Building the Pergola

After the patio was in, we shifted focus to the pergola.  We bought a kit from Outdoor Living Today.  The kit came with pre-cut Wester Red Cedar wood that needed to be stained, assembled, and anchored to the patio.  

One weekend we put down a bunch of tarps brought all of the wood pieces out and stained all of them.  (Some unexpected rain added some excitement to this process.) Then on nights and weekends I gradually pre-assembled as much of the pergola as I could in our basement.

With the help of a borrowed hammer drill, I bolted the anchors in the patio ahead of assembly day.

Finally the big day arrived, I got some help for the final barn raising pergola install, thanks fam!