KNOWLEDGE BASE / FAQs

BROWSE OUR FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS BELOW

Blue Sky Pergolas designs and builds the highest quality cedar pergolas and pavilions in the industry. Please submit the form below or give us a call today and our customer service representatives will be happy to assist you and answer any questions you may have.

Our pergola and pavilions are built using #1 Western Red Cedar timbers or beams. We have built projects as small as doorway arbors up to 40′ x 120′. We consider every project custom and can build to any specification.

If you live in our installation service area we can supply roof shingles or metal roofing. If you are outside our service area and are ordering a DIY Kit, it would be best for you to secure roofing materials locally to keep the shipping cost down on the DIY Kit.

Yes, unless otherwise specified. All of our DIY Kits include all needed hardware for the installation as well as touch-up stain if you have ordered us to pre-stain your project prior to shipping.

We use timbers or beams for our structures. A timber or beam is a piece of wood that is 3″ and greater in thickness. Most of the material we use is 4″ and greater. Using bigger materials gives a more substantial looking structure and will last longer outside in the elements. Our pergola and pavilion post sizes range from 6″ x 6″ all the way up to 12″ x 12″. We use beams that are as small as 4″x 12″ up to 10″ x 16″.

In other words, big material!

Our timber pergola and pavilions DIY kits are easy to install with minimum tools. Here is a basic list of what you will need:

8′ Step Ladders (2 of them would be best.)

Chalk Box (Blue chalk works best as it’s temporary and can be washed off after the installation.)

Tape Measure

Drill (Electric or battery powered drill.)

Level (For setting posts plumb and level)

Simple answer. Douglas Fir is cheaper.

Douglas Fir is a great wood. It’s strong and cheaper then Western Red Cedar. But Western Red Cedar is by far the preferred wood to use outdoors.

Pergolas, in most cases, can be attached but a site visit is required. Pavilions are an entire different animal. When we have customers who want to have an attached pavilion, we advise them to find a local contractor to perform the work. We will then work with the contractor on the plans and installation for a smooth and easy project.

Yes. We request the customer be present at start and completion of job. At the completion of the job, the customer will be asked to fill out a project completion form.

Yes, with the purchase of our stain option, Blue Sky Pergolas will pre-stain in our factory with your choice of three colors. Custom stain colors are available as well. If desired, your outdoor structure can be left unfinished to weather to a rustic, silver-gray appearance.

Typically, once your purchase is complete, Blue Sky Pergolas will have already scheduled an installation date that will be in your contract. Generally, you can expect installation to be completed within 10-14 business days from order confirmation, subject to seasonality, permitting, and HOA approval, if required

This is a custom option that many customers choose. We offer both rough-sawn material and planed(smooth) material. The planed material will be sanded to 120 grit. The advantages of a planed pergola or pavilion is that when someone touches the posts of the structure they are smooth and not rough. Rough-sawn material can leave splinters in hands if rubbed down or up one the posts.

With out professional installers, most pergolas are installed in less then 1 day. On our DIY Kits, we have had some customers install them in a couple of hours to a couple of days depending on how much work you want to do in the day.

We typically attach directly to the concrete either with a Simpson post base or a decorative OZCO post base. The posts bases are attached using concrete screws. Depending on your concrete, you may need to have additional work done to make sure the concrete can handle the load from the structure.

 Local permitting for pergolas and pavilions varies from one municipality to the other. Customers should check with their local municipality for any necessary permits.

Yes, we can build to your specs.  No job or design is ever too big or too small, and our design department always like a challenge.  If you have drawings, sketches, photos or just something in your mind, please email or call us.

A pergola is any one of several styles of open frame or lattice roofs, supported by posts, either attached to another structure or free standing.  A pavilion is very similar, but has a solid or covered roof as protection against the elements.

Pergola: Open, uncovered roof.

Pavilion: Solid, covered roof.

We do not offer refunds or returns. All of our pergolas and pavilions are cut to order with options specific to each customer, therefore no returns or refunds are accepted. All sales are final.

In the rare instance that there is damage to your DIY kit during shipping, here’s what to do.

  • If the crate has sustained substantial damage (such that you believe it may be difficult to identify individual parts that are damaged), then it may be best to refuse the shipment (please call us if you would like our input). This way the shipment will be redirected back to our warehouse where we can inspect each piece. We will then rebuild the parts that were damaged, re-pack the crate and resend the shipment to you. If we receive a shipment back with damage, your order will take priority in our production schedule and your kit will be reshipped ASAP.
  • If you find damage to one or more individual pieces (when unloading the crate piece by piece), you must make a note of the damage on the driver’s delivery paper work before signing to accept the shipment.  If this is not done we will be unable to make a claim against the shipping company and we will need to charge you for replacement parts and related shipping costs.  It will be helpful if you also take pictures of the damage. We will review your information, get back to you with any questions, process replacement parts and reship them back to you ASAP.
  • In any case when there is damage or parts are missing, your replacements will be prioritized in our production schedule and we will typically ship replacements back to you within 1-3 days.  Please contact us if you have any questions and, email us a brief explanation of the damage or missing parts, copy of the delivery paperwork (either refused or marked as damaged), and any pictures to orders@blueskypergolas.com