Happy as a clam with our pergola, got it up in one day with help from a friend. Did my homework on the "Chinese Cedar" (C. Lanceolata) and which settled my concerns about longevity compared to western red cedar. Granted, I wouldn't mind having the wrc but wanted a kit and, quite frankly, those were w-a-y more expensive. And yes, there are cons, but not enough to offset my overall elation with the look. Pros: • Looks great! Absolutely love the color of the stain! • Lightweight pieces, very easy to handle • Installation not too terribly difficult and for 'most part' was hiccup-free • The electrical is rather nifty; not high tech, but nifty nonetheless. Cons: • Not at all a fan of the post bases, not enough meat to make me feel comfortable with anything more than a breeze. Recommend purchasing stronger ones, such as Ozco 54208 Laredo (Amazon) or similar from Simpson. • Very high # of pcs, made pre-sealing a real pain. I get why they do it that way but, still a pain. • Instructions were okay but could have been a little more spelled out. Found a couple of vids online but none showed the level of detail I wanted and omitted some very important aspects. We actually messed up and installed our posts facing wrong direction, but with some crazy ingenious luck, I was able to make it work so you'd never know it. • Yes, a number of the perlins and 1-2 of the beams were bowed but pulled out when fastening, for the most part at least. • The touchup pen was a joke – don't use it, will actually look worse. Instead, ask mfr to send you a small can of matching stain (they'll do for free) right after you purchase and before you get – you're going to need it. Tips/Suggestions: • As much of a pain as it was with the really high number of pieces, I still very much recommend sealing in the comfort of your garage. We put a min of 3 coats on every surface, 4-5 coats on the up-facing pieces. We brushed on Polycrylic satin and are very happy with the results. Sawhorses for finishing, and various 2x4's (or similar) on the concrete for drying. • Take your time during installation and pay attention, as you surely don't want to get that puppy standing only then to find out you did something wrong. Voice of experience ; ) • Purchase decorative, structural post bases as mentioned above. We are also crazy happy with the decorative screens we purchased – they really "made" the whole thing! (Freedom Sprig from Lowes) • See the nifty brace I installed – and stained to match : ) – from which to hang my plug-in outdoor ceiling fan (Lowes). I also put a small piece of plywood atop the center to hopefully prevent melting of the shade cover (purchased elsewhere) due to heat rising from our fire pit table. • Contractor's coming next week to install code-approved electrical since you're not supposed to bury extension cords, nor are you supposed to leave them plugged in for long durations. Am still going to leave what came with the pergola on there for greater flexibility though.

For starters, if you can find it in the club grab it. Our clubs were out of stock and I did not want to wait until September before I could enjoy my Pergola so I bit the bullet and paid the extra $500 (GULP)! My Husband and myself did the majority of the building and fortunately our adult son showed up as we were ready to attach the two sides. If your not afraid of the possibility of a small wind blowing your treasured Pergola down, have 3 people at this juncture as this is the most critical stage. The Pergola is absolutely fantastic. All parts were there and all pre drilled holes were in the wood where they were supposed to be. None of our parts were bowed as some of the other reviewers mentioned. We followed the BILT app as shown below. It was better then rifling through 20 pages of instructions. I would highly recommend this method. To the reviewer who mentioned both he and his wife are in their 60's and assembled this without issue, I have to wonder if both of you are offspring of the Incredible Hulk or Hercules as this was not only difficult and challenging but very heavy at times. Hats off to you! I guess I need to hit the gym more often. My husband loves it, my son loves it.. even my dog loves it - make sure you pick up a 6 pack at Sam's and have it handy. Trust me you will need it after you have completed the job. Ibuprofen isle 7...

Overall, the finished pergola was very satisfactory. The pieces all fit, the directions were clear and concise, and assembly was pretty straightforward. One issue that cost us time and money was the 7 1/4" bolts used for the first steps were not threaded far enough to allow them to tighten the initial cross pieces. They would bottom out in the barrel nut with nearly a half inch to go. We had to purchase stainless steel nuts to use instead of the supplied barrel nuts. Despite this frustrating start to our assembly, the rest went fairly well and we're satisfied with the finished product. However, I'm sure that a less experienced builder would have major issues with this quality control issue.

It is sturdy, comes with all the parts, does not have good assembly instruction, in fact, they are not useful at all. They give you a link to scan, you have to add an app to get it to work and it still is not much help. We went to Sam's and shot close up pictures and went from those. The wood is soft as cedar can be and there are several damaged areas from packing that we needed to touch up (paint stick or stain not included) The box wasn't damaged so it had to be during packing. Not all the holes line up so have a drill ready. They say it is a two person set up but that must be their guys with experience. The last steps are impossible for 2, even 4 people. After assembled you are supposed to lift it, put it in its mounting feet, draw around that, drill holes, set with screws and then lift it back in place. I believe the delivery guys said it weighed 900 lbs and it is at least that. IMPOSSIBLE for two people to lift. Ours isn't secure until; we can get a bunch of people to help. However, once assembled it is beautiful, sturdy and just like the pictures. It needs better instructions written and a video. I would buy another if we ever needed it now that we know how to assemble.

We were looking to buy this pergola 2 years ago from Sams CLub when the price was $799.00....in 2022 the price rose to $999.00. Being a craftsman, i could have easily made a project out of this pergola, but in today's world, i'm sure if i would have bought the wood, screws, stain, etc myself...+ my time and supplies...that it would have equaled the cost! Overall, the unit went together easily - one person could do it with some sawhouses and supports, but erecting the unit was definitely a 2 person job. The instructions were clear and the pieces labelled inconspiciously. Overall, a very nice accent to out yard!

We love it. It arrived quickly and on time. The installers ( Lynn and Dave from T&T ) were friendly, funny, so cooperative and there quickly. They were done in under two hours and did a wonderful job. By the next day, we had our table and chairs and a little decor and we have been enjoying it daily.

If you're thinking about buying this pergola, think again. Poorly made. Very unstable after put together. If I have it a good shove I'm sure it'll all come down. Also a lot of the top pieces, the purlins, don't match up. Some are cut too short so there are gaps. I was thinking about building my own but saw this in sale and thought it be great but was wrong.

Bought in store for $799. Comes in two boxes, each about 215 pounds. My daughter and I (wife helped too) built this in under 4 hours, and that included time to move it into position. I do recommend reading the instructions first to get an idea of the process, and lay out the tools and hardware. You'll want to lay it down on the grass or blankets when assembling; if you lay it on the concrete it WILL get scratched up. It says it's cedar, but it's not really. Cedar is much harder than this wood. You will need two people for a few steps and a ladder for sure. Mine came with extra hardware; one piece of the wood has a small split, but I'm not worried about it. When most pergolas this size are $1300+, I am happy with this. Once the rain stops, I can finish adding the electrical box and string it up with lights. Overall, very happy with it. Good job, China.

The manufacturer added a plastic cap at the top of the 4 posts, but didn't lengthen the bolts. The caps are affixed with nail gun staples and must be removed for the bolts to fit through the width of the post and top crossbeams. Unfortunately you find this out (if you figure it out) right the most critical and dangerous part of the assembly. Normally this would only subtract a couple of stars, but my wife insisted on holding it while I went for a tool and we had a bad crash as she shifted on the ladder. She's okay, but the pergola had a piece broken. Also they had packed before the stain dried and pieces had styrofoam glued to the beam. Taking it off required solvent that removed stain as well.

My wife and I just began fixing our new backyard up. This Pergola has been a great addition and we can't wait to see it with plants and other furniture around. Wood seems solid and well put together. I sealed with a clear sealer so didn't lose color.