That $700 pergola kit turned into a monkey puzzle, wish I just built from scratch

Last spring I dropped $700 on one of those aluminum pergola kits from a big box store. Looked great in the picture, went together like a nightmare. The instructions had missing steps, the holes didn't line up, and I spent two weekends just shimming brackets. Then a storm last month pulled one corner loose because the anchors they sent were way too short for my soil. Ended up ripping the whole thing down and rebuilding with pressure treated lumber and proper concrete footings for about $450. So I paid more, got less, and wasted my time. Has anyone else had better luck with the cheap kits or am I just unlucky with crappy hardware?

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davis.ruby22d ago

Fair take on the lumber rebuild, but I gotta say those kits usually fail because folks skip the ground prep part. I've seen plenty of them hold up fine when the anchors go in right, your soil just sounds like a bear to work with.