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The house is built or renovated, the move is done. The outdoor facilities are usually next. In addition to a terrace, lawn and flower beds, a pergola is simply a must for many people. It creates a convincing combination of indoor living space and outdoor living quality. You can find out from us how you can build your own wooden pergola with simple means.
Build your own pergola
After a long heyday of the pergola, it has been increasingly forgotten in recent years and has been replaced by fixed canopies or large-format cantilever parasols. But this practical and at the same time decorative element is still justified today. A wooden pergola with a modern interpretation enriches every residential building with a modern, connecting component. At the same time, it creates the opportunity to further improve the usability of the terrace with sun protection. With our instructions, you can build your own wooden pergola using only the usual tools available in most hobby workshops.
The goal of our efforts is not just any construction made of wood, as it can be purchased as a kit in the hardware store. Instead, we want to create an object together that meets all requirements from both a practical and creative point of view.
objective
In order to achieve this, we will build a wooden pergola ourselves, which knows how to convince with the following properties:
- All carriers in one level, thus low construction height and at the same time simple form with clear lines
- Stiffening through connection to the residential building, thus eliminating visible stiffening of the sides
- Installation of tension cables for horizontal bracing of the "roof", thus minimizing the material effort and at the same time adding modern steel elements
dimensions
The following instructions show the construction of a wooden pergola with the dimensions length x width x height of 3.00 x 4.00 x 2.50 m. The specified component dimensions are tailored to the resulting spans, but can be adapted to your own requirements within a certain framework. However, if the desired dimensions deviate significantly, you should definitely consult a specialist, for example a civil engineer, before buying the individual parts.
material
Before construction begins, all the necessary materials and tools must be assembled.
wood
We choose glued laminated timber as wood, i.e. beams glued together from individual layers. It is best to have them cut to the required length at the sawmill or hardware store.
- A - supports - 4 pieces 120x120x2300mm
- B - main beam transverse - 2 pieces 200x120x4000mm
- C - main beam longitudinal - 2 pieces 200x120x3000mmm
- D - secondary beam - 2 pieces 120x120x2760mm
danger: From a static point of view, normal timber with a planed surface could also be used without any problems. In comparison, however, glued laminated timber is characterized by a significantly higher dimensional stability and less distortion due to shrinkage or swelling. The slender components will therefore twist and warp far less when made of glued laminated timber than would be the case with normal timber.
foundations
- 4 H-post supports 121x300x600mm, galvanized steel
- 4 sewer pipes PVS, diameter 200mm, length 1000mm
- 3-4 sacks of dry concrete: ready mix for mixing with water
steel and connecting parts
For the post feet
- 8 pcs. - Hex head carriage bolt, nuts and two washers, 10x140mm
For the wooden construction
- 4 pcs. - Hex head wood screw and washer, 12x260mm
- 8 pcs. - Hex head carriage bolt and two washers, 10x140mm
- 8 pcs. Ring nut M10, suitable for the screw described above
- Steel cable stainless steel, diameter 3mm, roll or coil of 20 meters
- 32 pieces of wire rope clamp, suitable for the wire rope described above
- 4 turnbuckles 10x120mm with eyelet and hook
- 12 angles 100x100x90mm with rib
- Approx. 150 pcs. wood screws 6x40mm with hexagon head
For connection to the building
- 2 pcs. Threaded rod stainless steel, diameter 10x1000mm
- 1 pc. stainless steel tube, inner diameter 12mm, length 500mm
- 4 washers, hole diameter 10mm, outer diameter at least 40mm
- 4 nuts M10
- 2 heavy-duty dowels metal for screw diameter 10mm
Others
- Installation glue
- Wood lacquer, suitable for outdoor use in the color of your choice
tool
- bucket
- trowel
- shovel
- Saw, e.g. circular saw, precision saw or hand saw, hacksaw
- Ring wrench set, alternatively cordless screwdriver with matching bits
- Drill or impact drill with wood and stone drill bits
- chisel and hammer
- Ruler, square, pencil
- level
- Nails and shims as working aids
- Wooden sticks / carpenter's nails + tension cord
- Multi-sander / router
Step by step guide
Now all the materials have been purchased and the tools are ready. So let's start building our own wooden pergola:
1. Calibration
First of all, we determine the position of the construction at the later erection site. To do this, we start with the building, usually the residential building, and work our way into the free area. Carpenter's nails or wooden sticks help us to mark the location correctly:
- Mark two parallel lines at right angles to the house wall and at a distance of 3.88m from each other with string
- Mark the post axes on constructed lines 0.10m and 2.98m from the house wall
- Check the perpendicularity of the marked floor plan using diagonals and readjust if necessary, if the diagonals are the same length, there is a right-angled square
tip: In order to easily find the marked post axes again later after removing the cord and digging the foundations, it is useful to define an imaginary cross over the relevant point. If the end points of the cross are marked in the ground with wood or nails, the center point can be easily reconstructed as the intersection of the connecting lines.
2. Foundations
The foundations ensure that the pergola stands on stable ground and does not sink or rise even in frost and rain. We create simple quiver foundations and use PVC sewage pipes as lost formwork, i.e. formwork that remains in the ground.
- Use a spade, hand shovel or trowel to dig a hole with a diameter of at least 200mm around the marked post centers
- Depth at least 0.80m for a frost-free foundation
- Set sewage pipes in holes and fill the outside with excavated soil
- Tamp down soil with hammer, stick or stone to secure pipes in place
Next, we use a trick to correctly position the post shoes to be installed in the foundation sleeves from the start. Since you are building the wooden pergola yourself, you already have the wood for the supports later on. Since the supports are vertical, the distances at the top edge are identical to the distances at the bottom edge. If a girder running perpendicular to the house is now aligned via the foundation holes, the post shoes can be provisionally fastened to it without any problems and adjusted together with the wood in their horizontal and vertical alignment:
- Align support C (200x120x3000mm) perpendicular to the house wall over the post centers
- Distance between bracket and wall 4 cm
- Align height horizontally with wooden supports, lower edge of wooden support 5 cm above ground level
- Place the post shoes in the sewage pipes, slide them onto the wooden support from below and fix them with nails
- Check the position in the post centers using the marked auxiliary crosses!
- Fill plastic pipes with dry mortar, observing the concrete manufacturer's instructions for mixing
- After the concrete has hardened, loosen the nails and remove the support upwards
3. Prepare wooden construction
After the effort for the correct positioning and creation of the foundations, the constructive effort for the wooden pergola is quite easy to do. For the corner joints of the main beams we choose a so-called overlap, while the secondary beams are simply hung between the transverse main beams with metal brackets:
- Saw the main beams B and C 100 mm deep at both ends at a distance from the front side
- Hammer in the center of the strap at the front parallel to the narrow edge with a chisel and remove the sawn-in piece
- Cut out secondary beam D with a router or multi-sander so that metal angles including the rib can be inserted; Aim: outer bearing surfaces of the brackets flush with the carrier surface
- Drill through the secondary beam D from the end in the center of the beam at a distance of 150mm, diameter 12mm (X)
- Drill through 2 supports A in the center of the support 50cm from the top, diameter 12mm (Y)
- For each support A, screw two brackets flush with the top edge on adjacent sides
- Drill through main beam C 270mm from the end 60mm from the top edge, diameter 12mm (Z)
- Divide main beam B into three equal fields, screw on brackets in the middle of the axis, tab pointing downwards, top edge 20mm below top edge of beam
danger: After the ends of the main beams have been left out for the lap, the main beams C must be turned over so that the remaining piece of support faces upwards. This end pointing upwards then engages the end pointing downwards of the main beam B and creates a flush connection!
4th painting
Before assembly, there is the option of providing the wooden pergola with weather protection and a desired look. Here you can proceed individually according to your own preferences, whereby the differences of the individual surface treatments are pointed out:
- No surface protection: Wood has turned grey, possible discolouration from blue stain and mildew stains
- Colorless glaze: protection against mold stains, blue stain and fungal attack, but no protection against greying
- Pigmented glaze: like colorless glaze, but depending on the pigmentation certain UV protection, grain mostly still very visible
- Pigmented paint, e.g. hybrid paint: good protection against weather, fungal attack and greying, additional clear design statement possible, however, depending on the color, repainting is required every 3-5 years
Since the goal is a modern look with a reduced design language, we recommend, for example, a hybrid paint in a shade of gray that can already be found on the house in the roof tiles, the dormer windows or the color of the base.
notice: When coating the wood, it is essential to follow the paint manufacturer's instructions! Individual colors may require a primer or at least two coats!
5. Attachment to the house wall
To ensure that the pergola stands securely and does not require complex bracing, we want to anchor the supports on the house with a threaded rod in the wall.
We assume that most houses today have thermal insulation made of styrofoam, so that a tension connection should be created for the assembly, which at the same time takes any possible pressure off the insulation material. Otherwise it would be pressed in and the applied plaster would tear.
Per support on the house wall:
- Place the support in the post shoe, place 4cm of wood underneath the house wall and ensure vertical alignment with a spirit level
- Insert the threaded rod through the drilled hole (step 3 - Y) and mark the point of impact on the house wall
- remove support
- Drill the marked point on the wall of the house, diameter as required outside diameter of heavy-duty dowel
- First drill through the insulation down to the solid wall
- Mark the required drilling depth in the solid wall for dowels with adhesive tape on the drill and continue drilling up to the mark
- Place the dowel on the threaded rod and insert and hammer in with the rod
- Tighten the threaded rod
- Cut the stainless steel pipe to the thickness of the insulation layer and slide it onto the threaded rod
- Put on the washer and carefully tighten the nut against the insulating layer
- Unscrew the second nut and slide on the washer
- Put the support back on the post shoe and slide it onto the threaded rod
- Slide on washer and tighten with nut
- Drill through support A through the post shoe at both mounting points and screw each with a 10×140 screw, washers and nut
notice: While the first washer and nut with the stainless steel tube as a pressure connection keeps pressure loads away from the insulating material and transfers them directly to the solid wall, the threaded rod provides the tension connection to the wall. With the two washers and nuts around the post, its position in relation to the house wall can be adjusted again and finally fixed.
6. Straighten up
The first two supports are ready. Since we build our wooden pergola ourselves, there are still a few essential steps ahead of us - erecting it. For this it is helpful to have a second and third person at hand who can hold the construction until it is secured in position:
- Place main beam B on supports A on the house wall
- Bolt main beam B and supports A using brackets
- adjust the remaining supports A away from the house in the post shoe
- Screw the supports into the post shoe as in step 5
- Place main girder B on free supports and screw together using brackets
- Place main girder C between main girders B and also screw using brackets
- Place the secondary beam D onto the bracket on the main beam B and screw it together
- Drill the corner points in the center of the post vertically through main beams B and C, diameter 10mm
- Screw in wood screw 12x260mm with washer and tighten
- Seal the drill hole around the washer with assembly adhesive to prevent moisture from penetrating
7. Completion
So now we're almost done building our own wooden pergola. What remains is the assembly of the cross braces as horizontal bracing of the construction:
- Insert carriage bolts 10x140mm through pre-drilled holes and close with washer and ring nut
- Ring nuts in the direction of the clamping field (see sketch)
- Guide the wire rope through the ring nut and close with 2 rope clamps each
- Provide a turnbuckle for each tensioning wire, also close connections with cable clamps
- Tighten crosswise tensioning cables evenly until you can feel the tension
Ready. You have managed to prepare and erect your wooden structure yourself. As a next step, you can plan a greening with climbing plants, or even an awning that can be easily attached to your pergola construction using screw hooks or tension belts