See how we turned a small Santa Barbara patio into a resort-like outdoor retreat! My client had always dreamed of creating a Spanish pergola or two—covered outdoor rooms and shaded spaces where they could actually live, not just pass through.
The challenge? We needed to expand the existing terrace AND design pergola structures that wouldn’t compromise the home’s architecture.
With freestanding redwood arbors, a custom sandstone retaining wall, and some clever shade solutions, this Santa Barbara foothills project became everything my client hoped for. Scroll to learn more…
AFTER Photos: Two newly constructed pergola shade structures were built with rough sawn redwood. A new Santa Barbara sandstone retaining wall was built to expand the existing patio and view terrace.
When designing your own Spanish patio, there will be decisions you make that affect other aspects of the project.
Pro Designer Tips For a Spanish Pergola
My first designer tip: Consider designing and building your Spanish shade structure as a self-standing unit.
Attaching the pergola to the house would require opening up the stucco. This would add to the cost, and a potential risk of waterproofing issues.
On this project you can see the heavy support posts were installed away from the house.
Many Santa Barbara view homes face South (toward the Pacific). With an idyllic Mediterranean climate and 300 days of sunshine— A need for shade at outdoor spaces is a common design request.
From the living room, here is the view through a large set of iron and glass accordion doors. They fold open for easy access to the newly constructed poolside shade structure.
ABOVE: A close-up of the synthetic “wattle” style woven panels secured to the top of the arbor. The client purchased them in France. The wisteria vines on this redwood pergola structure did not provide enough shade. These woven panels were the solution to the problem.
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Spanish Pergola Design by Jeff Doubet
Here is another simple landscape design I sketched for a Spanish pergola, to be built just outside the master bedroom and bath.
The ideas within it include:
1) A shade arbor that would be built taller than the roof eaves. 2) a design for sandstone landings at the patio doors. Furniture, pots + Spanish decor add details to the backyard space. 3) An outdoor shower.
AFTER Photo: This is how the Spanish-style pergola and expanded terrace patio turned out. I wanted to show you this now, so the following construction photos will make more sense.
Design Tips for Building a High-Quality Spanish Pergola
When designing your own Spanish landscape design, consider a high quality garden structure (pergola, covered patio, grapevine trellis, grape arbor, etc.). There are many ways to simplify the custom fabrication of them.
My rough concept sketch was given to the project engineer, and she developed a full set of construction plans for the arbor.
The scaled CAD drawings for the individual components were then shared with Hayward Lumber in Goleta, CA.
Hayward Lumber (Goleta, CA branch) worked with a Northern California mill to pre-cut the large components for our Spanish-style pergola parts (as seen above).
If you are local in the Santa Barbara area, check out Hayward Lumber at 79 Federic Lopez Road, Goleta, CA 93117. Phone is 805-964-7711
Construction Photos: Building a Spanish-style Patio With Pergola
Here are some early construction photos of how we expanded a limited space to create a Spanish style patio and view terrace. Also, developing a foundation for the shade pergola.
BEFORE Photo: The contractor crew measures and calculates the locations of the support posts while simultaneously digging trenches for the structural footings for the pergola.
Pro Designer Tip: The structural engineer designed a box cage style foundation for this pergola. If you do not want to see a lot of obtrusive cross bracing supports in your own custom built pergola design, consider this type of foundation.
The construction method for this type of pergola foundation entails burying cross connected footings below ground. As you can see above, the cement footings run the full length of the trellis. They also structurally connect in between each of the support posts, front to back.
Construction Details: Building a Spanish Patio and Pergola
Once these substantial cement footings were poured, the contractor team came back and began squaring up the exact locations of the heavy posts. This construction method is different from pouring individual pad footings for each arbor post.
When the wood trellis is completed, it becomes an interlocking “cage” structure. All info on this page is for reference only. Each project is different and requires an architect and structural engineer to specify the specific needs for your project parameters.
AFTER Photo: The completed project. Here you can see how the grid style foundation is hidden below the decomposed granite patio surface.
See another Jeff Doubet design for a Spanish-style pergola. This was another concept design given to a structural engineer to develop technical plans. It included individual pad footings for the heavy posts, and wood knee brace supports for the trellis.
Design Tips for Building Spanish-style Terraces in Santa Barbara, CA.
We improved this Spanish landscape design by expanding the patio terrace.
Once the pergola size and footprint were determined, the construction of a sandstone retaining wall was planned and then built.
AFTER Photo: This is how the completed project looks as viewed from an on-site trail, and up through an olive grove to the master suite terrace.
ABOVE: I captured this shot on a trip to the countryside of Mallorca, Spain. The hand stacked rock walls and the old olive trees reminds me of how rural Santa Barbara feels (and our Spanish landscape design project, featured in this post).
Design Tips for Building Spanish-style Terraces in Santa Barbara, CA.
There are many ways to develop a Spanish-style terrace in Santa Barbara. White stucco walls are a classic way to guarantee success. But stone is a very nice material, as well.
Pro Designer Tip: Local Santa Barbara sandstone is a versatile natural material you can use to build out a Spanish garden landscape. ABOVE: The completed stone garden wall compliments the decomposed granite used as the patio surface finish.
BEFORE Photo: Once a deep trench was dug and a concrete foundation was poured for the retaining wall, local stone masons got to work. Building this rustic retaining wall was accomplished using local sandstone, rebar and cement to hold it all together.
AFTER Photo: A close up of the sandstone garden wall. Although it has the appearance of a “dry stacked” wall, it is in fact cement mortared together (as shown in the photo above).
A teak lounge chair is positioned on the view terrace, and overlooks the olive trees and the ocean beyond.
More Design Tips for Spanish landscape designs in Santa Barbara
This hillside is planted out in Honeysuckle, which thrives in the direct sun. It is a perfect compliment to the overall Spanish landscape design, and the newly completed view terrace.
The covered patio was furnished with teak, and large terra cotta pots are planted with lavender. Large wisteria vines were planted at each end of the pergola.
Spanish Style Shade Panels
A close up of the Spanish design detailing of the heavy timber, as well as the wisteria vines growing up toward the woven shade panels.
The woven shade panels cast soft shadows on the outdoor living space. The teak chairs, ottoman and table arraignment add to the ambiance and peaceful place to enjoy sunrises and sunsets.
The newly built rustic sandstone garden wall, decomposed granite ground cover and teak furniture all add to a resort-like experience within this Spanish landscape design.
A hand chiseled set of sandstone steps lead up to the newly created space.
The classic Spanish color on the home and the stain color on the arbor blend right in to this rural Santa Barbara setting.
I really knew our team did a great job when the resident dog couldn’t wipe the smile off his face.