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My dad and I have recently built a DIY pergola in my garden. There are many ways you can build a pergola depending on its purpose and the style you prefer but I’m going to show you how we did it.
Pergola’s have been popular for a long time for various reasons, they provide shade in the warmer months, shelter in the cooler ones, or you can use them to grow vines or hang things from, the possibilities are endless.
I personally didn’t want the look of a traditional pergola, you know the ones with the more decorative rafters. So I opted for more of a simple, contemporary finish.
I have been working with IronmongeryDirect on this project as they provide all the hardware you need to complete a DIY pergola, at competitive prices. Ironmongery Direct have over 18,000 products available online, they provide a seamless and hassle free service along with super fast next day shipping too.
Ok, let’s get started.
First you’ll need to measure the space and decide on the size and style of the pergola. Although my pergola is quite wide, I didn’t want a middle post at the front, so we had to think about ways to strengthen it in other ways, but more about that later.
Here’s what you will need to build a pergola the same as mine…
5 x treated fence posts
Timber (treated) for the frame and rafters (the amount will depend on your requirements)
1 x box Long timber construction screws
5 pack of Hex Bolts and nuts (as many as required)
Dust free Sander
Postcrete or similar
Plus tools such as work bench, saw, spirit level, hammer, ladder, tape measure, clamps and ruler.
Start by digging 5 (3 at the back, 2 at the front) holes at least 30cm deep for your fence posts, make sure you take this depth in to consideration when buying your fence posts depending on the overall desired height of the pergola. Secure with cement (refer to instructions before use.) Use a spirit level to ensure the posts are straight, and use another piece of wood or string to square them off and make sure they are all lined up with each other.
Once your fence posts have set, you can cut the timber to size for the outside frame. Secure using clamps and long timber construction screws. Once screwed in, you can remove the clamps.
Because I chose not to have a fence post in the middle front, we doubled up the outside and middle pieces for extra strength.
Next up, it’s time to add the rafters. You can have as many as you like but it’s a good idea to work that out first to avoid having to go out and get more wood. I chose to have squared off rafters for a more simple look but you can make the ends look more decorative.
I also decided to overlap my rafters meaning they were secured using bolts but if you prefer to have them flush then Ironmongery Direct have mini joist hangers specifically for that, which you can see here.
Once the frame and rafters were complete we decided to add corner brackets to make it extra secure.
Once I was happy with the overall look, we bolted it all together and I gave the posts a gentle sand using a dust free sander to smooth out any rough edges.
And there you go, a DIY pergola using hardware from IronmongeryDirect, who provide all the hardware you need to build one yourselves!
I hope you enjoyed this post, if you have any questions, please let me know.
Until next time,
Hayley
