How Tall Should Your Pergola Be
If you use the bracket method, the pergolas roof will be at the same height as the gutters. You have more height flexibility when you build a freestanding pergola. In that case, the height of the pergola should be lower than that of the gutters.
For a two story house, the pergola should not exceed half the height of the wall. You wont have to worry about gutters unless you have specific architectural details that necessitate it. In most cases, you can easily bolt a ledger to the wall or create a freestanding pergola next to it.
How To Attach A Pergola To A Roof
By: Author Ryan M.
A pergola is a structure that can be attached to the top of your house or building. Pergolas are commonly used as an outdoor living space but they would also look great indoors!
A pergola has two main parts: the beams and the columns. The most popular type of beam is wood but metal, stone, glass and even PVC can be used for beams.
Columns come in all shapes and sizes so its important to choose one that fits into your design plan for your new pergola.
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Attaching a pergola to your roof is easy and can be done in just a few hours.
This article will guide you through the process of attaching a pergola to your roof and provide some helpful tips that you should consider before starting the project. Read on for more information!
Determine The Size Youll Need
Measure your patio space for length, width, and height. Determining size for attached pergola kits will vary depending on the size of the area its meant to cover. Just like the style pergola will vary depending on the amount of shade youd like. Our standard size pergolas vary from size 8×8 up to 20×20. When you think about size, youll want to take into consideration how much space youd like to leave open for furniture, an outdoor kitchen, or other patio products.
The sample drawing here is of a 13×19 attached Big Kahuna pergola kit. Our pergola sizes are listed as Rafter Length x Beam Length . So, if the pergola size in your shopping cart is 13×19, 13 is the Rafter Length. 19 is the Beam Length.
The depth that your pergola extends from the wall will be your rafter length. Read more about how to measure for pergola rafter length.
The width of your pergola will be your beam length. Read more about how to measure for pergola beam length.
The height of your pergola will be your post height. When deciding post length, youll want to consider desired height above ground and post installation method. Read more about how to measure for pergola post height.
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Should I Paint Or Stain My Pergola
Research suggests that this is a question of cost and effort. You would only really be considering paint if cost is no issue, you do not want the wood grain to be visible or if you do not want to worry about touching up the finish for the next 10 years.
In all other cases using a stain, even a two-in-one product that is a stain-and-sealer will probably be cheaper, quicker, easier and more forgiving to dents or necessary repairs. When considering the options for painting a wooden deck Bob Vila discusses the need for at least 5 coats (preservative, primer, 2 coats of latex or oil-based and then a clear polyurethane sealer!
A good paint job will outlast a good stain treatment by a few years but in my experience, the ease of touching up or even recoating a stained structure still makes it my preferred choice.
Anything that I have missed? Let me know in the comments below
The Pergola Size You Choose Determines The Number Of Posts
All of our full size attached pergola kits have been engineered with two posts for sizes 8×8 up to 20×20. 20×20 is the largest standard pergola kit size offered on our website. You can request a larger size by completing our custom quote request form, or by contacting us by phone or email. Once you go over 20 feet overall in either direction we will need to add extra support posts to bear the weight of the pergola.
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Four Install Post Brackets To Support The Pergola
Next, you will need to install two post brackets into the concrete of your patio or outdoor concrete.
Before using your power drill, make sure to position and mark in the center of each post bracket with a hammer and tool. Following this, drill a hole where you have made each mark.
Once you have a hole in the concrete, insert an expansion anchor through the bracket into the concrete, and tighten it as much as you are able with a ratchet.
Tuscan Style Pergola Attached To A Copper Roof
This green pergola looks fantastic from this angle.
This is a perfect example of a modern-living residence with a two-story building featuring gabled roofs and bay windows.
The combination of the stone exterior, use of horizontal lines, and the copper roofing detail brings a grounded and relaxing feeling to this home. It also gives the homeowners a familiar sensation combined with contemporary appeal.
This mid-sized Tuscan-style home exterior also features a pergola. The pergola is painted green, similar to the trim of the doors and windows. Unfortunately, there is no detailed information about the paint used. However, Tarrytown Green from Benjamin Moore looks pretty similar.
The fantastic green is combined with soft yellow paint color for the exterior. It seems that the paint used is Barely Yellow from Benjamin Moore.
The pergola here is attached to the structure of the house. There are several ways to do it.
The most common way is to attach the beam to the existing homes rim joist. You can bolt it every 16 using stainless screws or galvanized. The rafters length depends on the size of the structure you are planning to build. Before ripping into the home, it is advised to check with your local building inspector to see the guidelines of an open structure.
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Can Or Should A Pergola Be Attached To The House
A pergola can be attached to your home. Whether you choose a wall-mounted option or freestanding pergola depends on where youd like to install the structure and how you will use it. Attaching a pergola to the house can create a seamless transition from the indoor living space to a patio, pool deck or outdoor kitchen, while a freestanding pergola can carve out a tranquil space that lets you separate from the bustle of the home. This article will break down the differences between the two types of pergolas, noting the top uses for each.
Heres your guide to choosing between a pergola attached to the house versus freestanding.
What Is An Attached Pergola
An attached pergola is connected to your house. Sometimes referred to as a wall-mounted pergola, this structure is made up of a frame for the roof and at least two columns at the outer corners. The inner corners are adjacent to the house.
Connecting a pergola to a vertical wall with no roof is fairly easy. You dont have to worry about water runoff or drainage. This task is usually done by screwing a ledger beam lag into the wall. The rafters are attached to the ledger beam. You can anchor the vertical posts on the outer corners to a railing, patio or deck.
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Stained Pergola Attached To A Roof Of A Cottage Barn
Unlike the other pergola youve seen from the pictures above, this pergola is not attached to the roof of the main house. Instead, this attached pergola is connected to the roof of the cottage barn. This pergola is detached from the main property. It is situated in the backyard.
The pergola is considerably small to match the size of the cottage barn.
Like the other pergolas, it also features a post and beam structure. It used stained and polished cedarwood. The natural polished wood seems to contrast with the white cottage barn.
The siding of the barn is made from painted board and batten. There is no information about the paint used, but you can try White from Benjamin Moore. The roof seems sparkly under the sunlight, so it looks more whitish.
There is a small yet comfortable seating area under the pergola. It is perfect for a small group of people who want to enjoy the view outside.
The pergola and most of the backyard are paved with flagstone paver. Around the pergola, there are many bushes, foliages, and even towering trees. This landscape is such an inspiration for a city farmhouse.
What Should I Cover My Pergola With For Shade
A fabric cover provides shade, but for rain or snow protection youll need something more sturdy. You can purchase a pergola with a metal roof, or you can build your own waterproof cover out of corrugated metal or plastic. As a bonus, the raindrops will sound beautiful as they hit the solid pergola cover.
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Best Garden Furniture For Under Your Pergola
The best garden furniture under a typical sized pergola is a 4 seater rattan furniture set. This is because they tend to frame the space nicely without spilling out past the boundaries. In addition, rattan is a tough material from naturally renewable palm, widely grown in Asia, Africa, and other parts of the world. Rattan furniture can withstand harsh environmental conditions and provide great aesthetic appeal under your newly built pergola.
What Is A Freestanding Pergola
Nearly all the standard Pergola kits are freestanding. That is to say, they do not need any other structures as part of there construction. They come with four posts and all of the rafter/crossbeams required.
An attached Pergola is one that uses the structure of another building as part of its own. The most common method is using the outside wall of a house to replace the posts on one side of the Pergola. This can maybe save a little on construction costs but its appeal is usually the removal of the posts creating more useable space underneath.
NOTE: A freestanding Pergola does NOT mean it is not next to a house. It is very common to build a completely independent freestanding pergola structure right next to your property.
Being Freestanding the Pergola structure will not put any strains on your house when it flexes in the wind or during dry summers or frozen winters when the ground might move, particularly if it has independent footings for its posts. It also avoids any piercings into the outer fabric of your building reducing any chance of water damage and potentially avoiding additional planning permissions.
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Diy Clear Corrugated Covered Pergola Attached To The House And An Existing Deck
Covering our deck has been on the to-do list since last year when we refinished our old deck with new paint and stain. For this project we built a DIY covered pergola attached to the house and attached to our existing deck. We then covered the DIY pergola with clear corrugated plastic roofing sheets to create a dry, sunny, outdoor living space. Here is the complete DIY tutorial for building a clear corrugated covered pergola attached to the house and an existing deck!
After You Choose The Size Select The Remaining Options To Customize Your Pergola And Add It To Your Cart
Once you place your order, we will send you an order confirmation along with a rough sketch of the pergola kit you ordered to confirm the measurements will work for your space. Then well add you to our production calendar! Once we have your kit built, crated, and ready to ship well send you a shipping confirmation email with tracking information. Once it leaves our production facility, your attached pergola kit will take between 2 to 10 business days in transit depending on what part of the country youre in. Your pergola kit will arrive pre-cut and pre-drilled with step-by-step instructions and ready to assemble! Read more FAQs here.
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Before & After Photos
On the left you can see the deck before we stained and painted it followed by the deck before we added the DIY pergola. The photo on the right shows the deck with the finished pergola.
Are you ready for the tutorial? First we had to rip out that arbor. After that we were ready to begin. Here is the complete DIY covered pergola tutorial!
Rustic Pergola Attached To A Roof As A Covered Patio
The homeowners wanted to create an outdoor space in rustic style as opposed to their refined interior spaces, but still architecturally related to their property. Thus, the designer installed this rustic attached pergola.
This pergola is large enough to accommodate a party. It is completed with a round seating setting with a fire pit in the center. There is also an outdoor kitchen and a dining table set in this pergola.
The arbor columns are supported by cement plaster. The columns deliver enough visual tie to the house exterior. The rafter members and oversized wood beams create an unusual yet warm outdoor atmosphere.
If you notice, the use of hardware and structural bolts here is minimized to achieve a cleaner appearance. Structural supports and connections are engineered to meet stringent earthquake standards in California.
There is polycarbonate that goes under the standard shingles. It looks like it stopped at the edge of the shingles, enough to make sure the rainwater will go off the shingles and right into the polycarbonate.
The rainwater later flows off the polycarbonate and to the building roof that features a gutter to collect the rainwater so it wont fall under the pergola cover. That way, the pergola remains totally dry even during the storms with no wind.
If you are curious, the lower beams here are 6x 12 cedarwood. The ridge beam is 4×12 parallam and veneered with cedar sheathing.
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Tips To Faster Permit Processing
Though it is a skeletal structure, your local authority checks every component of your pergola. From materials to distances of beams to roof design to pergolas spot in your property. It also matters if it has enough distance from the fence or property line. Their long checklist is for securing that your pergola is safe for your family and community. For example, they most likely want to know if materials for an attached pergola are not hazarding your house.
Describe precisely. For the mentioned reasons above, submit a precise plan of your pergola. Present its detailed design, dimension, floor area, setbacks, materials, foundation, anchoring, etc. State if it has electric wiring, gas, water, or whether it is for temporary or permanent use. Help the inspectors to discern your accessory building as clearly as you can. If you dont, it affects how they examine your outbuilding. Perhaps, they may conclude it is not a pergola, but a gazebo, pavilion, or shed.
Back up your points. It is not unusual if an officer requires you to submit other documents apart from the building plan. It happens if your pergola is in a busy city, near protected areas, or a danger zone. There are times you need to get separate permits from your homeowner association or environmental compliance agency. In this matter, it is valuable that you are well-coordinated with your HOA. If you quickly get a certification from them, it can fast-track legalizing your accessory structure.
Fastening To Masonry Walls
Anchor a ledger to a masonry wall with expanding anchor bolts. Begin by marking a line across the wall for the ledgers top edge. Drill holes for the expanding anchors every 16 inches or as specified by local codes, insert the anchors, hold the ledger in place, and tap it with a hammer to indent the anchor locations on its back face.
Remove the ledger, and drill bolt holes where the bolt tips have left marks. Push or hammer the ledger back onto the bolts, recheck for level , add washers and nuts, and then tighten the bolts.
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Small Raised Pergola With Post And Beam Structure Attached To Roof
This is an example of a small yet trendy house. This tiny house is perfectly painted in dark brown color. No information about the paint used, but it seems that Chocolate Sundae from Benjamin Moore is pretty close.
This all-brown house is also combined with a weathered brick wall and dark-trimmed window as an accent.
The pergola is small and built on top of a raised decking. The pergola is made out of light tonewood, both the flooring and the structure. It looks perfect in contrast with the dark brown siding. Even the furniture pieces were also carefully picked to match the main color of the pergola.
What makes it unique is, the beam structure of the pergola is built to mimic the gable roof of the main house. Both are connected.
This attached pergola, however, doesnt have a cover. But it looks perfectly shade due to the towering trees in the front yard of the house and the vines and foliages around the pergola.
Are Pergolas Worth It
A pergola extends your living space and increases the amount of time you can spend outside. Designed and oriented correctly on your lot, a pergola can cast enough light shade to make even a warm afternoon enjoyable or if you still need additional protection, you can install a retractable shade cover for more shade.
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