How to Build a Wood Pergola
Pergolas are structures that beautify your façade and make your outdoor living space cozy. You can build yours as an attachment on your home or as a free standing structure over a deck or grass. Climbing plants, like vines, make a great addition to your pergola. Choose from a variety of styles, size and design that suits your backyard. There are a number of roofing materials if you choose to add roofing on your structure.
Tools and Materials:
- Wood boards: four-by-four, two-by-six, two-by-four and two-by-ten
- Lag bolts
- Galvanized deck screws
- Gravel
- Hammer
- Shovel
- Drill
- Circular saw
- Screwdriver
- Ladder
- Posthole digger
- Jigsaw
- Socket set
- Make markings for the four posts at the selected site. Dig up holes with a post-hole digger to a depth of 24-inches and width of nine-inches.
- Place some gravel at the bottom of each hole for drainage, then place the posts and measure for plumb. Affix the two-inch by four-inch bracing temporarily for firmness. Using manufacturer’s instructions, mix the fast drying cement and place in holes then set to dry for 24 hours.
- Affix the joist beams. Cut the joist beams to the length of the posts from the two-by-four boards. You can decorate the ends of the beams by curving out a design with a jigsaw. Clamp the beams firmly in place and drill holes through them and the posts. Use the three-inch lag bolts to secure beams tightly to the posts.
- Slit the two-by-six-inch boards to length make the stringers. Place the stringers perpendicular and overhanging the joist beams, and space them evenly. Using three-inch galvanized deck screws, toenail the stringers in place.