Home Improvement Today?

yes, that's my plan, i may just go to 24" to be safe...whether or not the boss (wife) lets me buy the stuff and build it is a different story haha...

 

I would go 6x6 and but them down 3'

 

I'm going buy some lattice today from dat Lowes and some rubber mulch. $10 a bag, but it doesn't float in the rain or change colors!

The lattice is going to blow. Our house is on pillars that aren't all straight.

 

maybe i'll just go with this one i found earlier...

http://diygardenplans.com/pergolaplans/

my overall height is going to be roughly 8-9 ft (matching with the bottom of the roofline) since it will be covering the patio.

planning to use 2x6 support beams (doubled like the picture shows), 2x6 crossbeams (thinking 10, 2 close to each other on each end, the other 6 evenly spaced), and 2x4's for the slats (spaced 4" apart for the shade). once it's all said and done either stain or paint it. or maybe I should brick around my support posts to match our exterior...hmmmm now i'm not sure which route to take haha

 

If you don't sink the posts deep enough in the ground , or at all like your plan link , you have to put in all the cross bracing that it shows in that plan or it will be pretty top heavy and rickety

 

that was my plan...i like the look of it with the cross-bracing anyhow

I am planning to sink it in the ground, the link (for some crazy reason) has it bolted to a previous slab with post anchors. that doesn't seem right to me lol

 

I want to do a pergola in the backyard, so here's an idea I sketched up in Google Sketchup. Just one of a few I'm working on. Once I get the rest ready, I'll post them as well. the original slab is 10x10 and will be extended once everything is done. the posts will be 4x4's, beams 2x6's, and this one is using lattice. not sure if i'm sticking with the lattice yet, working on one without it right now.

 

Do you get snow ?

 

Does your city require a permit for pergolas? My city requires a permit for any attachment to a structure including awnings and pergolas.

 

not much, which is why I am trying out a different idea right now. add 2 crossbeams in there and thinking 2x4's notched into the crossbeams approx 12in apart (longways). this way, if we do get a crazy storm, it will fall through. I will add the bracing we talked about before.

yes they do, even though this will be detached (trying everything in power to avoid voiding the builders warranty on the house at least for a few years)

 

different without the cheapo looking lattice. 90% of the wood I am able to get from the builder finishing out the last few houses in the community here.

 

That looks great

 

I like the look better, and it will cost me less to build.

 

WIN WIN

 

Slab prep done , tubing down and pressurized , ready for concrete

 

lookin good

 

Poured and finished the thick slab portion today , thin slab over framing gets poured tomorrow

 

Over framing poured yesterday

 

Not my Home Improvement project, but helping a friend and had a question:

We are putting down pavers and when prepping the base today, we discovered that one part of the soil is VERY wet (ie, you step on it and foot sinks ankle deep). The rest of the soil has dried out but this one spot. I'm thinking the rain gutter above it was leaking and the area is just extremely water-logged. Any idea how to fix this so we can finish his project tomorrow?

 

dig out the soil where it is wet and put sand there?