10' x 12' Outdoor Retractable Pergola Heavy-Duty Aluminum White Pergola with Sun Shade Canopy Patio Modern Shelter for Garden Yard Deck Grape Trellis, Grey

This pergola is great. I have a west-facing patio and was looking for something to provide some shade to eat under. I considered some of the sail cloth triangle things but didn't want to disturb my patio with new footings and big poles. Once I found this I did some research and this was great value.Let's be clear - for the price it's great. But I'm not looking for something that is heavy gauge steel that will last 30 seasons. The aluminum structure is fairly lightweight but it's more than strong enough to support the cover. I was able to assemble it alone (I'm 65 years old) and needed help only when connecting the sides to the top poles because someone had to hold the poles up while I attached the horizontal beams. Otherwise, it was easy. Take some time to look at the instructions and make sure you have all the parts in the right place. I had to take some parts apart and rearrange things when I assembled them incorrectly.I was concerned about it blowing around. While browsing the local big box home center, I found something called "Deck Base Blocks". They are cement blocks that are cubes about a foot on each side. They are used as foundations for decks and accept 2x wood for the structure of a deck. I drilled holes in the top of the blocks and used concrete slide anchors to embed an eye bolt into the top and I also used Gorilla Glue to add strength. then I added rachet straps looped around the corner posts at the top to put a very little bit of tension on the posts to keep the whole thing in place. The blocks weigh ~40 lbs so that is 160 pounds holding this down. We also keep the top pulled over to the side and the pull handle looped around the top when we are not using it so the thing doesn't become a sail. Had no issues in very strong (45 mph) winds.All in all, this was exactly what we were looking for and what we needed to use our patio during the summer. I'll take the cover off in the fall and store it in the garage and maybe it will last for a while. They do have replacements available if needed.

This pergola is great! It’s seems pretty sturdy and provides great shade. 2 woman were able to assemble. We did need extra hands when it came to lifting and attaching the main frame upright. Fairly good directions. All the parts were in the box and no dents. I did email the company as we thought we may have had a faulty piece but after a few emails and photos, they found that we had installed 1 small piece backwards. Easy fix and all was good. Their customer service is excellent!! I recommend this product.

The media could not be loaded. I’m going to try comprehensively answer all of the questions I had when purchasing this pergola as someone who is the purchaser & sole builder of it. Also, I will review the item itself. I am a fairly skilled DIY / mechanical repair person with a professional auto mechanic’s collection of tools.I purchased the 10x13’ pergola with gray shade. First, let’s be honest. This isn’t a $12k pergola. It’s not even a $3k pergola. It’s a $500 pergola. You have to keep that in mind. So, to be fair shortcomings are expected at this price point. I likely would have given it a 4.3 star rating if I could; but 5 I can not.What you get is a big box with a bunch of metal square beams, some rods, a fabric top, & a zillion bolts & color matched plastic caps to cover the bolt heads. It’s not heavy. 1 person can easily move the box by dragging it. The whole thing is maybe 100lbs. It’s basically held together with Allen head bolts that are steel. They are of good quality. It’s comes with a little Allen wrench to assemble it. Throw that in the garbage ASAP. Basically, to put this thing together you need 2 metric allen sockets (maybe 4mm & 6mm if I recall?), a 3/8” cordless impact driver + some adapter to drive the sockets. IMHO if you plan to put this thing together by tightening everything by hand you are crazy. It will take forever, your hands will hurt quite a bit, & you will hate it. There is maybe 120+ bolts or so; I’m guessing closer to 150.The bolts and the fixed nuts in the beams are of good quality & do not strip. I did not strip or brake a single one using a Milwaukee 3/8” impact gun. You will not need wrenches or pliers. All the nuts are already fixed inside the beams out of sight. The good quality of the fasteners is very important since they are what holds this together.I put this thing together by myself, it took maybe 4+ hours. You need some type of work platform to stand on. A small fold out ladder will be doable, but a PIA. You will also need other people (as manufacturer recommends) or just a way to hold pieces of the structure up vertical while you assemble the 4 corners. I didn’t build it exactly how the directions said. I built the frames of the 2 long sides, held them up by securing them to sturdy items via ratchet straps & then connected everything. This works well, of course you want them held up by something substantial that won’t fall over while you are working. The framework is light & awkward because of the size & wants to tumble over; which will mean a bend or a dent if it hits something hard. Alternatively, you could build it by building the whole top structure first & then adding the lower part of each corner beam one by one, meaning you are working mostly at a very comfortable 5 foot height; opposed to an awkward 10 foot height. If I had it to do again I would do it this way. The structure is very light & will not twist/bend under its own weight if it’s not level during assembly if you are somewhat careful.The metal construction is aluminum, which is good because it doesn’t rust. The painted finish seems to be a powder coating, which likely will last years. The quality of the finish on the metal is pretty good & consistent. This is all a benefit & part of why I went this route. Regular wood would eventually need to be re-painted or re-stained after a few years to keep it looking great & not rotting. Also, it can split & contract as it ages in the environment. Pressure treated wood & cedar are weather resistant & also very expensive. For the investment you would make to design & build this yourself out of quality lumber, you would expect it to last many years. To keep it looking great & not grey would require refinishing it every so many years which sounds like a huge PIA on this type of structure. Engineered decking planks (Trex style) are awesome & would be ideal. The caveat there again is just how much do you want to spend $$$?I received mine with some very light damage (see second to last pic with broken plastic piece). I contacted the manufacturer & they sent another piece in under a week via Fed Ex or UPS (can’t recall which). Impressive they did not use USPS IMHO. Also, one of the beams you can see in that pic has a small dent maybe the size of a dime. I brought that to their attention & they offered me 5% refund, since it’s small & cosmetic. That was somewhat fair I thought. However, 20% or so I feel would have been better, as overall dealing with the broken part meant I had to wait until replacement arrived to put it together. So, be aware, you should not 100% cut out a section of time in your schedule to put this thing together until you receive it & make sure everything is present & not damaged. It’s very possible you could receive it with some damage, I did. The manufacturer was prompt in processing my partial refund & responding. Unfortunately the broken plastic part is sandwiched between one of the beams that hold up the structure, meaning I had to wait the 5 days to a week to receive it before I could assemble. This could be an issue if you order the pergola for an event and are on a time crunch - I wasn’t. The package itself was not damaged as I received it, it was packed decently.Putting this together required connecting beams via bolts & following directions. The pieces are mostly marked with tiny white stickers (A,B,C, etc…) that you REALLY have to look closely for. However, all of the beams were not marked. It’s possible to mix up a beam, as they all look similar. Then you would have to disassemble & correct whatever you mixed up. Pay attention to the number, direction, & orientation of the bolt holes in the directions & illustrations to make sure you have the right beam in the right orientation/location. It would have been better if all the beams were marked with stickers that were larger & a contrasting color to white, as I had to continually flip beams in all directions & look for tiny white stickers to assure I was using the correct one, as I am someone who likes to do it right the first time.As you affix the cross beams on the top that the fabric roof clips ride in, be extremely careful that you are installing the carriers/wheels for the fabric roof correctly in the quantity & orientation specified. It is easy to mess this up, meaning you will have to disassemble & rebuild. Pay attention to the order given. The directions are fairly accurate, but sparse, so study them a bit first as to avoid frustration.The fabric roof is of decent quality. It is not super thick or thin. It is thinner than denim, but thicker than the material on an umbrella. Think a decent cloth shower curtain. It could puncture if you poke something through it, so be careful. I noticed the manufacturer does sell the fabric roof replacements on their website. That is nice, as that is the part I feel would be most likely damaged over time. Hopefully they keep that up & keep all sizes available in at least 1 color. The fabric is somewhat similar to fabric on lower priced outdoor furniture. The fabric seems to possess some water repellant already impregnated in it on the top side facing the elements. I applied 303 Fabric Protector regardless, which is an awesome water repellant for outdoor fabric, much better than anything Scotchguard makes. From owning multiple convertible vehicles over the years, I know how important it is to protect outdoor fabrics from UV rays and keep them waterproof if you want them to last a long time. I would highly recommend treating the fabric at least yearly with some marine grade water repellant/UV protectant for fabric. UV rays will make fabric tear like paper after a few years of exposure unprotected .The fabric roof is held on with poles that go through it & slide together in the center. The poles bolt on 3 rows of sliding carriers on the top cross beams. Again, I used 3/8” impact wrench & no issues. Here I made my 1 error during assembly. It’s very easy to install the fabric roof “backwards” (not upside down). I did this. My fault. A closer review of the direction would have reminded me that the one end of the fabric has cutouts where the roof clicks in the front beam when the roof is extended. It is very easy to mess this part up as I did. The cutouts are so metal clips into metal, and fabric is not in between. Over time I could see the fabric getting damaged by metal contact if you put it on backwards. I’m waiting for a nice day to correct this. This will mean unbolting the poles that hold the roof from one side & switching it all around.In order to finish or go back & unbolt anything on this pergola, you need to install/remove these plastic color coordinated cosmetic caps that cover the steel heads of all the attachment bolts. There must be 100+ of the plastic caps of 2 types. They are cosmetic only. See my #5 picture & you will see some in place & some missing at bolt holes. For some reason, I received multiple extras of 1 type of caps, and was short a few of the others. Also, I received a few extra structure bolts. I’m guessing they just have bolt kits distinguished by color for various sizes/models. But, my kit was short some white caps. Bummer.Unfortunately “cap X” Won’t work where “cap Y” is specified & vice versa; meaning I have a few exposed bolts (cosmetics) until I get around to modifying the wrong caps to work. I’m sure the manufacturer would make this right, but not a big deal because it’s only a few. To be fair I didn’t count them from the start; I do not believe I lost any during assembly. A bigger issue is the caps for the bigger bolts do not stay in place. The smaller ones (the majority) are very snug and do not just fall off. The bigger plastic bolt caps are a poor fit & fall right off. These are the ones I was shorted, so another reason it’s not really worth going after replacements, since supplied ones fit poorly anyway. I did remedy this by putting a dot of clear construction adhesive on each cap to hold them firmly in place. You can get a small tube of this for $10 at any hardware store. Not sure what is going on with this, seems like a tolerance issue with manufacturing? But I can’t be the only one who experienced this. Also, FYI, there are some pre-drilled bolt holes on the cross beams that are just open & not used. I’m guessing they are for lights/other options manufacturer has on their website. A tip I will give you is keep the smaller/tight plastic caps in a bucket of hot water until right before you pop each one on. This expands them a bit & the water acts as lube so they are easier to pop on. You likely will need to hit some with a plastic/rubber mallet to get each one 100% seated without killing your hands. Or, use a regular hammer & a piece of wood as a punch.Another minor issue is displayed in #8 pic. Each of the 4 main columns has a matching plastic cap (white). These 4 caps are primarily cosmetic, as the inner aluminum of the columns is not painted, since aluminum doesn’t rust. They are a nice touch, however, they keep popping themself up out of place! First I thought I was crazy, I pushed them down. Then next day saw one or two popped up as in last pic. ThenI tapped them down FIRMLY with a rubber mallet. Next day - same thing. Like the bolt caps, this is likely a manufacturing tolerance issue. Not terrible, but not quality either. Construction adhesive again will remedy this - but I’m guessing for most people they would eventually fall off & just blow away. These should fit properly & not pop out of place overnight.The directions come with measurements of the whole structure. When everything is together, you will need to assess the 4 columns, take some distance measurements, & make sure they are completely perpendicular to the ground. There is enough slop/give in the bolt holes that the columns will end up being slanted if you don’t pay attention. I found it was easier to assemble everything tight & loosen the columns slightly to straighten them. After bolting everything together initially, the columns were noticeably slanted. The directions say don’t tighten “everything” until you are done, but don’t mention why. You can easily loosen column bolts slightly & adjust as needed. Get a tape measure & compare measurements in the directions to actual measurements at top & bottom of each column. It takes some fiddling, but it’s worth it so it doesn’t look like it’s The Leaning Tower of Pisa.Once the structure is assembled, it’s possible to move it a little bit at a time without bending/damaging anything on a smoother type surface, like decking material or smooth asphalt. If it’s on rough type concrete or grass, you don’t want to be dragging it around. So, build it where it will live. You could move it fairly far with 4 people - 1 person each holding 1 column. Again, it’s not heavy. If you’re like me,You will want it centered & as vertically true as possible, so it’s good you can move it a little at a time (inches). On rougher surfaces, you could put some cardboard under each column to slide it a little at a time. The measurements of the structure are pretty accurate in the directions. Putting it together without measuring, initially I was up to 4” off per side. This made it look awful, unstable, and I’m thinking: “I can’t believe I just bought this POS”. But, it’s possible to assemble everything correctly & be way out of plumb.So, once everything is assembled, what do you have? Well, it’s light and a bit shaky. The manufacturer tells you to secure it to footers, concrete, etc… That is essential. Do not think you will build this and it will just stay put by its own weight. With the fabric roof retracted, it moved about 2 feet in light wind on a smooth surface before being secured in a few hours. With wind heavy enough & extended roof this thing could be a kite without a string, quickly destroying it & causing damage to whatever it lands on.I am installing this on my Trex engineered plank deck & was not going to drill holes into my deck. No way. The manufacturer does give you bolts & plastic anchors to secure it to something of your choosing. You could have it on grass/dirt & use something like tent spikes. But, I’d be very cautious of leaving the roof extended in any stronger wind in that case.My solution to install it to my deck without drilling was to make appropriate sized wood footers, paint to match, and bolt each of the four columns to that. I would then secure the footers to below the deck using nylon 2”/ 1000lb rated endless ratchet straps. See pics 2 & 3 if you want to copy my idea to secure it to a deck without drilling. On the bottom of each footer I used contact cement to attached rubber matting cut out the correct size. Think a cut up thick rubber kitchen mat. I ordered the endless ratchets straps custom made from a shipping supply company so they would match the color of the deck & footer. This worked out perfectly, & is a very clean looking install without drilling IMHO. The ratchets straps took a few days to to get here. I was hoping for luck in the meantime for low winds & the pergola would just sit fine a few days on its own. This is when I discovered that you must properly secure this thing 100%. My luck, next day we got some decent wind & this thing was moving all over! Not safe. I ended up ratchet strapping it to a cinder block at each corner until the rest of my supplies arrive. Besides being cosmetically poor IMHO, it was a good solution to secure the structure on a long term basis if need be. So that is another inexpensive option to secure the pergola of you don’t mind the look or are waiting for something/someone to secure it.Once everything was bolted & tied down, it’s fairly sturdy. Yes it has some shake that is based on the design & thickness (or lack of it) of the aluminum beams. I’m not saying the beams are too thin, I’m saying you are getting beams that are the thickness to be expected at this price point. Once the fasteners of the beams are tight there is little movement there. The pergola is shipped in a box approximately half the height of it (maybe a 6’ long box). This means each long beam is actually 2 pieces you bolt together(see pic 6). This and the aluminum thickness is the where the give is when you shake it. Keep in mind the entire thing only weighs 100 lbs & something comparable of wood could weigh > 10x this at 10x plus the cost. It’s sturdy, but you wouldn’t want to be swinging or doing pull ups from it.You can see more in the video about how sturdy it is or how much shake. It’s was raining very hard here when I took quick video. I purposely had the fabric roof extended because I wanted to see how everything behaved with extreme rain / moderate wind. Everything was fine. You can see water does pool in the fabric & when I push up on the fabric depression water comes down the sides. I’d say a possible future issue here is how much that water weights & is it stressing the fabric to cause a rip once it gets older/weaker from prolonged UV exposure. I feel like the fabric could be “tighter” when the roof is fully expanded, meaning less fabric would be used & less water would pool. This is also a possible issue when then roof is fully retracted. Then the roof retracts, the fabric “pleats” even lower because the holding rails are closer together. This forms a depression in the center of the fabric on each side & holds even more water. If you have the roof closed & open it shortly after it rains, be careful because a lot of water will roll off the sides & anyone standing there will get soaked! I saw a solution to this on higher pergola model from this manufacturer or another manufacturer’s similar pergola (can’t recall which). The solution was a fabric cover installed over the retracted roof area. I think this would work very well in all but the heaviest of rains, as water pools in the center of each roof pleat either extended or retracted. I may try to make something similar.Nothing exactly holds the roof in the retracted position - it kind of just sits there. The the extended position it held by the final fabric support pole “clicking” into 2 mounts. Immediately, I noticed the pull lanyard you move the roof with can be flipped up over the center beam to hold it open or closed 100%. You can see the pull lanyard just hanging in pic #9. Extended, the roof will most stay extended. However, occasionally wind or rain can “unclick it” & then it’s just floating in the track pushed back & forth randomly by wind. Since the wheels the roof rides on are only hard plastic/nylon and the track aluminum & flexible, I can see this causing an issue over time contributing to something breaking. So, if you want the roof extended for a long period - just flip the lanyard over the center beam. Retracted over an long period - same in the back. I don’t think using the lanyard to secure the roof is by design. Wasn’t mentioned in directions. The issue with doing this is the beam you are flipping it over is ~10’ off the ground. I’m 6’1” & it’s sort of a reaching up on tippy toes get it secured 3rd time if you’re luck PIA. It’smuch easier with a stool to stand on. Another compromise - now you need a stool handyto securely stow the roof open/closed. Or, you could just let it blow around back/forth if windy.There are a few other small issues but Amazon cut me off. I think the weak point is obviously the roof. If I get 5yrs out of it that’s <$100 yr to sit in shade. My deck is unusable in strong sun without something. This keeps you dry in light rain. IMHO it’s > a 10’ $500 cantilever umbrella or any type of pop up canopy that is just 1 storm away from getting destroyed or blowing over. I’ll take the fabric in for winter & waterproof it yearly. Amy questions - feel free.

Nice and easy to use, just make a sure the top side beams gets attached from inside of the big posts , The big posts screw wholes should be looking inside .

First: The finished product, once all assembled, is fantastic. The materials are all top-notch and, after a few weeks and a few days of 30+ mph winds and rain, the pergola stood up to the elements like a champ.Two: DEFINITELY will require 2 people for the assembly project.Three: Yes, watch the YT videos, but do not listen to the "we assembled and erected the whole thing in less than an hour". I suppose you might be able to do so if this assembly was your tenth, but definitely not your first time.Fourth: Pay close attention to the directions. While not the most detailed plans I ever saw, they do provide enough detail to get the job done...just don't ASSUME you know where this or that should go!Finally, and most importantly, would I purchase this product again? 100% "Yes". Once up it looks great, and we love the ability to slide the cover on and off at our pleasure.

We are loving our new pergola. I would say it takes 2 people around 4-5 hours to prepare and get this installed. We had to drill into our cement patio.It has provided much needed shade on our patio.I love the color and size options. We got the perfect size. 10' x 13' and navy with white aluminum. We love it!