Frequently Asked Questions

I’d like to put a pergola on my existing wood deck, and I was wondering if your anchor kits would be compatible with a wood deck as the foundation?

We’ve built pergola kits for wooden decks many times. Sometimes, if the pergola is rather large (over 120 square ft), the customer winds up deciding to order some or all of the posts longer in order to anchor them to a support beam below deck level. You can then tie the pergola posts to the support beam with long carriage bolts.

How the pergola is attached really depends on your deck’s structure and the size of the pergola you are considering.

A five minute phone conversation usually covers any questions. If you prefer email, send a couple photos of your deck, along with the pergola size you are contemplating. We will take a look at your situation and offer a suggestion on how to best secure the pergola for long term safety and enjoyment.

I am concerned regarding the method of attaching the pergola posts to my deck framing. What is your experience here? The deck is framed with 2×10 and currently decked with plywood. It has yet to be waterproofed and can be torn up if needed. Should we use Simpson Ties or the like to mount the post to the deck joists?

You can attach the pergola using off-the-shelf “Simpson Ties” brand metal anchors. Just lag bolt them into the wood framing of your deck and then bolt the posts to the decking.

All the timbers are notched into one another to distribute stresses throughout the structure. The roof slats at the top of the roof are notched into the roof rafters below. The roof rafters are notched into the roof support timbers and the roof support timbers are notched into the posts. All the notching creates a “web effect” that is structurally very strong. All the timbers are full dimension. For example, the roof rafters are real 2″ x 6″ (not like a hardware store 2×6 that is really only 1 1/2″ x 5 1/2″).

All of the hardware used to reassemble the pergola is included and is stainless steel—except the post anchors. Whether you purchase our anchoring kit or use Simpson Ties, these are standard steel (cannot get the ties in stainless). If you order our anchoring kit, we’ll send the metal anchors, anchor bolts (for concrete) or lags (for securing to wood decks) plus the lag bolts to bolt the posts to the metal anchors. Our anchor kits include the wood trim pieces to create a “boot” around the base of the posts to hide the metal in an attractive way.