How to Build a Pergola
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Wanting to find out how to build a pergola? Here’s how to do it yourself
Pergolas that adorn patios and gardens always attract attention and elicit praise. Intertwined with creeping plants such as jasmine and fragrant wisteria, colorful bougainvillea and honeysuckle, shady paths of pergolas and patios, acting as a kind of the second garden above the headboard. Classic pergolas often stretch for miles, shading trails for horseback riding or hiking. Most residential patios do not have enough space for long pergolas. When adapted to the realities of today's patios, a pergola can be any partially covered open external structure that is longer than it is wide. Simple to build, this basic garden pergola measures approximately 2.5 meters wide by 5.5 meters long and requires only inexpensive materials and minimal carpentry skills.
Permits, Zoning, and Utilities
Your pergola may require a building permit if it falls within a certain size or frame type criteria for patio structures. Normally, external structures also cannot be built within a certain distance from the property boundaries. Consult your local licensing office for guidance. Call local utility companies to visit and mark the location of buried services.
Find the Perfect Decor for Your Patio and Garden!
What You'll Need
Equipment / Tools
- Tape measure
- Speed square
- Circular saw
- Cordless drill
- Step ladder
- Laser level
- Electric miter saw
- Jigsaw
- Bubble level
- Framing hammer
- Shovel
- Carpenter's pencil
- Chalk snap line or twine
- Posthole digger
- Drill bits
- Clutch style bar clamps or trigger clamps
Materials
- 6 10-foot long pieces of 4-by-4 boards
- 8 8-foot long pieces of 2-by-8 boards
- 9 8-foot long pieces of 2-by-6 boards
- 18 8-foot long pieces of 1-by-3 boards
- Bagged crushed gravel
- 12 bags ready-mix concrete
- 3-inch galvanized screws
- 1 1/2-inch galvanized screws
- 1 inch galvanized screws
- Wood stakes
- 10 Stainless steel hurricane ties
Instructions
Pergola Building Options
Lumber Alternatives
Buying pressure-treated lumber helps your pergola last longer and reduces maintenance. Ground contact pressure treated wood is the cheapest type but has injection points where chemicals have been forced into the wood. You may want to spend a bit more on quality-looking pressure-treated wood, which has no visible injection points. Cedarwood, about twice as expensive as floor contact plates, is the preferred exterior building material for fences and gates. If left untreated, it will undergo an attractive change to a silver-gray color.
Paving under the pergola
Lay stone or concrete flooring under the pergola and around the posts. For a smooth look, position 1 plate frames 1 on 4 at 45 degrees and nail around the base of each column as a finish.
Change the dimensions of the pergola
This pergola takes full advantage of the 2.5 meter long planks, resulting in very little wood waste. However, you can change the proportions of the pergola as you wish. For example, you can create a long, narrow walkway pergola by cutting the top plates 2 by 6 in half, thereby reducing the width of the pergola in half. Add more 2-by-8 beams, vertical posts, and 1-by-3 boards to add the length you want.
1. Mark the Dig Points for the Posts
On a flat, level section of the ground, establish a six-point rectangular pattern where you will mount the vertical posts. With the frame hammer and wooden dowels, mark three points in a straight line, each 7 feet apart. Now, from 7 feet away, mark another three points, in the same way, parallel to the first line. Use a chalk line or wire to make sure each set of three points is straight.
2. Set The Posts
With the pole digger, dig 3 feet below or below the frost line in your area, at each of the six set points. Spread a layer of crushed gravel about 10 centimeters thick at the bottom of each hole. Place a post in each hole, first piercing the gravel with the post.
Now you will add the concrete. Hold a post so that it is upright and then pour dry ready-mixed concrete around the post. Fill the hole with water. Nail two pieces of wood per post in a tripod shape to support the post while the concrete cures.
3. Level posts
Although your posts may end up being the same height, they are expected to vary by an inch or two. Using the laser level or a chalk break line and spirit level, set a uniform height for all posts. Use the lowest post as the measurement to which the other five should fit. With the circular saw, cut any of these five columns as needed.
4. Shaping the top rafters
Mark with a quick square and cut one end of each of the 2-by-8 plates in any decorative shape. The easiest way to do this is to make a 45 degree straight cut with the miter saw. For a more elegant look, cut the end into a quarter circle with a jigsaw. Cut only one end. The other end of each plate should maintain its factory 90-degree edge.
5. Assemble the upper beams
Place the 2-by-8 plates on the vertical columns, one on each side. You will have a total of eight 2-by-8 plates, with the eight decorative ends facing outward.
After drilling the pilot holes, secure them with 3-inch screws, using four screws per attachment point. This will comprise a total of 16 screws per plate, eight on one side, eight on the other side. It is helpful to temporarily hold the 2-by-8 plates in place against the posts with clutch bar clamps or trigger clamps.
6. Cut off the decorative ends of the trellis
Nine 2-by-6 plates will rest on the rafters and will be perpendicular to the rafters. Similar to 2-by-8 boards, cut the decorative edges on each 2-by-6 board. The difference with this step is that you will cut both ends of each 2-by-6 board.
7. Notch the grid plates
For a flawless look and tighter fit, notch the 2-by-6 tile pieces so they can rest on and within the 2-by-8 joists. Create two notches using a jigsaw at each end, each notch 1/2 inch deep. After cutting the notches for a 2-by-6 board, test it at several points along the joists. If it works, use it as a template to cut the other eight 2-by-6 pieces of lumber.
8. Build the upper lattice
The 2 by 6 plates and 1 by 3 plates will form the top frame. Support the 2 by 6 notched plates on the joists, perpendicular to the joists and 60 cm apart. Place the 1-by-3 plates on top of the 2-by-6 plates, 30 cm apart. Lay them perpendicular to the 2 by 6 plates in a grid pattern. Screw-in the plates 1 by 3 with the 1 1/2 inch screws, using one screw at each location where the two plates intersect.
9. Attach the mesh to the rafters
Although the net is heavy enough to stay in place on its own in good condition, a strong wind is capable of knocking it down.
Using the cordless drill and 1-inch galvanized screws, secure the frame to the 1-by-8 joists with stainless steel loops.
We hope you enjoy watching this video about Easy Way to Build a Pergola
Source: Mitre 10 New Zealand
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Last update on 2025-01-13 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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