A slower kind of
afternoon.
Grove & Bough designs and builds heirloom pergola swings — cedar posts, hand-fit seats, and rope you can trust. One swing, one crew, one long summer of quiet.
Four swings. All heirloom.
The Classic Bench
Two-person cedar bench swing on a freestanding pergola. The one every porch remembers.
The Swing Bed
A queen-size floating daybed with bolsters and linen cushions. Naps included.
The Arbor Canopy
Curved white oak pergola with an integrated swing and climbing-vine trellis.
Where our swings live now.
Backyard Bench
Crystal Lake, IL
Deckside A-Frame
Barrington, IL
Lakefront Landing
Lake Geneva, WIRough-sawn cedar. Marine rope. Blackened steel.
Every swing is built from the same short list of honest materials. No pressure-treated lumber, no zinc-plated hardware, no shortcuts that show up in year three.
Western red cedar
Rot-resistant, ages to a soft silver. Rough-sawn on two faces for texture, planed where hands land.
White oak
For structural beams and swing beds. Dense, straight-grained, and holds a rope-hung load for decades.
Marine-grade rope
1-inch three-strand manila or synthetic — whichever fits the site. Whipped ends, spliced eyes.
Blackened steel brackets
Powder-coated timber ties at every joint. Not decorative — they're what keeps a swing dead-level in year twenty.
What owners say, six months in.
We check back after a summer of use. These are the notes that came back with the first round of photos.
Our swing bed is the best thing we've done to our yard. The cedar smells like a forest, the swing sits dead-level, and we haven't eaten dinner indoors since May.
Elias walked the yard for an hour before he sketched a thing. The finished pergola landed exactly where he'd pointed. Not a single revision after install.
The bracket work alone is worth the price. We've had it through one Chicago winter and two summer storms — the swing still hangs like it was set yesterday.
We wanted something that fit an odd corner of the deck. They mocked up two sketches and built the one we picked in six weeks. The kids call it the reading fort.
The install crew respected the yard — plywood over the grass, drop cloths on the patio. When they left, the only thing different was a beautiful swing.
I've bought a lot of "heirloom" things that weren't. This one actually is. My kids will fight over it someday.
Four unhurried steps from photo to first sit.
We take one project at a time, on purpose. From your first note to the first afternoon in the swing runs about eight to twelve weeks.
- 01
Send a photo
A wide shot of the yard and a rough size. We reply within a day with a sketch or the right questions.
- 02
Fixed proposal
One page, plain language. Wood, hardware, dimensions, price, and the install date — signed together.
- 03
Shop build
Six to ten weeks on our benches in Lakemoor. We send photos as it comes together.
- 04
Install day
One or two days on site. We oil the wood, test the hang with 300 lb of weight, and hand you the ropes.
Ready for the porch you've been picturing?
Send us a photo of the spot, a rough size, and a favorite wood. We'll come back with a sketch and a fixed price within a week.