Has anyone made a patio cover using empty plastic bottles?

Lee Ann Yeager
by Lee Ann Yeager
We're wanting to make a patio to extend from our back door to the end of the house so that we may enjoy sitting out during the days and evening. I want to install a pergola from just below the eave of the roof. I thought of using 1 or 2 liter empty soda bottles to string between each timber to make as a cover to use to filter in the sunlight.. Was thinking of using clear and green bottles to work in a stripe pattern. Has anyone seen this or done this themselves? Thanks in advance for your comments.
  4 answers
  • Robyn L Robyn L on Apr 24, 2014
    This might be just what you are looking for: http://themetapicture.com/cool-sculpture-using-1581-soda-bottles/
  • Debbie Stanley Debbie Stanley on Apr 25, 2014
    I can't help but am excited to see what you come up with! Could use the same thing on my patio.
  • Trey LaParque Trey LaParque on Apr 29, 2014
    Thats a good idea!!! Ive gotta porch/patio project coming quicker than i want. Still rolling ideas around but I like this, it stays in the recycle-upcycle process ive been using all throughout the many other remodel projects! Hmm... well sorry im no help either, but lemme roll this around a bit, if I come up w/ any executions i'll report back.... :)
  • Valerie Valerie on Apr 30, 2014
    I really like this idea and have been thinking about how I would go about it if I were to make it. Although Robyn L's photograph is gorgeous, I would probably keep the bottles on their sides. Depending on how far apart your supports are, I would use rebar (threaded rods available from hardware shops) to hold the bottles in place. I would then make myself a box out of fairly heavy duty cardboard to a size which would accommodate a bottle. I would drill holes through the cardboard, the first one at about a third from the bottom, and the second one another third up. The hole should go straight through the cardboard box. (i.e. two opposite sides) Once the cardboard box has been sorted out, it would then simply be a matter of dropping each bottle into the box, and, using a soldering iron, poke a hole through the (predrilled) hole in the box into the bottle to accommodate the size of the rebar. In this way you would ensure that all the holes are made in the same position in each bottle, and the initial time spent on sorting out the box will be worth it in the long run. Also, keep a small piece of rebar with you as you work, so that you can immediately check to see if your hole is large enough. I would then drill a hole in the pergola cross-beams, so as to accommodate the rebar. Once you have put the rebar, which would have the bottles threaded across them, into position, you could then simply put a washer and a nut onto the rebar at both ends in order to secure it. An additional thing you might consider is to put heavy duty plastic over the entire structure. You could probably get some from a company which makes outdoor plastic blinds, or alternatively you could use clear oil cloth, stapled to the cross-beams, or nailed to them using nails with large heads. Just make sure that your cross-beams are constructed at an angle, or rain would be a problem. I am looking forward to seeing what you come up with - please post a photograph when it is complete. My final comment - do a small piece first, to see if you get the results you want, before going ahead with the entire project.