooth, and Matter-enabled electronics that allow not only one-touch control via remote or app but also the option to integrate the structure into any standard smart home systems for voice or automation control.
A project the family could do together
“We built it together. It was honestly quick and easy for something that's so big and well-made,” says Sarah.
For the Wagners, do-it-yourself home projects are their bread and butter. They’ve been posting their projects online for over a decade. Sarah has amassed over 228,000 followers on Instagram for her DIY home project posts.
The SnapFIT™ by PERGOLUX click-to-fit assembly system, which is designed to allow two adults to assemble a full-size pergola in one day, meant even weather didn’t stop the couple from enjoying a swift DIY install.
“We always plan projects, and we did it in the springtime. So, of course, it decided to be super windy and cold, and rainy. I feel like that always happens. But then it was beautiful after, so we immediately got to enjoy it,” says Sarah.
The kids helped, too. Moving stuff and cleaning up.
SnapFIT™ also eliminates the need to drill holes in the frame for accessories or add-ons, keeping the beams better sealed against water and wind. The Wagners recently placed an order for sliding glass walls they plan to add-on this summer.
When questions came up during assembly, Sarah turned to the PERGOLUX 24/7 customer support.
“I used the online chat, and they were so helpful. They sent me all the details on what we needed,” says Sarah.
A multigenerational space that brings “more people together”
With recent surveys suggesting as many as two-thirds of American homeowners plan to spend more time outdoors, the Wagners’ new pergola is a popular gathering spot for friends and family.
“Just the other day we had maybe 50 kids over and all their families, and we have my parents living on our property, so it's just another place that we can have more people together,” says Sarah.
Nearly 60 million Americans are living in multigenerational households, roughly four times the count from 50 years ago. Sarah says it’s been, “nice to have another space where we can all hang out.”
Her teenagers are also big fans of their new pergola.
“They don't always like to be with everybody,” jokes Sarah. “The kids are excited for movie nights and sleeping over in it.”
Photo Credit: Sarah Wagner, @dreamingofhomemaking
Sarah’s review of PERGOLUX pergolas
“I feel like it’s just a gift that keeps giving. It's something that everybody gets to use and enjoy,” says Sarah.
While she says there’s many reasons she encourages others to consider PERGOLUX, one of the biggest is value.
“People that come over are like, ‘Oh, my gosh, we've been wanting to add a whole building,’ and this is way cheaper than any building. It's a good value for what you're getting,” says Sarah.
The other major quality she encourages others to consider is PERGOLUX’s modular design.
“If you just want to get the pergola first, you can add the glass sliding doors later. You can add on the lights later. You can add a heater. So you can start out small,” Sarah explains.
The Wagners say they had no trouble integrating a modern pergola kit into their traditional farmhouse architecture.
“Even though it is more modern, we have black outbuildings near it, and really love how it looks,” she says. “I feel like you can use it with any style of house.”
The Wagners are already working on plans for an outdoor barbecue area next to their pergola.
“Imagine for Fathers Day, just having a long table and putting out food and hanging out,” says Sarah.
Photo Credit: Sarah Wagner, @dreamingofhomemaking
Sarah plans to share updates on her pergola space as her glass walls and other project phases are completed. You can follow her backyard pergola journey, and the family’s many other home projects and tips, on her Instagram page.