Which type of Pergola is better?

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ankit816

147 posts

Master Geek

# 100228 5-Apr-2012 15:08

Hi, I have a big deck in front of my house in Auckland (not backyard) and I wish to have a pergola to be able to use it and protect from weather (sun/wind/rain).

Which of the following options is better in terms of value for money being invested:

1. Wooden custom made with polycarbonate sheets?

2. Galvanized / powder coated pipe custom structures with polycarbonate sheets?

3. Aluminum kits?

Also, if you could suggest estimated price range.

The area to cover is approx 19 sq m. (6 m by 3 m).

I am confused with the all the options and varying price ranges.

Also, the deck is a concrete one, with my garage underneath it, so there is no scope of digging and bury the posts.

Please help!

vinnieg

2260 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

# 605749 5-Apr-2012 15:22

Hi,

Depends on where you live,

I'm in Wellington, so I built something strong last year, roughly 6mx3m

Cost was roughly $300 all up from Bunnings

1. Wooden, with sheets of polycarb/roofing sheets

I used 150x50mm beams x2, bolted them to 3x 100x100mm posts
Then used 100x50mm battens back to the house
I used 250mm coach bolts to bolt the beams to the poles. And Galvanised flat head nails for the rest of it.

Then I crossed those with 50x50mm battens, to strengthen/bolt the polycarb to

I used galvanised 100x50mm hangers, and bolted the 100x100mm posts into the concrete.

If you were doing it in grass, set the posts 1/3 of the height underground, and use 2x bags of 25kg instacrete.

Will give you a stable bit of kit

2. Otherwise the galvanised/powder coated custom structure would set you back about $800(rough materials probably 400-500, then powder coating on top of that

3. Haven't really seem many aluminium kits, but I'm sure bunnings will have some shade sales that might suit, ranging anywhere from 300-1200.

If you are in a high wind area, I strongly advise wood. As metal poles will vibrant, and resonate in the wind. As I've found out with a recently installed aluminium gate...

I might be able to get some pictures this weekend if you wanted an idea of what it looks like? I haven't quite finished the painting on it. But it's an excellent wind/rain stopper. It's bumped right up to the guttering on the house, with a slight 10 degree slope to allow water run off

I have moved across the ditch. Now residing in Melbourne as a VOIP/Video Technical Trainer/Engineer.

ankit816

147 posts

Master Geek

# 605757 5-Apr-2012 15:27

Hi, thanks for your reply. Apologies for not mentioning my city, I am in Auckland (hv edited the post)
Do you mean 300 or 3000 $ for wooden?

Sounds like you did the project on your own, I don't think I have the expertize to do it myself so I would need the labor cost to be factored in as well, apart from the materials.

mattwnz

15210 posts

Uber Geek

# 605782 5-Apr-2012 15:45

You may need to hire someone to draw up the plans. You may need building consent too, depending on where you live, as it sounds like it is being attached to part of building.

BlueShift

1465 posts

Uber Geek

# 605796 5-Apr-2012 16:35

For the custom fitted type, try the likes of Archgola. they should be able to give a ballpark guesstimate over the phone, and will probably be happy to send someone out for a specific quote.

Places like Bunnings & Mega have pamphlets and people on hand to give this kind of advice too. Or if you're planning on the easy option, get quotes from some buildery types.