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The Created Home

The Created Home is a diy blog dedicated to building, design, woodworking, and remodeling/renovating.

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The DIY Frugal Pergola: Your Questions Answered

This pergola is the heavyweight champion of my website. That still surprises me, as I thought it would not be very popular when I first conceived of the idea and built it. Mostly I just wanted to try something different, and we were kind of broke. Fast forward nearly a year, and I get a lot of questions about this thing. So I’m going to do my best to answer them.

You can find the original pergola post here, which details the building process, right down to the mathematical equation we used to determine the length of that 45 degree arm.

diy frugal pergola modified patio outdoor dining

*I will include some affiliate links here as I do my best to point you to what I used. You can check out my policy on that here.

 

What are the measurements?

-The two boards braced to the house are 9 feet tall.
-The 45 degree arms measure 7 feet long, long point to long point.
-The four arms extending out from the house are 8 feet long
-The four crossbars on top are 113″ long

Now, that said, we determined those measurements based on the location of the house studs. This seems a good time to reiterate that as with any DIY project, you will need to take proper safety measures, follow best practices, and always know where your studs are. I am happy to share what we did, but the responsibility is your own. (And you will rock it, of course.)

DIY Frugal pergola modified pergola patio outdoor dining

 

Can I get a supply list?

Sure!

6 – 2x4x8s
6 – 2x4x10s
8 – joist hangers
2 – Simpson Strong-tie adjustable L-angles
22 – 5-6″ bolts + nuts (calculate for the depth of the 2×4, siding, plywood, and then enough extra to drive well into the stud)

How long did it take you to build?

The main structure only took a day.

What hardware/supports did you use?

Simpson strong ties join the base of the 45 degree arms to the “legs” that brace the structure to the house. We also used joist hangers for the cross arms up top.

What is that stain color?

It’s Brown Mahogany water based stain by General Finishes. Isn’t it fantastic?

Where did you get the table?

I made it using my neighbor’s old fence (he was going to take it to the dump), and the 20 year old cedar boards from our hot tub. (We replaced that hot tub wrap and shared that process here.)

You can learn more about the table here.

DIY Frugal pergola modified pergola patio outdoor dining

 

The cover is ugly

That’s not a question. And I agree. We put it up so that we would be able to use the pergola even when it is raining. Yes, we did use it. It rains a lot here in the Pacific Northwest. But, as you can see in this photo, we recently removed it. The algae would not come off, and that’s an ambiance killer.

diy frugal pergola modified patio outdoor dining

I like the cover. How did you attach it?

The plastic corrugated material has specialty screws that go with it. You can find them in the aisle right next to the cover material.

My home is brick. Any suggestions?

Don’t do it.

Just kidding. You would have to drill through the brick with a concrete drill and bit, then tap in an anchor to set the bolt. You will need longer bolts and will have to find the studs.

Does building code allow this? I’m not sure my HOA will approve it.

Always a good idea to check, yep.

How much did it cost to build?

The structure cost about $100.

We added lights, drop cloth curtains, and the table set.

The entire thing cost about $200.

DIY Frugal pergola modified pergola patio outdoor dining

 

Where did you get the chandelier?

I made it. You can read the tutorial on Remodelaholic.

DIY Frugal pergola modified pergola patio outdoor dining

When you did have a cover on top was snow load an issue and did you consider moisture?

No, snow load was not an issue. We don’t get much snow here.

Except that this winter we did. More than we have had in 34 years. And ice. It was miserable, actually. The pergola held up just fine.

As far as moisture, we tilted the top arms down somewhere around 3-5% to make sure it drained away from the house.

 

There you have it! Hopefully that answers all of your questions. If I missed anything go ahead and ask in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer. Thank you so much for your questions, and for all of the very nice comments and feedback I have received. If you build one of these be sure to share a photo so I can brag you up!

Happy building!

DIY Frugal pergola modified pergola patio outdoor dining

 

Comments

  1. Sarah says

    June 30, 2017 at 5:31 am

    How far apart are you 2x4s? I’m looking at doing this with some modifications to fit our needs but trying to mentally copy yours as to not recreate the wheel πŸ˜‰

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      July 11, 2017 at 11:20 pm

      They are 24″ apart. Copy as you like, and share a photo when you are done!

      Reply
  2. cherri hairston says

    July 11, 2017 at 8:39 pm

    hi it is beautiful would one of the galvanized tin covers work at the top you buy them at lowes as a cover

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      July 11, 2017 at 11:10 pm

      Sure, why not?! πŸ™‚

      Reply
    • cherri hairston says

      July 15, 2017 at 5:06 pm

      how wide is yours how many feet and how far out does it extend..thanks

      Reply
      • Sarah says

        July 23, 2017 at 11:12 pm

        It is 126″ wide and the perpendicular beams are 96″ long.

        Reply
  3. Kimberly says

    July 21, 2017 at 7:11 pm

    I am looking forward to doing this. Thanks for all the explaining! I will definitely need all of it! Awesome job, well done. Still going there check into the table thing.

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      July 23, 2017 at 11:00 pm

      Thanks, Kimberly! Stay tuned, a new diy table maaaay just be in the works for out there. πŸ™‚

      Reply
  4. Rachel says

    October 2, 2017 at 6:31 am

    What do you think would be the max dimensions you could do this? I’d like 20’x14’… we’d need to do maybe three supports from the house, and probably columns/supports on the outer side?

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      October 9, 2017 at 10:47 pm

      I’m not sure. This is one of those things that I can’t give any recommendations on because I’m no structural engineer and would never want to give bad – or worse, dangerous – advice. I actually spent quite a bit of time researching the angle we created, even talking to my math teacher aunt to make sure my angles and load estimates were correct. My only advice would be better safe than sorry! Supports on the front portion are a safe way to go! Good luck with your build!

      Reply
  5. That Sassy Life coach says

    April 10, 2019 at 10:57 am

    STUNNING πŸ™‚ πŸ™‚ πŸ™‚ Where did you buy your lights from? I have been searching for some for quite some time now and I haven’t had any luck πŸ™

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      September 23, 2019 at 9:52 pm

      I believe the cafe lights came from Amazon. I have since added a diy chandelier as well: https://thecreatedhome.com/diy-outdoor-chandelier/

      Reply
  6. Heather Luther says

    April 16, 2019 at 5:01 am

    Can you attach this to siding? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      September 23, 2019 at 9:45 pm

      It is absolutely essential that this is attached through the siding into the home’s studs. Siding alone will not carry the weight. Also, be aware that some sidings are not recommended for this. Vinyl, for example, would compress.

      Reply
  7. Judy Lesar says

    July 5, 2019 at 6:02 pm

    I live in NC. Lots of rain. I was confused about your tilting comment for the cover. What did you angle so that the water would run off. Was considering doing 45Β° boards at maybe 40Β° for same effect. Thoughts?

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      September 23, 2019 at 9:33 pm

      The angle of the top pieces is pretty well set with the 45 degree boards. We simply set a level on the top and attached the 45 degree piece such that the top boards were tilled very slightly.

      Reply
  8. Shelly says

    October 21, 2019 at 8:30 am

    Love it! How did you attach the curtains, and do they slide?

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      February 17, 2020 at 12:01 am

      They are attached by hooks and rings to a rod (actually, it’s just electrical conduit), and yes, they slide.

      Reply
  9. Christine says

    April 10, 2020 at 2:49 pm

    I see it calls for 22 5-6″ bolts and nuts. Do you recall what the diameter of the bolts were? I’m building it this weekend.

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      June 16, 2020 at 11:09 pm

      Apologies for the delay. I believe they were 1/4″ in diameter. I believe there is a link under materials to what I used. Best of luck!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. How to Build a Super Frugal Pergola - The Created Home says:
    April 2, 2020 at 11:19 pm

    […] ***I have received a number of questions about the pergola since writing this post, and I have attempted to answer them all here.*** […]

    Reply

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My name is Sarah. My passions are creating and teaching. I build, I renovate, I design, and I make awesome things. Read More…

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