A designer couple’s experience with a Toja Grid Pergola and Hammock

My wife and I are owners of a lake front Airbnb, and we also own and operate a design company; Liberty Interior Design. I am an experienced woodworker, and my wife is a successful designer. Both my wife and I also have 20 plus years of corporate experience in Sales & Marketing and Finance. Our background has served us well in running a small design company and now operating an Airbnb.   So when we were presented with the opportunity to partner with a Canadian company Toja Grid and construct a structure on our property we enthusiastically accepted.

Our Airbnb property named “Water’s Edge by Liberty” is located in southern Ontario just southwest of Blenheim on the shores of Lake Erie.  It’s a large piece of property that offers amazing views of the lake from a raised vantage point. The property is ripe with lush green plants and pops of colourful flowers. It’s not uncommon to spot everything from deer, to rabbits, to ground hogs and of course countless species of birds. The lake offers amazing views, and the sound of the waves is so relaxing. We were very excited to add a modern structure to the property to offer an additional lounge spot for our guests to kick back and enjoy the space.

We did our research on the various Toja Grid options available. We talked about a structure around one of our firepits or perhaps a spot to create a picnic area but what we landed on was a hammock. Specifically, we opted for the 8’ x 8’ x 8’ Toja Grid Pergola made with 4” x 4” pressure treated lumber.  The structure included the hammock which basically fills the entire 8’ x 8’ area. We also opted for one privacy wall and shade ceiling. We felt that combination would offer the most tranquil set up for our guests. It would give a little privacy from our neighbour’s property and would offer some shade from the sun but would still allow the cool lake breeze to cascade through. We also elected to construct a 9’ by 9’ pressure treated deck to serve as the foundation for our pergola. The deck was definitely a nice touch but was also much more work than the pergola. So much like the editing of an HGTV show, one day we had stakes in the ground and by the next commercial break we had a deck. For this update we’ll focus on the pergola.

Toja Grid was so awesome to work with, once we made our selection, we had a couple calls to go over accountabilities and discuss support available. Within a few days the product started to arrive. The Toja Grid kits included the 8 black corner brackets and hardware, it included the wall & ceiling panel, and it included the hammock with hardware. A total of 4 boxes arrived. We were responsible for sourcing the 12 wooden posts so a trip to our local home building store was in order.

As for the actual assembly of the pergola it was very straight forward. Admittedly I have built houses before so I wouldn’t call myself a beginner, but I can say a beginner would be able to assemble this product. I did have 2 helpers with less experience than me. My helpers were doing double duty as they were also tasked with documenting the process.  One challenge we did run into was mother nature. We opted to assemble our pergola on a day the temperature came close to 95 degrees out with crazy humidity and virtually no breeze, so we were a little sweaty and took a few extra breaks. We watched the instructional videos from the website and followed the paper instructions which were very useful. I am sometimes guilty of going rogue and wigging my way through assembly, but I think its important to follow the steps because there may be various ways to assemble but the instructions share the most efficient. We laid out all the pieces and worked our way through the steps.  The metal brackets are so sleek and well built. You can really feel the quality when you are putting this product together. One tip I would offer is to be selective of the 4” x 4”’s you choose. All my lumber was straight, but I can imagine a crooked post would be a challenge. One other tip I might offer was to lightly sand the ends of the posts. Most pressure treated lumber comes with a little bit of a tacky surface. So, between the humidity and the tacky surface I found the posts slid in much better after I sanded them slightly. The wall and ceiling panel were very straight forward to attach. The brackets provided were much stronger than some products I have used before. The actual mesh material for the walls and ceiling was solid as well. Once the wall and ceiling were up I was able to tighten and neatly tuck away for a clean sleek look.

The hammock assembly was also very straight forward and strong. The stainless-steel hardware was easy and strong when tightened. The material for the hammock was unique. Its strong and feels cool to lay on. Unlike some hammocks this product seems comfortable to get in and out of. There shouldn’t be any bloopers falling out of this hammock.

With the pergola sitting neatly and level on our deck my final step was to anchor the unit down. Once anchored down the already rigid structure was even stronger and should hold up well if we do get any storms off the lake. It would also be easy enough to move if we ever wanted to relocate it.

The video and marketing material suggest it should take about an hour to assemble but with the weather and my helpers wearing multiple hats it took us about 2 hours. I think if I had a chance to put together another one, I could get it done in an hour.

So far, we have received nothing but positive feedback on the structure. It looks amazing and everyone that has tested the hammock has been thoroughly impressed.

Overall, the partnership with Toja Grid was awesome, we will be recommending and promoting this product to our friends and design customers. If you are interested in trying out the Toja Grid system we have a special promotional offer just for your!! Get your very own Toja Grid!

Interested in seeing more about the build process? See our Instagram.

If love this spot and want to learn more about our new beach resort and book with Water's Edge by Liberty we highly recommend you check it out!

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