Warning about cheap pergola kits from the big box stores

I grabbed a $400 pergola kit from Home Depot last spring. By August the wood was already splitting and one of the cross beams sagged. My neighbor who builds decks for a living told me "you get what you pay for, man" and he was right. I spent another $200 on brackets and stain to try and save it. Anyone else had a cheap kit fall apart after one season?

3 comments

3 Comments

theac6318d ago

Has anyone checked if those kits use kiln-dried wood or just green lumber straight from the mill? lol. I made that mistake with a similar kit from Lowes and the wood was still wet when I opened it, so it warped and shrunk within weeks. The brackets they include are usually those crappy thin ones that bend under any weight too. You're better off hitting up a local lumber yard for cedar and buying heavy duty hardware separate, it'll cost more upfront but saves the headache later.

taraanderson18d ago

Used to think lumber kits were a solid shortcut, but your experience makes total sense now. Never considered the wood would be that green straight from the store like that. Good point about hitting up a local yard instead, probably worth the extra trip.

reeseperez18d ago

Yeah Tara, local yards don't sell you wet firewood disguised as lumber.