It all started with a…

Sail. As in a sail, that are sold to provide shade to a patio or deck.

We enjoy being outdoor on our deck as much as possible and with a great view of the mountains who wouldn’t.

Well, anyone who didn’t want to have bright sunshine or extreme heat beating down on them.

Due to the extreme sun, heat, and rain we’ve had to move many dinner parties indoors.

I could barely prep since the sun was so hot beating down. I always had to go back into the kitchen to finish. Bummer.

The bottom photo is from last June when I had friends over for a potluck dinner. We had to eat inside because of the heat and sun.

We were able to have dessert outside after the sun dipped down behind the trees.

We both love our outdoor kitchen area and would use it more if only we had a little protection from the elements.

That’s when I had the great idea to order a sailcloth.

We tried different sizes and styles but at the end of the day, either rain would drip through or rain water would pool in the shade.

We tried everything and conceded that was a failure. Oh well, it was worth a good shot.

Even though the sail cloth idea failed, when it did work we realized how great it was have something over us especially in the hot sun.

Remember, I love being in the sun but not when I am trying to eat or cook after a long day.

Then it happened. Marty found a “used” pergola on Facebook marketplace that was used in flower shows.

It was in our price range and the owner, carpenter, mill shop owner who made it agreed to install it for us at a fair price.

The pergola began going up the beginning of October. The pergola install went quickly.

We decided we wanted to cover the pergola after watching a lot of YouTube videos.

Sometimes the covers are as expensive as pergolas themselves. Marty contacted many dealers, suppliers etc searching for something in our price range.

Pergolas can cost up to $25,000 up to hundreds of thousands of dollars. We paid a tiny fraction of that.

Like I said the coverings can cost almost as much. We ended up getting the best deal Marty could possibly find.

We just had to wait for it to be delivered. It took some time to arrive then we needed to wait for the pergola guy to install it for us.

We normally do everything ourselves but Marty isn’t good with heights so that was out.

The pergola was completed in mid-November just in time for winter.

In the meantime, we needed to figure out the new kitchen design that would be best for the very rustic pergola.

Again, we watched shitloads of youtube videos for ideas. We searched the internet for ideas and products.

The results were that everything was way too expensive. So we designed our own and Marty built it like everything else we have.

He got the rough cut lumber from the pergola guy’s mill. The “cabinetry” came out exactly as we imagined it.

Next, we needed to think about lighting for the space which is 16×16.

Marty miraculously found a pair of huge industrial pendant lights in Facebook marketplace for a song and a dance.

We still needed lighting for over the dining table. I wanted a modern wagon wheel light but all the ones we found in our price range looked cheap.

Marty found a legit old school wagon wheel chandelier that looked like it came from an old seafood restaurant.

It was cheap and had character so it became the next Facebook marketplace purchase.

Countertops were next. Since we designed our workstation wider in depth than regular sized cabinets making it impossible to find anything that was big enough.

Custom wasn’t even an option. We almost used wood but then we went to a local rock and masonry business.

We found exactly what we needed and made it work. It was a super inexpensive investment thanks to the owner.

We ended up with pieces of marble that follow the same rough cut design as the rest of the kitchen pergola design.

Yay! We were done! But it was winter so we really couldn’t use it except for making pizza and grilling.

We found out it was great not having to shovel the deck and that Nelly and Roxy’s doggie door was covered as well.

This was something we didn’t realize would be such a wintertime bonus.

So far we’ve had a few lunches and a dinner on the deck covered pergola. It doesn’t even feel like it’s the same place.

The view from my cozy back room. 🤩

It’s rustic, cozy, and inviting. The tinted polycarbonate roof lets in light but filters out the heat and brightness which was how it all started.

With a sail.