An outdoor pergola is a beautiful construction that adds value to any garden, provided you choose the right plans for your needs, tastes and budget. In addition, you have to select the lumber with great care (wood designed for outdoor use, such as: pressure-treated, redwood, cedar, pine). In addition, a diy project would keep the costs under control and help you build a beautiful pergola at decent costs.Just plan every step with great care and use the right woodworking techniques, in order to obtain a professional result. Study the local building codes before starting the project, to comply with the legal requirements.
Choose Proper Plans
The first step of the process is to choose the right plans for your needs and budget, therefore you should take into account several aspects before taking the final decision. On one hand, you could build a pergola attached to your house or you could build a patio pergola. Irrespective of your choice, you should search on the internet pergola plans, which are either free or come in exchange of a small fee.Ensure the plans come with a complete list of components and tools needed to get the job done like a pro. Therefore, we recommend you to verify if the plans provide the dimensions, size and shape of the wooden components. Another aspect that you should take into account before selecting the plans, is that your outdoor pergola should be large enough to cover a table and several chairs. In this manner, there would be enough space to take dinner with your family and friends, or to build an outdoor kitchen, next to the pergola.
Choose the Location
As we have already said, the location of your pergola can enhance its look or decrease the dramatic effect of your backyard. Therefore, you should make sure the pergola is placed in your backyard and it's surrounded by flowers and grass. Nonetheless, the outdoor pergola has to be close to your house, if you want to take dinner in your backyard regularly. A proper location means that you should consult the local building codes to ensure you comply with the local building regulations. In addition, the ground has to be perfectly horizontal and the soil structure should have a good drainage.If you work with great care and pay attention both to our plans and to the legal requirements, you will build a beautiful pergola, at just a fraction of the usual cost. Therefore, choosing the right location and a good planning would ease the building process, even if you are not a qualified professional.
Building the Pergola
The construction process of the pergola is a straight forward process and requires just coordination and several basic woodworking techniques. First you should anchor the the 4x4 wooden posts to the concrete footings. Therefore, several dig 1-2 feet holes, pour concrete in the tube forms and install metal anchor, before the concrete dries out. Let the concrete dry out for 72 hours and attach the posts, making sure they are plumb.Next, installing the 2x6 support beams at the top of the wooden posts. Just pre-drill several holes in the beams and insert carriage bolts, in order to secure the components into place. Afterwards, build the crossbeams, by cutting several notches in the 2x4s, and install them perfectly over the support elements at both ends. Last but not least, drive in screws trough the top of the shade elements, directly in the support beams. Don forget that the shade elements have to be equally spaced (place them every 10-20'').
There are many pergola designs and ideas to choose from, but you should choose the free pergolas plans that fit your needs.
