This post details how to build an easy DIY pergola on a concrete patio, with a modern wood slatted privacy wall!
Okay friends, if you’re looking for an easy way to upgrade your backyard then a DIY pergola is it! We (mainly my husband, ha) built this pergola on our concrete patio last summer and it is by-far my favorite DIY project we’ve ever done. It completely transformed the look and feel of our backyard and patio space.
It might look intimidating but this project was so much fun and I know just how much it enhances an outdoor space. This easy DIY pergola can be done on a budget and can work with a variety of different layouts.
Below I’m sharing all the details on how to build a pergola, including our DIY pergola plans.
Why We Decided to Build a Pergola On a Patio:
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 new-build community so the trees are also still very small and don’t provide shade or privacy yet.
The back of our house is southern facing, so it is always sunny and hot in the summer months. Without a form of shade it was really hard to use this space. But having two toddler boys, I needed a protected spot to hang out outside with them!
The wind can also be very strong where we live, so we have had a hard time figuring out a shade solution. We’ve tried umbrellas (with very heavy bases), a free-standing pergola (again weighted down), and non-structural shade awnings. Nothing could withstand the wind!
We tried so hard to find a good budget shade option but nothing worked well. Looking back I really wish we would have bit the bullet and built the pergola right away. We tried out three other ideas, and ended up waisting hundreds of dollars, before deciding to learn how to build a pergola.
Building this DIY pergola on the concrete patio definitely paid off! With the help of my husband’s brother, we were able to finish this project over the course of two weekends! It went up much quicker than I thought it would, and was much less expensive to build ourselves!
This is a DIY project that I would recommend to anyone looking to add some shade and privacy to their backyard, while increasing their home’s value!
EDIT March 2023: We moved a couple of years ago and this pergola is what I miss the most about this house! However, it definitely helped our house stand out when we went to sell it. Every showing we had commented on how much they loved the pergola! It added so much to our small backyard. The backyard would have been a hard selling point without it. But with it, it was one of the best features! So, if you are looking to increase your home’s retail value, I highly suggest this project!
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How to Build a Pergola on a Patio with Wood Slat Privacy Screens
Step 1 – Research Pergola Design Inspiration
Before starting this pergola project, I did a ton of research! Pinterest is always my go-to search engine when beginning a project!
I looked at so many different styles and sizes and ideas. Pergolas that were free-standing vs. attached to the house … Pergolas with a traditional design style vs. more modern styles … Cedar vs. Red Wood vs. Pressure Treated Wood …
I also looked into a few different package options. Some companies, like Home Depot, sell DIY Pergola Kits where they will send you the pre-cut pieces and you can then put it together. They also of course offer professional pergola installation.
I can tell you that the price to pay for the professional installation would have been at least 3x’s more than what we ended up paying! Even the pre-cut kits were much more expensive.
I decided on a few key elements that I wanted to include in our pergola plans…
Must Have Pergola Design Details:
- Build with Cedar Wood (Western Red Cedar)
- Cedar is a very durable and strong wood. We live in Colorado, where the sun is very strong and the humidity is low, so we needed a wood that can withstand the harsh elements here.
- It is also naturally rot and insect resistant, so it is not typically treated with harmful chemicals like some other wood species. Finding a non-toxic material was important to us!
- I also love how cedar looks when it naturally ages. Cedar wood starts out with a red-yellow tone and turns to a beautiful silvery-gray as it patinas.
- The other wood option that we considered was Redwood. It is very similar to cedar but has a darker red-brown tone, and the wood grain tends to be more subtle and less rustic. We choose cedar because we liked the lighter color and how turns gray when it ages.
- Use 6×6 Beams for the Main Posts
- While 4×4 beams are more readily available, it was important to me to use 6×6 beams. Because the overall size and scale of this pergola was going to feel big, I didn’t want the scale of the posts to feel too small and flimsy. The scale of the 6×6 beams feels much more custom and in proportion to the rest of the pergola.
- Use One Large Header (4″W x 10″H) vs. Two Thinner Boards
- I saw a few pergola images where they used two thinner boards along the top header instead of one thicker board. Again, I feel the thicker board feels more custom and in proportion to the rest of the structure.
- Simple and Clean Design
- I didn’t want anything too ornate, but also not too modern. The style of our house is kind of a cottage/farmhouse style on the exterior, so I wanted it to match that. We choose a very simple angled detail for the end of the header and planks on the top of the pergola.
- Narrow Spacing Between the Top Boards
- Because our back yard receives SO MUCH sun, we wanted to create as much shade as possible. We spaced the top large planks with the angled ends about 10″ apart, and the top 2″ x 2″ pieces were spaced about 6″ apart.
- This was another reason I was happy we built this pergola ourselves! I was shocked how much the price went up for the kits and the installed pergolas when you added more of these top boards. These pieces were very inexpensive to buy more of, and easy to add, so we could space them closer together.
- Wood Slat Privacy Screen and Half Walls
- I love that we were able to add these! Not only do they provide extra shade and privacy, they look so good! The wood slats make this pergola stand out from others and are a custom look that was easy to add on.
- Future Plans – I had dreamed of adding planter boxes or crawling vines or scattered succulents to these privacy screens, but we moved before I was able to. I think that would have been so pretty though!
- I’ve also seen a few different styles of these wood slat screens where people do different board widths or spacing between the boards…there are a lot of fun design options for this feature!
Step 2 – Measure and Draw Pergola Plans
Once we had a design concept in mind we measured our patio space to determine how big we wanted the pergola to be, where we wanted to add the privacy walls, and how high we wanted it to go.
We decided to have it cover our whole existing concrete slab. The concrete slab is approximately 19′-6″ wide x 10′-6″ deep.
We wanted the roof of the pergola to hit just above the top of our windows. The top of the windows are about 9′ high.
After that, I sketched out how we wanted it to look. I drew the floorplans and elevations to scale. This way we were able to determine how many boards we needed and what types. Figuring out what to order was the hardest part of this project!
NOTE: We did update a few measurements / pieces when we ordered the wood, which I will note below.
Step 3 – Order Pergola Materials
Because we wanted cedar, and some custom sizes, we ordered the following supplies from a local lumbar yard. By ordering from a lumbar yard versus going to Home Depot, we were able to get the exact type of wood we wanted and the exact sizes.
I’m so glad we did because we were able to order custom sizes for the lengths and widths that we needed. This saved us so much time and labor once we received the lumber because we had to make fewer cuts.
It only took about a week for the pieces to arrive and then we had them delivered straight to our house for a very reasonable fee! Again…highly recommend using a local lumbar yard! You are also supporting a small business so it’s a win win!
Materials Ordered:
* These quantities and sizes will vary based on your pergola design and overall size *
- 3 – 6″ X 6″ X 10′ Rough Sawn Appearance Cedar (main structural beams)
- 1 – 4″ X 10″ X 10′ Rough Sawn Appearance Cedar (main front header beam)
- 1 – 4″ X 10″ X 12′ Rough Sawn Appearance Cedar (main front header beam)
- 7 – 2″ X 6″ X 10′ Rough Sawn Appearance Cedar (we cut these into 2″ x 2″ pieces for the top boards)
- 7 – 2″ X 6″ X 12′ Rough Sawn Appearance Cedar (we cut these into 2″ x 2″ pieces for the top boards)
- 37 – 1″ X 4″ X 12′ Cedar (Wood Slats for Privacy Walls)
- 16 – 2″ X 10″ X 12′ Rough Cedar (top planks with angled ends and header boards attached to house)
- 2 – 2″ X 4″ X 8′ Rough Sawn Appearance Cedar (top of half height privacy wall)
- 2 – 2″ X 4″ X 10′ Rough Sawn Appearance Cedar (to frame/support privacy walls)
- Metal Flashing
- Metal Brackets
- 3 – Black Post Bases with Black Screws
- Concrete Anchors
NOTE: we ended up using 1″ x 4″ boards for the privacy wall instead of 1″ x 6″, and left a 1″ gap in between each board.
Step 4 – Build Pergola on Concrete Patio
The first step was to install the 3 6″ x 6″ posts into the concrete slab. This was the hardest part! The beams were very heavy and it took 2-3 people to hold them in place to make sure they were level and straight.
After that, we installed the large header at the front. This was another tricky part that took two people. One person to hold the beam up while the other screwed it into the 6″ x 6″ posts.
Also, as you can see in the below photo, we notched out a spot at the tops of the 6″ x 6″ posts for the header to rest on.
The next step was to install the support boards and metal flashing to the house. The metal flashing is an important step to keep water from collecting on the wood, which could damage the siding on your house.
After those steps, my husband was able to add the pieces on the roof on his own.
The last step was to add the wood slats to the privacy screens.
We decided not to seal or stain the cedar because we want it to age naturally. When cedar ages it grays over time and I love the color it turns!
Step 5 – Add Finishing Touches
A few finishing touches we added were some sun shades! We added two of these outdoor roller shades, seen above, which help so much to block the sun! They are easy to use and are not very noticeable when up. They also add even more privacy and when they are down this area feels like a private outdoor room.
We also added a couple of sail sun shades to lay on the top of the pergola. They added more shade, protection from rain, and were barely noticeable. We used carabiner clips to attach them so they were easily removable in the winter. We took them off then so snow wouldn’t collect on them.
Then we added some decorative outdoor globe string lights! I’ve always loved the look of these lights! They feel magical and were perfect when we were outside 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 off can be red and stain the furniture or concrete below. We were able to rinse it off of our cushions with a pressure washer, but it is something to be aware of!
If you seal the wood this wouldn’t be an issue. Otherwise I would recommend rinsing the wood off with a pressure washer (at a safe distance) one or two times before placing furniture underneath it.
My Favorite Patio Furniture Options from 2023:
Of course we also added some nice patio furniture! I love our outdoor sectional and how cozy the seating area is! Our exact one isn’t available anymore but this outdoor sectional from Wayfair is similar! Or this large outdoor sectional looks like a great option too!
I’ve put together an outdoor patio furniture round-up here if you are looking for more seating options!
Final Thoughts on Our DIY Pergola and Privacy Screens
I’m so happy with how our pergola and privacy walls turned out on our patio! This pergola adds to much to the look and feel of our small backyard!
It provides us with so much more shade and privacy! I love how our concrete patio space now feels like an extension of our house and more like an outdoor room. We use it all of the time. It is even nice in the winter because it blocks some of the snow from the patio!
Hopefully these DIY Pergola Plans help you if you are planning to build your own pergola on a patio! I highly recommend this project as it saved us so much money and was really not that hard to do! As long as you have a few guys to help lift the heavy beams, it is a pretty easy DIY project!
Please leave a comment below if you have any questions!
If you are looking for another DIY project to tackle, take a look through our DIY Page! We have posted a lot of simple and budget friendly projects!
This post was all about How to Build a Pergola on a Patio with Wood Slat Privacy Screen Plans!
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