Don't usually do this but the directions are not great so thought this might help. Product came on a pallet in two boxes....all parts received and no damage noted. Two of the joists were warped but that can be corrected as indicated below. Most of this assembly can be done with one helper. Steps 1 + 2: Hold off on these until completing Steps 3 + 4. The angle braces get in the way when attaching the joists to the pergola posts. Wound up taking them off. Steps 3 + 4: This is where a third set of hands comes in handy. The 7 1/4 screws are barely long enough to get through the two joists and the post, hence the reason to remove the angle braces first (from Steps 1 + 2 above). Two of the joists have a series of holes in the top so make sure they are facing up and on the outside. Once you get the four posts attached to the joists (tough if you don't have that 3rd set of hands), you can easily install the 4 long and 4 short angle braces and secure them to the posts with the lag screws. Plumb everything square and lock it in at this point. Note: Our pergola is freestanding and over an above ground spa, so at this point, due to weight considerations, we moved it to its permanent location, completed Step 13, realigned, secured, and sent the 3rd set of hands (my wife) back into the house to avoid further conflict. Steps 5 through 8: Simple and straightforward...attaching the joist ends to the joists. One thing to note not in the instructions - four of the joist ends have holes in the top (D7s) so make sure to identify them. There are no markings on the parts. Step 9: Don't worry if any of the slotted joists are warped as you can correct that in Step 10. Just secure them as indicated. Step 10: Purlins have predrilled holes in them so just line up your first set and secure. Fit the long purlin angle end under the short purlin angle end to give a cleaner finish. Step 11 + 12: Final Steps on our install. Make sure to do a lot of measuring as not all the purlins are perfectly straight and you want the finished product to be. Additionally, this is where you are able to straighten any slotted joists that may have arrived warped by bending the joist straight (difficult) and securing in place to the purlin(s). Final notes: The hardware is not great but workable and extra is provided. You may find you need to widen some of the predrilled holes. Also had two holes predrilled on the wrong end of one of the angle braces but easily correctable. Finally, held off on water sealing due to overnight temperatures dropping below optimal, but will do so in the spring,. Bottom line...directions and hardware are the only drawbacks but neither insurmountable. Really sharp looking finished product and sets off the area we put it in nicely. Happy with the purchase. Good luck.

I love love love love love love love love my new pergola backyard discoveries you are a dream maker with great products I would recommend this to anyone and I went through a contractor referred by backyard discoveries to put together that was the best choice I made money well spent enjoying and loving my new addition to my home.

This company has been excellent to do business with...very responsive to questions and superior customer support for installation. The Pergola was easy to assemble with clear instructions, and with pieces that were milled and pre-drilled correctly at every step. All of the hardware came with at least one extra piece. The final product looks great. We did quite a bit of research and found that this product offered excellent value for the price. We could not be more pleased with the company and our end-result.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] overall it’s not bad , but i should have paid attention to the height . it’s a little shorter than i would like , but the price is great . some of wood was warped so a bunch of c clamps were needed.

I bought the pergola about a month ago and planned to put it together right away. Then we had snow! The pergola was safe in its boxes in garage. When we finally got to it; we counted all the pieces and inspected for damage/warping etc. We read reviews and hints from others extensively prior to buying. There was some issues, we called the number provided and were treated wonderfully! Replacement pieces came, we sealed each piece and were ready to build. Then ran into another problem with the hardware. Again called the service line and replacements were here within days. The pergola is now mostly build as we are having some landscaping done but looks fabulous as it awaits to be moved to it's final place. Please note the instructions could be better. A video would be awesome. No issues so far with alignment but we made sure it was square. (Read reviews). If you have issues the company is very helpful! If you are hiring someone to build it, you may want to find one the company recommends.

Just put up 4 days ago and received it's christening the next day with 2 days of on off heavy rains. Looks terrific. Only issue I had was with the sealer. Used the One Time and it took several days for it to sink in and dry and some places did not absorb. I had 2 guys put it together...took under 4 hours. Although in the home improvement biz for a very long time, this is the first time they put up a kit. They were quite impressed and plan to offer it to their other customers. Being white cedar from China, I'm curious to see how long it holds up to the coastal Carolina winds and sun.

We purchased the 10x14’ cedar stain pergola for our indoor retail area, inside our nursery/landscape supply business. And it’s perfect! I tell everyone who asks where to buy one! The shipping was included and no damage. The holes were predrilled with no issues. We printed the directions, which was easier to read. My husband put the sides together before he needed me to help (stood on ladder and held) a short while. He put it all together by himself on a Sunday afternoon. It’s beautiful and I’m still in awe! It’s perfect for our retail area and goes with our wood/outdoor theme.

My husband put it together by himeself. I love it. The only drawback is I bought it to have some shade over my patio furniture and it does not provide any shade. So now I have to buy some kind of cover to put in the top to get shade. Otherwise it's very well made and makes the backyard look so peaceful next to the pool.

no special tricks here other than follow the directions! you will likely need to make some "on the fly" adjustments/re-calibrations, as the pieces do not always line up otherwise it took me about 6 hours total over 2 days. the need for a 2nd person really only comes into play when you go to make it stand upright...the rest of the assembly is a one person deal...maybe the helper can hand you supplies to help with efficiency but other than that...no real problems

This pergola more than met our expectations. The only issue we had was that it was delivered earlier than the estimated delivery date and we were out of town but they left it where we wanted and in the end we’re glad to get it earlier than predicted.