I forgot to mention that the plants/vines will serve to provide shade. So please note that the plants will be receiving full sun.

Maybe a good climbing rose like Awakening or New Dawn, that doesn't need to be sprayed, repeats well, and has a pleasant fragrance? You can grow Clematis through the rose to extend the blooming season or complement the blooms on the rose. John Howell has a book on the subject that you might find useful.

As for planting, you should definitely wait until the project is done. Spring is a great time to plant, and it will give you time to research all your options.

Suja

How about Passiflora "Incense?" It's hardy here in Zone 7, you can cut the vines down each year and it still blooms in the summer (guess it blooms on "new wood"), and the flowers are fragrant and beautiful. The only thing you need to worry about is the fact that passifloras send up suckers all over the place - so you might want to sink a barrier of some kind around the plants when you put them in the ground.

I have had one die once, though - it was heaved out of the ground during a spring thaw & freeze cycle.

My first "Incense" came from Logee's Greenhouses; the one I'm growing now is from Brushwood Nursery.

Here is a link that might be useful: Passiflora