Front Porch Pergola

These first two pictures are before. Very plain and unappealing.

Before: Pic 2

I used a semi-transparent concrete stain (English Brick) from Home Depot to give the brick some life again. Here is a side-by-side comparison of before and after.

Next couple of pictures are clearing the old landscaping and roots to drop the level of the dirt so the new patio stones will be flush with the existing sidewalk/driveway. I didn't want a step up or trip hazard.

Laying out and setting the 4x4 pressure treated pergola posts in concrete.

Posts set and assembled the remaining structure of the pergola all with PT lumber. I did a lot of research on how pergolas are constructed and designed mine to meet the size and layout that I desired. You will notice that I added the rear posts so I did not have to attach it to the house, therefore not having to worry about the loads. engineering and permitting that would be required. It's actually it's own stand alone structure.

Added paver base and leveling sand to prepare for the patio stones. There are plenty of tutorials out there on how to prep, lay and set pavers.

• Patio stones complete.
• Stained pergola white after several weeks of letting the pressure treated lumber dry out.
• Added furniture, plants and a swing I purchased on Amazon.
• Added fabric shade canopy on top. Also Amazon.

Another angle.

Fresh landscaping. Even managed to get some grass to grow :-)

Done!

Before and after.

There are far too many materials to list below. Most came from Lowe's, with a 10% off coupon and $75 to have everything delivered to your house. Very convenient! If you have any questions about a specific item, just ask.

Most of the work took about a week, working mostly on the weekend and a few evenings after work. I put 8 weeks because I waited a few weeks before painting it to let the pressure treated lumber dry out some. It's not a good idea to paint fresh PT wood immediately. Even though I used stain instead of paint I still waited awhile. A good rule of thumb is checking PT lumber by spraying water on it and checking for absorption before painting. It should be very dry.

Thanks for looking :-)