A Split-level Pergola

There's a curious berm in the side yard--I've always wondered about it. Compared with most of Florida this berm is more like a hill, a fledgling mountain that rises nearly three feet above a depression in the yard. Very odd. Why would this be? Possibly something is buried there? (This is Florida, after all.)

The little hill and valley is, coincidentally, the exact right spot for the new pergola. No other place in the side yard makes sense because this offers this best view from the back porch. It is meant to be. One option is to flatten everything out--chop off the hill and fill in the valley. But this means digging, and who knows what I might dig up? So I've decided to preserve the natural slope of the earth (not that I'm scared) and build a split-level pergola.

In between vacations and rainstorms, I've been able to set the concrete post anchors and a foundation for the pergola. These hexagonal pavers were used in the old walkway. Ugly. I'll cover them with flagstones when the pergola is done, and I'll make a flagstone walkway to the patio.


In any case, the pavers cover the top of the hill. Nothing is getting out of there now.

More rain today. I intended to cut out the rafter curves, but my plan to use a router did not work. Now everything is soaking wet. So I quit.


More about my failures later...