While I'm pleased with the final result from this pergola, I cannot offer an enthusiastic endorsement of it. The kit is (mostly) designed and engineered well, but the materials were very unsatisfactory. There's a real problem with quality control at the site of manufacture (there doesn't appear to be any). As others have noted, wood pieces may be warped and/or twisted. After initial delivery, construction of my unit was delayed five weeks because of this. Most of the pieces originally shipped were unusable, and required replacement. Then the replacements needed to be replaced, and those did too -- even after I requested that replacement parts be inspected before shipment. A complete, usable set of parts required five separate shipments. I now have nearly enough lumber to build another pergola, except for the posts and some small parts. I finally just used the parts I had, even though some were still imperfect. Most were okay to use, but the long joists were still somewhat bowed -- which caused problems later. However, customer service was very polite and my requests were never questioned, although I was asked to send photos of the unusable parts. Replacements were delivered within three days. Assembly is not especially difficult. The only bit that required two people was positioning the joists that create the square frame around the posts. The joist ends were most difficult -- holes were misaligned, and I had to re-drill them. This part of the design is cumbersome, and one wonders why the manufacturer didn't just make single lengths of board. Also problematic was attaching the slotted joists to the main joists. Because I had to build with parts that were bowed, the slots were out of alignment, requiring the use of a jigsaw. When starting assembly, you should position the square plastic footers first (see the manual's basic setup dimensions) but be sure to consult the triangular dimensions on the next to last page. Step 13 instructs that entire structure must be moved into final position upon completion, but it's way too heavy and there's no good way to move it. If you measure correctly, you can assemble the pergola with the footers in place. Some have suggested the wood is pine, but it's actually Chinese cedar (Cunninghamia lanceolata). It's evidently a species of cyprus, but supposedly still moisture- and insect-resistant. I should note also that the lumber is not sized in standard American thicknesses/widths (2x4s, 2x6s, etc). If you have a mind to replace any parts now or later, you'll have to do so from the distributor. However, if you have access to common power tools, you might be able to make do. Generally speaking I'm happy with the result, but the process of getting to completion is not one I'd care to repeat. If you buy, be advised you may experience disappointment and frustration. I sent this review to the distributor, but they refused to post it. Go figure. Good luck!!!

decent quality of materials. exceptions were the longest bolts had threads which all wanted to cross thread. pre drilled holes in the p1 top pieces were not lined up with the base consistantly. with those exceptions, it was actually fun to put up and i did it with help of my wife in 2 days. she loves it.

Great item, we were worried about it looking cheap but it's everything but. It has a GREAT presence in our large yard. It's made of Quality Material and my Wife and I put it together in 1 Day. Just take the time and separate all the pieces from the boxes and there should be NO problems.

My husband and I purchased this pergola for our paver patio to frame our backyard area. It took us about 8 hours to assemble, and per the other reviews we were delighted that it was more stable than we had imagined. All hardware was included and it really helped the assembly process that we separated all pieces into various containers so that it was easier for us recognize what went where. After assembly, we hung a solar pendant (also purchased from Sam's Club) so that we could enjoy sitting under the pergola after sunset. We are extremely happy with this purchase, and feel it is a great deal for the price.

My review is that I live in Texas and in the past 18 years I have used some sort of canopy over the years and had to replace them because of strong winds. This one is put up and cemented in the ground and it will take something stronger then a strong wind to move it. It was simple to assembly and it did take longer then the time stated in the book but now if I did a second one I think there would not be any problem . I think it is outstanding. I have had some very good comments from friends. I should not have to replace this one.

I bought this when it went on sale, but of course the price changed to the sale price as a permanent price a week after buying. Anyways i put it up with the help of two people and it went together pretty well except for a few misaligned pre drilled holes but not a big deal. We were going to go with one of the metal pergolas at the big box store but after reading all the problems with rust we changed our minds and are glad we chose this one. It looks great and i would buy again.

We love our pergola. It is great quality. Putting it together was quite the task, but all the pieces are already cut. There were a few holes that just didn't line up, but it was easily fixed by my husband. I highly recommend picking up the product from the store, and NOT using the Sam's Club delivery service. The pergola is great though and we love having the added shade and interest to our back porch.

I love this pergola! It was easy to put together as it was already precut and stained. Looks awesome next to our pool. I was nervous about if the stain would hold up during the winter, but it looks brand new. This pergola was much cheaper than buying one from Menards or Home Depot. Love it and would definitely recommend it to others!

This looks amazing built paid for installaion not just assembly. This comes with mounting brackets to secure this to the ground and I was told after the assembly as completed that they do not mount it to secure the structure. This is after they put it together and it weights 300 lbs. WTHeck..... when are they suppose to tell you that you will need another souce to mount this securely? I called customer support at the company that "assembles" and they let me know that this is not required. I live within a HOA that requirs all outside structures need to be secured. Sam's CLub description below: "The Pergola is easy to assemble and includes everything you need, including hardware and special foot pads for secure anchoring to the ground".

This was a fantastic addition to our backyard living space. We found the directions to be clear and the pieces for the most part well marked.It is made from Red Cedar from China. You will need at least 2 people to put it together but 3 is most helpful. The only downside I can see is putting on a pollyurathane protectant as the warranty is void without it. The application of this each season will be most tedious with all the nooks and crannies. It does come beautifully stained...had a couple very small nicks, no biggie though.