Does the idea of installing a pergola sound complicated and time-consuming to you? You can easily build any of the pergolas in our range yourself – even without any specialist knowledge! Using our easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions, you can quickly assemble your DIY pergola on your terrace or in your garden!
In this guide, we show you how to read instructions correctly and outline the most important steps and ideas for building a pergola. Find out here how you can build your modern pergola in just a few steps – without stress or sweat!
Building a pergola: 2 tips for the preparatory work
Before you build your pergola as a sun, rain, or privacy barrier, we would like to give you two tips to consider before you start assembling. Whether you need a building permit for the pergola you are building. For example, parts of Pennsylvania classify pergolas as “accessory structures” with less stringent permit requirements.
Sorting the pergola kit
Unroll the pergola kit completely – for example, on a large corner of the garden or terrace. Get an overview of the individual parts that make up the metal pergola kit. Take the opportunity to sort immediately – by screws, dowels, crosspieces, and posts. Once the kit has been sorted, you won’t waste valuable time looking for various materials on the day of assembly.
Also, check that all the parts listed in the assembly instructions are present. Allow plenty of time to complete these steps – for example, our freestanding pergola with a slatted roof may be delivered in four or more boxes that need to be sorted and checked. It is important to emphasize here that you can save a lot of money when building your pergola yourself thanks to the ready-made kit, which you can save by trusting Grandsea, our wealth of experience, to plan ahead for you.
Read the pergola assembly instructions
Before assembling the individual parts of the pergola into a complete structure, you should familiarize yourself with the PDF assembly instructions. The great thing about our assembly instructions is that they consist mainly of drawings and contain fewer long blocks of text, so that you can follow the steps quickly. If you still have questions about building your pergola that are not answered in the construction plan, our professional customer service is at your disposal.
We recommend that you look for the relevant assembly instructions as soon as you receive the pergola.
You can erect your pergola in just four steps
Step 1: Pour the foundation
To ensure that your outdoor pergola stands firmly on the ground, you must build a level and sturdy foundation.
Dig a hole in the ground where the posts will later be placed and fill it with concrete. Make sure that the holes or concrete points are at the correct distance from each other, for example using a tape measure.
Step 2: Build the structure
Once the foundation is in place, it’s time to build the structure. It doesn’t matter whether your self-assembly pergola kit is made of aluminium or steel – the subsequent assembly steps are the same for both metals.
First, fix the posts to the foundation using the screws provided. Next, the crosspieces – remove the dowels and attach the crosspieces to the posts. Use a ladder to help you. Depending on the size of the pergola, you will need to attach four or six posts to the beams.
Once you have installed all the beams, screw the corners together using the appropriate corners. Done – building your modern garden pergola is so easy!
Step 3: Build the pergola roof yourself
The pergolas we offer have adjustable aluminum louver roofs.
For the slat pergola roof, you first have to assemble the rail system including the adjustment mechanism.
You only need to worry about installing the internal gutter and slats. Take the appropriate screws and screw the corresponding slats to the adjusters – now all that’s missing is the crank to operate it!
Step 4: Control work
Finally, it’s time to control. Are all the connections secure? Do you need to tighten any screws again? Are all the materials installed? Check the stability of the patio pergola you have installed yourself – take your time and do this step carefully.
