Pergola Mounting How To Guide

The How To Guide For Mounting Pergolas To Whatsoever Surface

A properly mounted pergola volition stay true to shape and safely secured for life. Making certain the posts don't motility over time will requite y'all peace of mind that your investment volition stand up the test of time.

Even though a pergola is heavy and difficult to move one time assembled, it has to be anchored securely to the ground for a number of reasons. Primary among them is safety. A poorly anchored pergola tin be moved by high winds if there is a canopy or comprehend on information technology as this adds to the air current load the pergola could come across in a storm or high winds. Secondary is to ensure long term stability to go on the pergolas shape. Wood over time can bend, bow and twist with the seasons and the frost. With proper anchoring, your pergola will continue its shape for many years.

The post-obit is a review of the different surfaces pergolas mount to and the fastening options for each of them:

Mounting Pergolas to Deck Surfaces

Pergola Mounting Strap Brackets

A properly constructed deck provides ample forcefulness to ballast a pergola. Still in that location are a few points to make to ensure you get the most force yous tin can with a trivial more effort.

Whatsoever pergola post tin can be anchored to a wood surface with 90 degree strap brackets. There are a few additional considerations before screwing into the post and into the deck. Offset, exist sure you are screwing into the deck's beams, non the deck's boards. If a beam is non located where y'all want a post, put a 2X6 flat nether the deck boards such that information technology runs across a number of deck boards.  And then screw through the deck boards into the 2X6 underneath. This spreads any elevator loads over a number of boards instead of one. Using the deck posts/railings as anchors are recommended because they go right downwards to the footings or the sub construction. Delight make sure that the screws used are long enough to reach the back up beams underneath.

Mounting Pergolas to Poured Concrete Patio

Pergola Mounting Hammer Set Fasteners

Hammer prepare fasteners for concrete are easy to gear up and are very strong. It is important to ensure the poured concrete is of sufficient mass to exist used with these fasteners. Most contractors like to run across half-dozen" of depth to use this method. If you are going to pour a concrete pad for your patio, make certain you lot specify 6" depth of pour. With that in place, anchoring is a simple matter of hammer drilling the holes for the fasteners, hammering the fasteners into place, and bolting down the mounting brackets for the pergola posts.

Mounting Pergolas to Paving Stone Patio

Pergola Mounting Cement Footing

These are the near troublesome and frustrating surfaces to mountain to. Although tempting to take an easy route,  you should non fasten posts to paving stones. Paving stones exercise not provide sufficient anchorage for a pergola that will be subject to wind loads and the seasonal forces that volition move the construction over time. You have to remove the stones where the posts are located and sink footings according to your local lawmaking. In the northeast, that is typically 48" to a physical poured footing. There are other footing options we volition discuss (helical screws, earthen screw, etc) but in any issue, a basis is needed to mount properly to paving stone surfaces. Note that the paradigm above represents the footing that should be used under the paving stones.

Mounting Pergolas to Footing 'Foundation' Anchoring

Pergola Mounting Helical Piers

Previously, y'all would dig a pigsty for each postal service and pour a concrete footing at the bottom of each hole for each post to 'set' in.  Once the concrete had set, you would build the pergola on the posts. Today, there are more efficient options to set footings such as helical piers or footings. If you are a practice it yourselfer, the helical pier may be a scrap difficult to set because equipment is needed to drill down to the 48" depth most crave for lawmaking compliance. However, your contractor can screw these piles right into the ground with an auger type attachment on their backhoe. The only circumspection is if in that location is a potential for structure debris similar sometime bricks and forest to exist buried.

Mounting Pergolas to Ground 'Location' Anchoring

Pergola Mounting Earth Screw Anchor

Similar to the helical pier but with much less strength is the earthen screw. If your pergola is sitting on footing and you lot want to be sure it does non blow away, these tin practise the job of securing to the posts into the ground. However, they will not exist part of a proper foundation like a helical pier or poured concrete footing. The same goes for steel pole anchors. They provide lateral location for posts simply do not prevent frost motions or anchor from negative wind (lift) loads. If your pergola has a canopy or cover on information technology, stick to the foundation type anchors.

When mounting a pergola, be certain to follow these tips to enjoy a lifetime of security in knowing your pergola is rubber, secure, and reliably fixed to continue its shape.