Pergola Balcony – This article details how to build an easy DIY pergola on a concrete deck with a modern wood privacy fence!

Well friends, if you are looking for an easy way to improve your yard, then a DIY pergola is the way to go! We (mostly my husband, ha) built this pergola on our concrete deck last summer, and it’s by far my favorite DIY project we’ve ever done. It completely changed the look and feel of our yard and deck space.

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It can be intimidating, but this project was a lot of fun and I know how much it will improve the outdoor space. This easy DIY pergola can be done on a budget and can work with many different designs.

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Our house has a very small yard and the houses are close together, so there was no privacy when we moved in. We live in a newly built community, so the trees are also very small and still lack shade or privacy.

The back of our house faces south, so it’s always sunny and warm in the summer months. It was really hard to use this space without the shadow form. But with two toddler boys, I needed a sheltered place to hang out with them!

The wind can also be quite strong where we live, so we had a hard time finding a shade solution. We tested umbrellas (with very heavy bases), free standing pergola (again weight) and structured shade awnings. Nothing could withstand the wind!

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We tried a lot to find a good budget shadow option, but nothing worked well. Looking back, I really wish we had bitten the bullet and built a pergola right away. We tried three other ideas and spent hundreds of dollars before deciding to learn how to build a pergola.

Building this DIY pergola on a concrete deck definitely paid off! With the help of my brother-in-law, we were able to complete this project in two weekends! It went up a lot faster than I thought it would and it was a lot cheaper to make our own!

This is a DIY project that I recommend to anyone who wants to add some shade and privacy to their yard and increase the value of their home!

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March 2023 Edit: We moved a few years ago and this pergola is what I miss most about this house! However, it definitely helped our house stand out when we went to sell it. Every show we commented on how much they loved the pergola! It added so much to our little yard. The yard would be a tough selling point without it. But with that, it was one of the best features! So if you want to increase the retail value of your home, I highly recommend this project!

How to Build a Pergola on a Deck with Wood Slat Privacy Screens Step 1 – Explore Pergola Design Inspiration

Before starting this pergola project, I did a ton of research! Pinterest is always my go-to search engine when starting a project!

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I looked at many different styles, sizes and ideas. Pergolas that were free vs. connected to the house … Pergolas in traditional design style vs. more modern styles … Cedar vs. Wood Red vs. Pressure treated wood…

I also saw several different package options. Some companies, like Home Depot, sell DIY Pergola kits where they send you pre-cut pieces and you can put it together. They also, of course, offer professional pergola installation.

I can tell you that the price I would have paid for a professional installation would have been at least 3x what we paid! Even the pre-cut kits were much more expensive.

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Once we had a design concept in mind, we measured our deck space to determine how big we wanted the pergola to be, where we wanted to add privacy walls, and how high we wanted it to be. we want

We decided to have it cover all of our existing concrete slabs. The concrete slab is approximately 19′-6″ wide x 10′-6″ deep.

We wanted the pergola roof to go over our windows. The top of the windows is about 9′ high.

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After that, I sketched out how we would look. I drew floor plans and elevations to scale. This way we were able to determine how many boards were needed and what types. Figuring out what to order was the hardest part of this project!

NOTE: When we ordered the wood, we updated a few measurements/pieces, which I’ll note below.

Since we wanted cedar and some custom dimensions, we ordered the following materials from a local belt yard. By ordering from the bow yard and going to Home Depot, we were able to get the exact type of wood we wanted and the exact size.

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I’m so glad we did because we were able to order a custom size for the length and width we needed. When we got the lumber, it saved us a lot of time and labor because we had to cut less.

It only took a week for the pieces to arrive and then we had them delivered to our home for a very reasonable price! Again…highly recommend using a local lumbar yard! You’re also supporting a small business, so it’s a win-win!

NOTE: We used 1″ x 4″ boards instead of 1″ x 6″ and left a 1″ gap between each board.

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The first step was to install 3 6″ x 6″ posts to the concrete slab. This was the hardest part! The beams were very heavy and required 2-3 people to hold them in place to keep them level and straight.

After that, we installed the big head in the front. This was another difficult part that took two people. One person holds the wood up while the other wraps it into 6″ x 6″ posts.

Also, as you can see in the photo below, we made space at the top of the 6″ x 6″ posts for the header to rest on.

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The next step was to install the support boards and flashing metal to the house. Metal flashing is an important step in preventing water from pooling on the wood, which can damage your home’s siding.

We decided not to seal or stain the cedar because we want it to age naturally. As cedar ages it will gray over time and I love the color!

A few final touches we added were some sun shades! We added two of these outdoor roller shades, seen above, to help block out the sun! They are easy to use and not very visible when on top. They also add even more privacy, and when they’re down, the area feels like a private outdoor room.

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We also added some sail sun shades to put over the pergola. They added more shade, protection from the rain and were barely visible. We used carabiner clips to attach them so they can be easily detached in the winter. We removed them so that the snow would not fall on them.

Then we added some decorative globe string lights! I have always loved the look of these lights! They feel magical and were perfect when we were out at night!

One thing to note that we weren’t prepared for – the first few times the cedar wood gets wet (when it rains or snows) the water that drips can turn red and stain the furniture or concrete underneath. We were able to wash it out of our pillows with a pressure washer, but it’s something to be aware of!

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If you seal the wood, this will not be a problem. Otherwise, I recommend pressure washing the wood (at a safe distance) once or twice before placing furniture underneath.

Of course, we also added some beautiful furniture! I love our outdoor unit and how comfortable the sitting area is! Our exact one is no longer available, but this outdoor piece from Wayfair looks great! Or this great outdoor sectional looks like a great option too!

I am so happy with how our pergola and privacy fences turned out on our deck! This pergola adds to the look and feel of our little yard!

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It gives us more shade and privacy! I love how our concrete space now feels like an extension of our home and more like an outdoor room. We use it all the time. It’s even good in the winter because it keeps some of the snow off the deck!

I hope these DIY Pergola plans help you if you are planning to build your own backyard pergola! I highly recommend this project because it saved us a lot of money and it really wasn’t hard to do! As long as you have some guys to help

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