Construction Tips for Building a Pergola

Pergola Bracing

Freestanding pergolas and pergolas that are subject to high wind need to be braced in the corners or they will sway and fall over. The greater the size of the brace the more effective it is in stopping the swaying motion.

The pergola pictured here is in a high wind area as you can see by the back ground. The pergola is on the top of a hill and needed to be braced in each corner 500mm X 500mm. While the bracing was structural it was also decorative to match the pergola.

You may also notice the ends of the pergola rafters have been rounded with a jigsaw and this detail was repeated on the corner bracing. To do this is to you must start with an over sized piece of bracing timber and cut it so it is decorative but has a the correct sized structural brace running through the centre.

The brace must be bolted or screwed to a post and the bearer above it so that the corner is locked from swaying in the wind.

Rafters

All pergolas use rafters as part of there structure however they don't have to be plain. If fact you can add a lot of style just by the way you cut your rafter ends. Gable roof pergola rafters must be cut on an angle to match the pitch or angle of the roof.

Also most will have a birds mouth cut in them and this means that the rafter will sit on top of the bearer. Below is a diagram showing some common rafter shapes and the way a gable roof pergola rafter will look.