Learn about my Pergola

I have received a request to do a post on my pergola. So here we go...

 When we purchased this home, the back patio had two medium sized Bradford Pear trees at each corner of the patio.

 One became deseased and we had to remove it, the other one broke in two during a storm, so that one was removed too. That left us with a very sunny, west facing patio.

 The solution was a pergola. So I did tons of research on pergola's using the internet and settled on a maintenance free white painted aluminum with wood look embossing.

 I found out that the tube-like slats on the top for shade are called lattice. You have to find out the snow-load in your region so the pergola doesn't collapse under the weight of the winter snow. Your dealer can give you this information. Most kits come with 50% shade ratio of lattice. I wanted the maximum for my region in western Illinois which is 60% so I paid a little extra for more lattice slats and you just install them closer together.

Next, you get to pick the finished edge that you like. I think there are three or four styles to pick from. You can also get your pergola to be free standing or attached to your home or a structure. I wanted mine attached to my home. You also pick the size you want.

Then my problem was height. I needed my pergola to attach above my bay window. The height was taller than the posts (which you pick the design on too), so instead of the high cost of ordering longer posts, I decided on building brick pedestals to raise the height of my posts.

Cost. I found that there are just two or three manufacturer's of these aluminum pergola but many dealer's. I got three bids and believe it or not, Lowe's was the cheapest at $2700. Prices will vary by the style you choose, size and shade %.  After receiving the kit, I hired my young and cute, handy dandy handyman to come over and help me put it all together. We have had it two years now and couldn't be more happy with it. To clean all I do is spray it with a hose or pressure washer. It still looks brand new. We did hang a vinyl white shade on the front header so when the sun goes down in the evenings, and we are out on the patio, we can lower the shade for added protection from the sun. I hope this helps all of you interested in getting one of these.

NOTE: You should be able to click on most of the pictures to enlarge to see further details.
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