Wood pergola
$6k–$15k
- Concrete footings or deck anchors
- 6x6 treated or wrapped posts
- Beams with shaped rafter tails
- Open slat roof for filtered shade
- Stain or paint finish
- Permit where your town needs one
Pergola construction · Licensed & insured · Wood, aluminum, louvered
Pergola construction with shade placed where you use the yard.
A 12 by 16 foot pergola costs about $6,000 to $15,000 in wood, $14,000 to $28,000 in custom cedar or aluminum, and $28,000 and up with a motorized louvered roof. A licensed supervisor tracks where the sun hits your patio or deck and sends three written prices within 24 hours.
Text a photo of the patio or deck around 3 in the afternoon. A supervisor replies within 5 minutes during business hours and tells you where the shade should go.
- $6k+Wood pergola
- 3–10 daysMost builds on site
- 4.9410 reviews
- 24hWritten estimate
What happens after you text us
Show us the spot at 3 in the afternoon. We tell you where the shade will fall.
This is a typical first exchange. You describe the space and the heat, we ask which way it faces and for a mid-afternoon photo, and you get a visit time and a straight first answer on material.
- The direction your patio faces decides the slat layout
- A named supervisor who designs and builds it
- Visit and written price date fixed in one conversation
Our paver patio gets blasted by sun from about 2 until sunset. We want a pergola so we can actually eat dinner out there.
Hi Rachel, this is Kevin, I design and build pergolas for ProBuild Remodeling. Which way does the patio face, and can you send a photo of it around 3 this afternoon so I can see where the sun lands?
It faces west. Photo sent, the whole table is in the sun.
West sun is low and hard to block with open slats. I would run the slats north to south and add either a shade screen on the west side or a louvered roof you can close. I can come Thursday at 4 and send three prices Friday. Work for you?
Thursday works. Can it attach to the house?
Often yes. I will check the wall and the gutter line and show you both ways. See you Thursday.
What a pergola costs
A pergola costs $6,000 to $60,000. The roof you pick is most of the difference.
Prices are for a pergola about 12 by 16 feet, including footings or anchors, the structure, installation, permit where required and cleanup. Most homeowners choose custom cedar or aluminum.
Cedar or aluminum
$14k–$28k
- Cedar or aluminum structure
- Attached with a flashed ledger
- Tighter slats for more shade
- Optional shade sail or panels
- Wired for a fan and lights
- Wind-rated post anchors
Louvered roof
$28k–$60k
- StruXure, Azenco or Equinox system
- Louvers rotate open or shut
- Rain sensor closes the roof
- Built-in gutters in the beams
- LED lighting and fan options
- Electrician and engineered footings
Price your pergola in ten seconds
Pick the roof type, the size of the shaded area and what the site is like. The range updates as you go, using the same numbers our supervisors put on paper.
A range, not a quote. Your written estimate comes after the visit and does not change once you approve it.
Typical range for your answers
Turn this range into a written pergola priceWhere the money goes
Materials take nearly half of a pergola budget. The footings are what keep it standing.
Averages from recent cedar and aluminum pergolas. Structure materials are the biggest line, but the footings and anchors are the part that decides whether a pergola survives a windstorm, so we never trim them to hit a price.
Get my itemized pergola price
Attached or freestanding
Attach the pergola if the wall and gutter allow it. Stand it alone if they do not.
An attached pergola uses the house as one side, needs two fewer posts and feels like part of the home. A freestanding one can go anywhere in the yard and never touches the siding or roof. We check the wall, the eave height and the gutter, and write down which one fits.
| If this is true | We recommend |
|---|---|
| The patio sits right against the back wall | Attached |
| The shade you want is out in the yard or by a pool | Freestanding |
| The eave is high enough to clear the pergola beams | Attached |
| Brick, stone or stucco would have to be drilled | Freestanding |
| You want to save the cost of two posts and footings | Attached |
| You may move or remove it someday | Freestanding |
How long it takes
Most pergolas are built in three to ten days, once the footings have cured.
A wood pergola takes three to five days on site, cedar or aluminum one to two weeks. Louvered systems take two to four weeks including factory lead time, which we schedule from the day you sign.
Before day one
Sun study and design
Site visit at the hot hour, slat direction set, material chosen, permit filed if your town asks.
Days one and two
Footings and anchors
Utilities marked, footings dug and poured, or anchors bolted through the deck into new blocking.
Following days
Posts, beams, roof
Posts plumbed, beams set, rafters and slats fastened, or louvered frame and motor installed.
Last day
Wiring and walkthrough
Fan, lights and louver motor wired by an electrician, stain or touch-up, walkthrough with you.
Before and after
Three outdoor spaces, before the pergola and after the first shady dinner.
What your pergola is made of
Every post, slat and anchor is named in your price, so two quotes line up.
Pergola quotes differ most in wood species, post size, anchor type and, for louvered systems, the brand and motor. Your estimate names each, because a cheaper quote usually saves on the parts that hold it down.
Western red cedar
Naturally rot-resistant, light and straight, with a warm color. Takes a penetrating stain and weathers to silver gray if you leave it bare.
Pressure-treated pine
The most affordable frame, usually painted or stained. Posts are ground-contact rated and sit on metal bases above the concrete.
Powder-coated aluminum
Aluminum beams and slats with a baked-on finish in black, white or bronze. No painting, no rot, no warping, in slim modern profiles.
Louvered roof systems
StruXure, Azenco R-Blade and Equinox aluminum louvers rotate by remote or app. Closed, they shed rain into gutters hidden in the beams.
Shade add-ons
Retractable canopies, shade sails, polycarbonate panels or climbing plant wires. Each changes how much sun and rain reach the table.
Footings and anchors
Concrete piers sized for local wind and frost, with Simpson Strong-Tie post bases, or engineered base plates for aluminum systems.
Written into every contract
Six promises you can hold us to.
The approved price is the final price. Change orders only with your written approval.
A credit for every working day of delay we cause. Weather and inspections excepted, in writing.
Dust barriers, floor protection and a clean-up before we leave. Your home stays livable.
A text or email every working day with photos and tomorrow's plan, or the day is free.
Workmanship warranty in writing, transferable to the next owner, backed by a fixed address.
A small deposit, then you pay only for work that is already completed, inspected and photographed.
Who builds your pergola
A small crew builds your pergola in days, not weeks.
Pergolas are quick when the footings are right. You meet each person on the crew by name before day one, and every one of them is background-checked.
Pergola supervisor
Studies the sun, designs the slats and checks the anchors.
Lead carpenter
Pours footings, plumbs posts and sets beams dead level.
Licensed electrician
Wires the fan, lights and louver motor on a GFCI circuit.
Recent pergolas, with the real numbers
Three pergolas, three materials, three patios in the shade now.
Painted pine pergola, patio
- Final price
- $9,400
- Duration
- 4 days
- Location
- City, ST
Attached aluminum pergola, deck
- Final price
- $21,700
- Duration
- 8 days
- Location
- City, ST
Louvered roof by the pool
- Final price
- $46,300
- Duration
- 3 weeks
- Location
- City, ST
Your yard is not average
Your sun and your yard are different. Here is how the pergola price changes.
Every pergola starts from the three tiers above, then moves for how much shade, rain cover and wind protection your spot needs. Choose the one closest to yours.
Hard afternoon sun
Open slats block only part of a low western sun. We tighten slat spacing, run them north to south, and add a side shade screen or a louvered roof when you need the table fully shaded at 5 in the afternoon.
Price a pergola for strong sunWind or hurricane zones
A pergola acts like a sail when fabric or panels are attached. We size footings for your local wind speed, use uplift-rated anchors and, for louvered roofs, choose a system with published wind ratings.
Price a wind-rated pergolaOver an outdoor kitchen
Cooking under a pergola needs clearance from the grill and a roof that handles grease and heat. We keep combustible slats well away from the burners and can add a vent panel in a louvered or solid roof.
Price a pergola for my grill areaSnow country
Open slats let snow fall through, but solid or louvered roofs must carry snow load. We choose systems rated for your area and set louvers to open in storms so the weight does not build up on the roof.
Price a pergola for heavy snowShade on a tight budget
A freestanding painted pine pergola with a retractable canopy gives real shade for the lowest price. The design leaves room to add lights, a fan or panels later without taking the structure apart again.
Price my budget pergolaAn outdoor living room
A louvered roof with built-in lights, heaters, a fan and motorized side screens turns a patio into a room you use from spring into fall. Each add-on is priced separately so you keep the ones you really want.
Price my outdoor room pergolaAn HOA or strict zoning
Pergolas are often treated as accessory structures with height and setback limits. We check the rules, prepare drawings and color samples for HOA approval and file a permit when the size or attachment requires one.
Check my pergola against the rulesA rental or vacation home
Guests want shade, and owners want nothing to maintain. We suggest powder-coated aluminum with anchors checked for wind, and photograph the finished install and anchor details for your records and insurer.
Price a pergola for my rentalWhat this service is
Pergola construction, defined the way we build it.
Pergola construction is building an open outdoor shade structure of posts, beams and rafters or slats, set over a patio, deck or yard, either attached to the house or freestanding. ProBuild Remodeling builds wood, aluminum and motorized louvered pergolas as a licensed contractor, with footings sized for wind and one supervisor from design to walkthrough.
The service covers the sun study and design, footings or deck anchors, the structure, slats or louvers, shade add-ons, wiring for fans, lights and louver motors, stain or finish, and a permit where required. It does not include a solid shingled roof or screens, which are porch projects, or building the patio or deck underneath, which is quoted separately.
It is for homeowners who want shade over a table, a grill area or a pool lounge, and for those who want a covered outdoor room without a full roof. It is not for anyone who needs a fully dry, bug-free space in every rain, which a screened porch provides.
The words you will see on your pergola estimate
- Rafter
- The boards that run across the beams and form the top of the pergola. Their spacing and direction shape the shade.
- Purlin
- The smaller slats laid across the rafters. Tighter purlins give denser shade; wider spacing gives filtered light.
- Louvered roof
- Aluminum blades that rotate from open to closed by motor. Open, they let light and air in; closed, they shed rain.
- Freestanding pergola
- A pergola held up by four or more posts of its own, with no connection to the house wall or roof.
- Ledger
- The beam fastened to the house wall that carries one side of an attached pergola. Flashed so water stays out.
- Post base
- A metal bracket holding the post just above the concrete. Keeps end grain dry and resists wind uplift.
- Uplift
- Wind pushing a structure upward. Pergolas with canopies or louvers need anchors rated to resist it.
- Accessory structure
- The zoning term for a pergola, shed or gazebo. Height and distance from lot lines are often limited.
Questions we hear on pergola calls
Eight questions people ask before building a pergola.
How much does a pergola cost?
A 12 by 16 foot wood pergola built by a contractor costs about $6,000 to $15,000. Custom cedar or aluminum runs $14,000 to $28,000. A motorized louvered roof costs $28,000 to $60,000. Footings, attachment to the house and wiring move the price within each range.
Does a pergola provide real shade?
An open pergola with standard slats blocks roughly 30 to 50 percent of direct sun, depending on slat spacing and direction. For full shade add a canopy, shade panels or climbing plants, or choose a louvered roof you can close completely.
Do I need a permit for a pergola?
It depends on your town. Many require one when the pergola is attached to the house, taller than a set height or larger than about 120 to 200 square feet. We check the local rule and file the permit when one is needed.
Is a wood or aluminum pergola better?
Wood, especially cedar, gives a warm traditional look and can be restained, but needs upkeep every few years. Aluminum costs a bit more and needs almost no maintenance. In coastal or very wet areas we usually suggest aluminum.
Can a pergola go on an existing deck?
Yes, if the deck frame can carry the posts. We add blocking and through-bolts under each post, or run posts down to their own footings through the deck, so the pergola cannot rock or pull the deck boards up in wind.
Does a louvered pergola keep rain out?
When closed, the louvers interlock and channel rain into gutters hidden in the beams, so the space underneath stays dry in normal rain. Wind-driven rain can still blow in from the sides unless you add motorized side screens.
How long does a pergola last?
A cedar pergola lasts 15 to 25 years with regular stain, treated pine about the same if kept painted. Powder-coated aluminum and louvered systems last longer and often carry manufacturer warranties on the frame and finish.
Which direction should pergola slats run?
For afternoon sun from the west, run the top slats north to south so they block the low sun. For midday shade, east to west works better. We check the angle of the sun on your spot at the visit before setting the direction.
Pergola builders near you
Your remodeling address, within our service area.
Pergolas are built by local crews licensed in your state, with footings and anchors sized for your area's wind and frost.
- Maine
- New Hampshire
- Massachusetts
- Rhode Island
- Connecticut
- New York
- New Jersey
- Pennsylvania
- Delaware
- Maryland
- Virginia
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Georgia
- Florida
- Check your remodeling address
Free pergola estimate
Send your answers and an afternoon photo. Get three pergola prices in writing.
A pergola supervisor reads your answers, texts within 5 minutes during business hours and books the site visit in the same conversation.