Do you want to upgrade your backyard with a pergola? It’s not as hard as you might think. There are many pergola kits out there both in stores and online that you can order and assemble yourself at home.
With a single purchase, you can transform your entire backyard. To narrow down the many choices, I’ve compiled a list of the best pergola kits to upgrade your backyard. From attached to retractable, this list has a pergola to suit everyone’s tastes.
Keep reading to find the best pergola kit for you and learn what you should look for when making the decision!
1. Purple Leaf Retractable Canopy Pergola
The Purple Leaf Retractable Canopy pergola is ideal for entertaining spaces and outdoor use if you plan to use your yard to its fullest extent.
The pergola comes with a retractable polyester fabric that drapes over the roof for ample shade. The polyester fabric is durable and provides much-needed protection from harmful UV rays.
Equally durable, Purple Leaf constructed the pergola’s foundational beams and roof with long-lasting aluminum metal. Taking durability even further, you can bolt the pergola’s beams into place, making it ideal for use on outdoor deck spaces.
As far as design goes, the Purple Leaf pergola is sleek, modern, and comes with different colored covers, such as beige, red, turquoise, and gray. It also comes in three different sizes to accommodate varying spaces.
2. Vita White Vinyl Pergola
Although this pergola doesn’t have a retractable covering, it has a lattice roof to provide substantial shade. The pergola comes in a snowy white color that looks good in differing landscapes.
The white color comes from the high-quality vinyl wood composition, which lasts long and can endure temperamental weather conditions. The materials also garnered a hefty warranty from Vita. If you purchase the Vita Vinyl pergola, the company guarantees that it won’t rot or yellow in the sun over time.
The pergola can stand alone on patios, decks, and even grassy areas because of its dense, supportive materials. As far as size goes, this pergola is substantial and provides ample coverage.
3. Backyard Discovery Cedar Pergola
When it comes to durability, you can’t go wrong with Backyard Discovery’s cedar pergola. The wood is proven to withstand rot and natural decay and provides a neutral color to accommodate most backyards.
The pergola takes durability a step further with its diagonal support beams. Plus, the foundational beams have resin feet with concrete anchors, allowing them to stand alone and firm on any surface. Even the bolts, brackets, and other hardware essentials provide extra strength.
Installation for this pergola won’t take you too long, either. When you purchase the Backyard Discovery pergola, you can watch the informative 3D tutorial to put the pergola together. It doesn’t hurt that the beams come pre-drilled for smooth construction.
4. Freemont Attached Vinyl Pergola
Unlike the previously mentioned pergolas, the Freemont pergola attaches to your home’s facade for extended coverage in your backyard. This pergola is much more like an extension of your home than a stand-alone structure.
The Vinyl composition provides a distinctive New England style structure that’s white and sturdy. It has a lattice roof for maximum coverage without completely blocking out the sun.
It’s large enough to cover a substantial patio size, and since it is attached to your home, it only has two foundational beams to minimize walkway obstruction.
Because of its vinyl composition, the Freemont pergola is virtually maintenance-free and is weather resistant.
5. Paragon Outdoor Soft Top Cocoa
Much like the Purple Leaf Retractable Canopy pergola, the Paragon Outdoor Backyard structure also provides a versatile covering. Unlike the opposing pergola, the Paragon brand pergola’s fabric covering is built into the roof and has a rod for manual manipulation.
The structure itself looks like sleek wood, but it’s made from aluminum and wood to provide a natural modern look.
The bolts and hardware included to secure the pergola to the ground are rust-free and weather-resistant, so you don’t have to worry about replacing them over time or the pergola losing stability.
Even though the frame is metal, there are no visible weld marks, and the entire structure is sealed with a rust-resistant coating, much like the accompanying hardware.
The pergola is also large enough to cover a substantial outdoor space, whether on a patio, deck, or grassy area.
6. Backyard Discovery Laguna Cabana Pergola
Bring the best of a poolside resort into your backyard with Backyard Discovery’s Laguna Cabana pergola. This pergola, with its triangular shape, is ideal for fitting into patio or deck corners.
If you want your pergola to cover a seating area, you don’t have to worry about coordinating your furniture with the structure. Instead, this pergola comes with built-in benches.
This feature also helps you save time picking out and purchasing separate outdoor furniture as the benches consist of weather-resistant fabric and materials.
While all pergolas remain open to the elements, this Laguna Cabana pergola provides even more of an open concept with an outward-facing design.
Besides its open concept, innovative design, this pergola is made from high-quality alloy steel to endure harsh weather conditions and time.
7. Sunnyglade Patio Pergola with Adjustable Louvered Gazebo
The Sunnyglade pergola brings in a bit of luxury to your backyard with its maintenance-free adjustable roof.
Whether you want to sit outside in the rain or want some more shade, the pergola has a maneuverable roof. A rod hangs down from the side that you can use to adjust the parallel roof planks to your desired level of light allowance.
This pergola also comes in two different sizes to accommodate different sized outdoor spaces. The adjustable roof is made from louvered steel that does not rust, and the structure itself consists of aluminum and a high-quality weather-resistant coating.
This sleek black structure can transform any backyard from dull to luxurious with a quick installation.
8. Patio Pergola With Heavy Duty Grape Trellis Sunshade Canopy
Much like the previously mentioned Sunnyglade pergola, the Patio Retractable pergola has a manually adjustable roof. Depending on your need, you can swivel the roof’s built-in polyester covering to your desired shade level.
Unlike the Sunnyglade pergola, this structure is made from solid, high-quality aluminum that looks like natural wood. Because of its composition, you get the best of both wood and metal.
The facade looks like natural wood, but the aluminum provides more stability and ensures the longevity of your pergola because of its weather resistance. Besides the structure, the pergola’s polyester adjustable covering protects those underneath from harmful UV rays.
The pergola also comes in three different sizes, which you can use to cover large and small seating areas.
9. Portland Vinyl Pergola
No products found.Like the Freemont Attached pergola, the Portland Vinyl pergola brings a bit of New England charm to your backyard with its white facade and vinyl composition.
Much like a standard pergola, the Portland brand pergola kit has a parallel plank roof that’s open to the outdoors. Unlike some of the other mentioned pergolas, this structure stands a bit smaller at 96 inches, making it ideal for small seating areas, grills, or hot tubs.
The pergola’s vinyl makeup is rot-resistant and will not yellow in the sun as other white vinyl structures do. You won’t need to perform intensive cleaning, and its white coating will not need refreshing.
10. Aleko Premium Outdoor Wooden Arbor Topped Pergola
No products found.The Aleko brand pergola is similar to the Portland Vinyl brand pergola in that it has a similar design and comes in smaller sizes for petite outdoor areas. This pergola, however, has a lattice roof for more sunlight coverage and has a wooden composition.
The pergola’s roof arches upward, making it ideal for gardening or floral displays. Plants with vines can easily clint to and wind their way around this pergola for added decoration and function.
The various pergola parts come pre-cut, pre-drilled, and pre-stained for maximum building ease.
Pergola Kit Buying Guide
Before you go ahead and spend a ton of money on the pergola you think looks best, you should take a deeper look into what makes a pergola the best choice. For instance, you’ll want to consider what you want the pergola for.
Do you want to use it to cover a seating area, BBQ, or maybe you want it to extend over your entire patio?
Depending on your needs, you’ll want to consider the materials involved in building the pergola, the structure’s versatility, general design, and size.
Materials and Durability
Even though a pergola is open to the elements doesn’t mean it should easily succumb to them, especially if you plan to use it year-round. You should look at what materials the pergola contains to determine its stability in your yard.
Pergolas made from metal, wood, and vinyl tend to stand sturdier when companies make them from high-quality materials.
If you look for a wooden pergola, make sure the wood is of good quality, such as cedar, oak, or hickory. These woods provide more support than others and tend to last longer as well.
All metal pergolas will, of course, withstand time and the elements much better than both vinyl and wood because it’s sturdier and more enduring. Metal pergolas, however, tend to retain heat more than the others, so you should stay aware of that during hot days.
Vinyl does not retain heat as easily as metal but may warp in hot conditions. Vinyl pergolas often come in more colors than metal or wooden pergolas, making them more accommodating to your aesthetic preferences.
Versatility
Pergolas provide some relief from the sun and the elements, but they remain open to the elements. If you plan to use your pergola all year, you might want to consider a pergola’s versatility.
For example, you may not need full coverage from your pergola in the spring or fall because the sun isn’t as harsh, but you might want some shade during the summer. That’s where versatility comes in.
Ultimately, versatility means having the ability to change or alter your pergola’s roof coverage. If you want something you can change as you please, you might want to consider a pergola with a retractable covering or an automatic roof so you can control the amount of light you receive.
Design
When it comes down to design, the choice ultimately lies in your taste preferences. Do you want something more functional, or do you want a more decorative pergola? Your preference determines what kind of pergola you should buy.
For example, if you only want to use the pergola to cover your patio area, you’ll probably want to look for a simple design without all of the bells and whistles of a higher-priced pergola.
If you want a pergola to cover a seating area that you plan to entertain at, you might want to consider a sleek, modern design to complement your furniture. No matter your need, there’s a pergola to complement it.
Size
Like your design and aesthetic needs, you’ll want to purchase a pergola that fits your size needs. Pergolas come in varying sizes to cover a range of areas.
If you want a pergola to cover a designated seating area, you can find a pergola that’s a bit smaller or more square to accommodate the space.
Opposingly, if you want to use the pergola to cover your entire patio or outdoor area, you’ll need to look for one that’s longer and wider.
Conclusion
Whether you need some more backyard coverage or want to upgrade your outdoor space, a pergola is a quick and functional way to achieve your goal. Plus, you don’t have to look far for a high-quality pergola installation.
This list of best pergola kits to upgrade your backyard contain high-quality materials, versatility, and range in size to accommodate your needs. All you need to do is choose which one you like best.
