We looked at many different pergolas before deciding to go with this. It is absolutely perfect for our back yard. It is sturdy, and I have no doubt that it will be able to withstand all the weather elements. We did stain it before we put it together as was suggested. Family and friends have asked where they can buy one too! Shipping and delivery was easy, the delivery company that delivered the boxes were very nice and made sure it was away from the road.

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.

This pergola is beautiful and assembly went well. The directions were complete and accurate but you need to look at them carefully for the details. It took me alone about 3 hours to assemble the two ends on the ground, and then 4 hours for 3 of us to complete including a couple breaks (it was very hot). We could have done it with two people and one step ladder but it was nice having a third person and 2 step ladders.

My fault on reading the size. I measured our old one from post to post which was 10x10. I ordered a 12x10 thinking that it was measured by post to post and not the overhang. So disappointed can’t return it and looks stupid on my deck. Never would I measure from over hang. Should be wear the footings need to be for the post.

I bought this over the 2019 Memorial day weekend which included free shipping as part of the special. It was delivered withing 10 business days, in long boxes. Boxes are heavy, need two strong people to lift. I was able to assemble the pergola within four hours. It really adds visual depth to my patio, ties the house in nicely to the yard and provides great shade. I will be adding a canvas piece to the side for additional UV protection but overall I would definitely recommend this product.

[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.

The seller stated we would receive the pergola within 10 to 17 days from order date and we received it on the 10th day. The men who delivered it did a great job and actually carried it into our garage and I'm glad they did because the 2 boxes were quite heavy. The assembly instructions were good, but the hardware not so good. We had to spray WD-40 on the nuts and bolts or else they would bind. I'm not sure why they designed then top support beams in 2 pieces, it would have made more sense if it was 1 piece, and assembly would have gone a lot quicker. Overall it took 3 of us about 4 hours to assemble it and it looks very nice. We are very satisfied with our purchase.

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.

No wonder this is a best seller. Well made. The posts are solid even though they have cedar panels on the outside and lots of 2x2s inside to make they solid. But you have to use your own judgement in using the manual to fit your own needs. I put up the basic frame first and keep making sure the 4 posts are perfectly straight before the next step. Also, DON'T screw in the 4 braces early, as they suggested in the manual, until the very last step. Because as you take a step to make one post straight, the other posts shift. As careful as I was to make sure I do the braces last, I still had to redo all posts! To lift up the entire structure to secure the post footing with concrete screws is unrealistic because by then the pergola is already too heavy. It is like a table already. Why would you fasten down an 600 lb dining table?

Pleasantly surprised by the accuracy and condition of the contents of the shipped pergola. No missing parts and all components were in excellent condition. For such a large amount of wooden parts I expected to find some pieces in either warped or cracked condition. However every thing was in great shape and all parts fit as designed. No holes were miss aligned and all hardware worked as designed.