Customer reviews for Backyard Discovery 14' x 10' Somerville Pergola with PowerPort forMember photos









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Nice Pergola
Took a little TLC but worth it. We lacquered the wood first and it highlights better. A little configuring since some holes did not align, but once it was up it looks great.
I'm glad you are now able to enjoy your Somerville.
Patio addition
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!
Thank you for your review! We strive for 5 star satisfaction, and glad we were able to deliver! We know that you will enjoy time under your Somerville Pergola for years to come!
Then pergola is very good but the customer service
is awesome! I did have to replace a part and got someone on the line in 60-90 seconds! A real person. They had me send them my receipt to register me and withing an hour the part was shipped. I had it the next day. The instructions are good but I'd revise them. I seal the wood first thing. I used Thompsons Timber Oil in cedar. Next I'd anchor the feet down after step 4. Why wait until you have all of the extra weight on it? If your feet are directly on the concrete I'd opt for shorter concrete screws. Make sure everything is level plumb and square. I believe I could do another in less than 5 hours but I used a cordless screwdriver. I think this is a good value for the money and am happy with my purchase.
Thank you for the great review as well as some great tips.
Don't buy
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.
I encourage you to contact our Customer Advocate team at 800-856-4445. We can work with you to get your playset up to manufacturer specifications.
Incredibly happy with our purchase!
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.
Thank you for your wonderful review! We are so glad that you had such a positive experience, and know that you will enjoy the pergola for years to come!
great value
This took 4 people approximately 6 hrs to put together. The paper instructions were lacking. The app could not find the exact model. With that said, one board was cracked and one piece of hardware was missing. Still, would buy again because it looks great and the price was right.
Your Somerville comes with a replacement part warranty so we can replace the cracked piece as well as the hardware at no cost. To order parts go to the following link: service.backyarddiscovery.com/Customer/Login. You can also call 800-8556-4445 8a-6p CT and a Backyard Discovery Customer Advocate will place the order for you.
We are very happy
We are very happy with this pergola. Although it was a little tricky to do over a pond, we got it done. We had no problems putting together, instructions were clear as well as numbered pieces. We did have a problem with a side board peeling, but called CS and another is being sent out.
We are so glad we earned your 5-star review!
Painstakingly Beautiful!
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...
Thank you for your review! We appreciate your feedback. Now that the hard part is over, we know that you will enjoy it for many years to come!
Great pergola, very good value
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.
We are glad you are happy with the Somerville. It does come with a replacement part warranty so we can replace the split piece at no cost. To order parts go to the following link: service.backyarddiscovery.com/Customer/Login. You can also call 800-8556-4445 8a-6p CT and a Backyard Discovery Customer Advocate will place the order for you.
Poor installation, Quality, and Customer Service.
I bought this pergola which looks very nice, but the wood is heavily damaged after AIT WorldWide installation the company that installs these for Backyard Discovery. After several emails, I still have not resolution to who is going to fix the cap that fell off. Both companies are asking me to reach out to the other. A few pictures of the quality and installation attached.



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Hi Mike- I am so sorry to hear about your experience. Please give us a call at 800-856-4445 and ask for a manager and we will be sure to get you taken care of. Again I am truly sorry for the inconvenience.







