Do I need a permit for a pergola?

Usually yes, because it is a structure with footings. In a historic district or an HOA with architectural review it may need approval as well. We handle both as part of the project.

What we build 05 / 10

Pergolas & Structures

Engineered cedar or powder-coat aluminium · frost footings to 900 mm · concealed hardware

NJ HIC # 13VHXXXXXXXXXLicensed & fully insured · $2M general liabilityGoogle 4.9 / 5 — 127 ReviewsTecho-Bloc / Unilock / Belgard AuthorizedHouzz Pro

A pergola turns an open terrace into a room. The engineering is unglamorous — wind uplift is the governing load, not the weight of the structure — and the difference between one that looks right in ten years and one that does not is entirely in the footings and the hardware.

How we build it

Dimensions you can hold us to

FOOTINGS: 900 mm frost footings Poured before the terrace is set so the posts sit in the field, not on it.
STRUCTURE: Engineered cedar or powder-coat aluminium Cedar for warmth, aluminium where the span or the maintenance argues for it.
CONNECTIONS: Concealed hardware throughout Structural, but not visible.
FINISH: Penetrating oil or factory powder coat Neither peels. Both can be refreshed rather than stripped.

Materials

Western red cedar

Clear vertical grain, engineered sections

Powder-coat aluminium

Louvered or fixed, 20-year finish warranty

Sapele

For beams where the span exceeds cedar

Process

In the order the work happens

Design & structural check

Uplift governs

Spans, post sizes and footing diameters set by the wind loading for the exposure.

Footings

900 mm, before paving

Poured and cured before the terrace field is set around them.

Erection

Concealed hardware

Posts plumbed and braced, beams set, rafters laid out to a consistent module.

Finish & integration

12 V under-beam lighting

Finished, then lit from within the structure so the light source is never in the eye.

Pergolas & Structures we have built

Budget ranges published

Stand-in art

Franklin Lakes, NJ

Nineteen cuts around a free-form pool. None of them show.

Pools & Water Features · Outdoor Kitchens · Pergolas & Structures $118,000 — $142,000

All pergolas & structures projects

Questions people ask

Do I need a permit for a pergola?: Usually yes, because it is a structure with footings. In a historic district or an HOA with architectural review it may need approval as well. We handle both as part of the project.

Where we have built this

Franklin Lakes Bergen County

Start here

Planning pergolas & structures?

Four short steps, about ninety seconds. You will get a written range before anyone comes out — and if we are not the right fit, we will say so on the call.

201.555.0148 Mon–Sat · 7a–7p

NJ HIC # 13VHXXXXXXXXX · Licensed & fully insured · $2M general liability · Google 4.9 / 5 — 127 Reviews · Techo-Bloc / Unilock / Belgard Authorized · Houzz Pro