Back Yard Pergola Kit - For Free-Standing Pergola Any Size Up to 12' x 12'
⬩ Freestanding 1-Block pergola with a 4x4 frame
⬩ Slatted Roof (Inline 4x4 Posts) + 1 Privacy Wall
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1-block pergola with 4 posts
(see the house-attached 2-post kit)1-block pergola
(see wall-mount kit)
can be any size up to 12' x 12'
(width & depth are interchangeable)can be any size
up to 12' x 12'
for 4-by-4 lumber (actual: 3.5" x 3.5")
(see kit with 6x6 brackets)for 4-by-4's (actual: 3.5 x 3.5")
(see kit w/ 6x6 brackets)
change roof to: canopy, straight 2x4s, 2x4s atop beams or angled 2x4schange roof to: canopy, straight 2x4s, 2x4s atop beams or angled 2x4s
add corner supports, canopy, side railing or outdoor furniture kitadd corner supports or outdoor furniture kit
BASE BRACKETS
for 4x4 wood
3-ARM POST BRACKETS
for 4x4 wood
INSERT BRACKETS
for 4x4 wood
ALL SCREWS NEEDED
stainless steel
BASE BRACKETS
for 4x4 wood
3-ARM POST BRACKETS
for 4x4 wood
INSERT BRACKETS
for 4x4 wood
ALL SCREWS NEEDED
stainless steel
This DIY-friendly kit for a pergola with a privacy wall does not include the following items, which you will need to purchase at a local home improvement store or lumber yard:
Wood - Lumber is a) very expensive to ship and b) readily available to most people at local home improvement and building supply stores. By buying your wood locally, you also have more options on the exact type of wood you'd like that is appropriate for your area's climate.
Anchoring Hardware - Because the hardware you need will vary based on the type of material you're mounting the base brackets to, the kit does not include anchoring hardware for securing the base brackets to a secure foundation (i.e. cement pad, deck, landscape toppers, concrete footing, etc.). The kit does, however, include stainless steel wood screws for securing all of the wood posts/slats into the steel brackets.
This DIY-friendly kit for a pergola with a privacy wall does not include the following items, which you will need to purchase at a local home improvement store or lumber yard:
Wood - Lumber is a) very expensive to ship and b) readily available to most people at local home improvement and building supply stores. By buying your wood locally, you also have more options on the exact type of wood you'd like that is appropriate for your area's climate.
Anchoring Hardware - Because the hardware you need will vary based on the type of material you're mounting the base brackets to, the kit does not include anchoring hardware for securing the base brackets to a secure foundation (i.e. cement pad, deck, landscape toppers, concrete footing, etc.). The kit does, however, include stainless steel wood screws for securing all of the wood posts/slats into the steel brackets.
As noted above, wood (lumber) is NOT included in this bracket & hardware kit for a backyard pergola, nor is the hardware you'll need to anchor the base brackets to a secure foundation. Before you can build your backyard wood pergola, you'll need to purchase the following items from a local building supply store or lumber yard (assuming you plan to build a 12' x 12' pergola that is 8' tall):
The estimated cost for the above lumber and anchoring hardware is $923. This is only an estimate; actual costs will vary depending on the type of wood you decide to buy, your location, local stores & availability, and various other factors.
As noted above, wood (lumber) is NOT included in this bracket & hardware kit for a backyard pergola, nor is the hardware you'll need to anchor the base brackets to a secure foundation. Before you can build your backyard wood pergola, you'll need to purchase the following items from a local building supply store or lumber yard (assuming you plan to build a 12' x 12' pergola that is 8' tall):
The estimated cost for the above lumber and anchoring hardware is $923. This is only an estimate; actual costs will vary depending on the type of wood you decide to buy, your location, local stores & availability, and various other factors.
Make your back yard pergola even better by adding a bracket kit for:
Make your back yard pergola even better by adding a bracket kit for:
Assembling a Zen Pergola is quite easy (even for novices) and only requires basic tools. Following these simple instructions, it should only take 2-3 hours for you and a helper to assemble your behind-the-house pergola.
Assembling a Zen Pergola is quite easy (even for novices) and only requires basic tools. Following these simple instructions, it should only take 2-3 hours for you and a helper to assemble your behind-the-house pergola.
Shipping is free on all orders delivered within mainland USA. Shipping fees will apply for orders being delivered to Alaska, Hawaii & Canada. Click here for more details. Although we reserve the right to use any carrier we choose, we typically ship products via UPS or USPS.
All products ship directly from our Boise, ID facility within 1 business day, so you'll be ready to assemble your pergola for backyard shade in just a few days.
Click here to learn more about how we handle returns.
Shipping is free on all orders delivered within mainland USA. Shipping fees will apply for orders being delivered to Alaska, Hawaii & Canada. Click here for more details. Although we reserve the right to use any carrier we choose, we typically ship products via UPS or USPS.
All products ship directly from our Boise, ID facility within 1 business day, so you'll be ready to assemble your pergola for backyard shade in just a few days.
Click here to learn more about how we handle returns.
We stand behind this pergola hardware kit with brackets for the outer frame, roof and one side wall. We will gladly replace any bracket that breaks, cracks, chips or corrodes within 5 years of purchase. Read more about our 5-year limited warranty.
We stand behind this pergola hardware kit with brackets for the outer frame, roof and one side wall. We will gladly replace any bracket that breaks, cracks, chips or corrodes within 5 years of purchase. Read more about our 5-year limited warranty.
The wood sizes listed on this page & throughout our website use standard U.S. lumber sizes (where the actual dimensions are a half-inch smaller than the name implies):
If you stick with these standard lumber sizes, the wood will slide right into the brackets and fit perfectly.
Make sure NOT to get "rough-cut" of "rough-sawn" lumber, which is slightly bigger than standard dressed lumber. Rough-cut lumber will not fit into our brackets.
In general, any straight dry lumber will work just fine. Some types of wood may just require a little more maintenance than others. The two most common types of wood to use are western red cedar and redwood. They are naturally insect- and rot-resistant and have natural oils & resins that make them more resilient to the elements. Another great option is pressure-treated pine, as the pressure-treating process makes the wood more weather- and insect-resistant. This is far from a complete list of lumber options; there are many other types of wood that will work great.
We recommend using 8-foot lumber for the pergola's posts. The parts list and estimated costs shown in the 'Required Lumber & Estimated Cost' section (above) assumes that you will be using 8-foot lumber. That said, many of our customers opt for 10-foot posts instead, in which case we recommend adding corner support brackets to make the pergola more stable. Posts should not be taller than 10 feet.
The answer depends on whether you're referring to the inside dimensions of the pergola's roof (i.e. the "roof opening") or the outside dimensions of the roof (i.e. the full outside-edge-to-outside-edge measurement).
When we say a pergola is 12' x 12', we're referring to the roof opening (i.e. the inside dimensions of the roof) which is exactly 12' wide x 12' deep.
But the overall outside-edge-to-outside-edge dimensions of a "12x12 pergola" built using 4x4 brackets will be 12 ft. 7.3 in. x 12 ft. 7.3 in. (Note: If you're using 6x6 brackets, the outside dimensions will be 12' 11.3" x 12' 11.3".)
To give the pergola maximum strength and stability, we've designed our 3-, 4- and 5-arm brackets (as well as the "L" and "T" brackets, for that matter) to have the vertical post go all the way to the top of the brackets. Thus, the horizontal roof beams only slide in to the end of the horizontal channel they're sitting in (rather than going all the way through the bracket). To put it another way, a roof beam only slides halfway into a 3-arm corner bracket (since the "other half" of the bracket is already occupied by the top part of the vertical post going down to the ground).
So if you're looking at the roof of a pergola with 12-foot-long roof beams, you've got the following (going from left to right):
This gives you a total edge-to-edge width of 12 ft. 7.3 in. (But again, the inside dimensions of the roof opening are exactly 12' x 12'.)
What if you want the edge-to-edge width and/or depth to be exactly 12 feet? Simply use a circular saw (or hack saw or miter saw) to trim 7.3 inches off the 12-foot posts. This will make the overall edge-to-edge dimensions exactly 12' x 12' and the inside dimensions of the roof opening 11' 4.7" x 11' 4.7". (Important Note: Our shade canopies are specifically designed to fit roof openings that are exactly 8x8, 8x10, 8x12, 10x10, 10x12 and 12x12. If you're purchasing a kit that includes a shade canopy, you cannot trim down the roof beam posts.)
The majority of the steps in the assembly process can easily be done by just two people. However, there are a couple steps that will require more people (typically four people for a pergola using 4x4 brackets and six people for one using 6x6 brackets) for just a few minutes here and there. Most tasks (including assembling the roof frame and even adding roof rafters) are completed on the ground. The entire building process should only take 2-3 hours.
If you're curious about the building process, please take a few minutes to read through the fully-illustrated assembly instructions.
Click the following links for detailed, illustrated instructions for evenly spacing roof rafters and privacy wall slats.
Yes, we do. Putting a screw in every hole is technically overkill (and some people would argue that it puts too much stress on the lumber and could cause cracks & fissures in the wood over time). But some customers really want every hole filled, so we include enough screws to fill every hole (plus a few extra). Really, you only need to put 2 screws into each bracket face (using the 2 outermost holes in instances when the face of the bracket has 4 holes).
When installed correctly following the assembly instructions, Zen Pergolas can withstand winds of up to 50 mph. If you live in an area that experiences wind gusts in excess of 50 mph, we recommend adding corner support brackets. Not only do they look beautiful, but they also make the pergola structure more stable and secure. We also recommend checking your local building codes to make sure your pergola is mounted to the ground and/or house or other structure properly.
If you buy a kit that includes one or more shade canopies, we recommend taking them down in windy conditions (i.e. 30+ mph winds), during storms, and also through the winter months when you're not enjoying your pergola.
Absolutely! We realize that piecing together the perfect modular pergola can be complex. That's why we have pergola design experts standing by and ready to help. You can reach us during regular business hours at (877) 760-6992. You can also send us an email at support@zenpergolas.com or live chat with us.
Yes. Our steel brackets are covered by a 5-year limited warranty, and our shade canopies & hammocks are covered for 1 year. You can learn more here.
Zen brackets are modular, meaning you can use them to make your pergola as wide and as deep as you want by simply adding more "blocks" (or sections). For each individual block, we recommend using no longer than 12' posts for the roof beams, meaning that each block would be approximately 12' wide x 12' deep.
(To be more precise, if you use untrimmed 12-foot posts for the roof beams, a 1-block pergola built using 4x4 brackets will actually measure 12 ft. 7.3 in. wide x 12 ft. 7.3 in. deep from outside edge to outside edge. This is because the 3-, 4- and 5-arm brackets are designed to have the vertical posts go all the way to the top of the bracket, meaning that the horizontal roof beams stop at the end of the horizontal channel they sit in rather than going all the way through the bracket.)
If you want your pergola's overall width or depth (but not both) to be greater than 12' but less than 24', it will have 2 blocks (i.e. a 2x1 grid).
If you want both the width and depth to be greater than 12' but less than 24', it will have 4 blocks (i.e. a 2x2 grid).
Although we don't have every possible width/depth combination listed out, it may be helpful to take a look at the Shop by Dimension page.
Due to the fact that there are so many different surfaces that you can mount/anchor the base brackets and wall-mount brackets to (along with the fact that HOAs and cities sometimes have unique requirements), we can't advise you on what type of hardware you should use. We recommend that you speak with a sales associate at your local home improvement or hardware store (i.e. Lowes, Home Depot, Ace Hardware, etc.) about what type of hardware they recommend for your specific location and the surface/material you're anchoring the brackets to.
Our shade canopies are sized to fit roof openings (i.e. inside-of-post to inside-of-post) that are exactly 8x8, 8x10, 8x12, 10x10, 10x12 and 12x12. The shade canopies themselves are 4 inches shorter than their names imply (e.g. an "8x12 canopy" is actually 7' 8" by 11' 8") so you can pull the canopy straps tight and have a snug fit.
As explained in one of the FAQs above, all of the brackets used for building the frame of the roof are designed to have the vertical posts go all the way to the top of the bracket, which means that the horizontal roof beams stop at the end of the horizontal channel arm they sit in (rather that going all the way through the bracket). Accordingly, whatever length of post you use for the roof beams will be the exact size of the roof opening. So if you use untrimmed 8' and 12' posts for the roof, your roof opening will be exactly 8' x 12' and fit an 8x12 shade canopy perfectly.
First and foremost, never use shade canopies above or around open flames or other heat sources.
Second, make sure to take canopies down in winds exceeding 30 mph. You should also take them down in severe storms and through the winter months (during which time you're probably not using your pergola anyway).
Before storing your shade sail long-term during the off-season, use a mild detergent and soft brush to gently wash the canopy. Then thoroughly rinse the canopy with water and let it dry completely. If you're storing the canopy indoors, you can just store it in the bag that's included with the canopy. If you're storing it outdoors, though, we recommend storing it in an airtight container to keep out moisture and insects.
The wood sizes listed on this page & throughout our website use standard U.S. lumber sizes (where the actual dimensions are a half-inch smaller than the name implies):