tips for pergola building

Cedar is a good choice for your material. It is lightweight making it easier to work with and insects don’t care much for it. Make sure and raise the posts off the patio using Simpson Bases with anchors. You can stain/seal it any color you choose. I like to use SketchUp to help me envision my projects when they are in the planning stages. It helps me visualize not only the project but also the joinery. Slight learning curve, but very helpful nevertheless. Here are links to two of my most recent. “http://homerefurbers.com/projects/324” and “http://homerefurbers.com/projects/390”. Hope this helps.

-- Beth, Oklahoma, Rambling Road Designs

douglas fir works fine if you plan to paint it. make a template for your end design and then you can use a pattern bit for router to make them all identical with very little effort. notching members at right angles makes an incredibly strong structure. plant some wysteria next to it for great shade and scents.

-- caring costs nothing