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Pergolas have been used for centuries as a way to create a comfortable, personal and graceful open space outdoors while blending with nature and embellishing its surroundings – especially when used with vines. Traditionally they’re made of high quality wood but in modern times a vinyl construction is also popular due to its affordability and resistance. I deeply enjoy their aesthetic presence and as such use them in a lot of situations, giving me a big repertoire of units to work with. I’ve selected only what I consider to be, personally, the very best pergolas out of all I’ve ever used and listed them here for you with an accompanying review of each. No matter which style you prefer, today we’ll find the perfect one for you.
Let’s start by taking a look at the comparison table so you get a quick overview of all the units and then further below you can read a full analysis of each pergola.
Best Pergolas
These are, in my opinion, the best pergolas for sale on the market, thoroughly compared for you.
Pergola | Regency 12'x12' Vinyl Pergola | BD Oasis 14x10 Cedar Pergola | Roosevelt 12'x12' Composite Pergola | Avalon Louvered Vinyl Pergola | Outdoor GreatRoom Pergola, Redwood | Breeze Wooden Pergola 12'x16' | Breeze Cedar Wood Pergola,12x20 |
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Picture | |||||||
Price | $ | $ | $ | $$ | $$$ | $$$ | $$$$ |
Size (WxL) | 12'x12' and 8.8' Tall | 10'x14' and 8' Tall | 12'x12' and 8' Tall | 10'x10' and 8.7' Tall | 12'x12' and 9.3' Tall | 12'x16' and 9' Tall | 12'x20' and 9' Tall |
Material | Vinyl | Cedar Wood | Composite | Vinyl | Douglas Fir Wood | Quality Cedar Wood | Quality Cedar Wood |
Special Feature | Resistance of Vinyl + Looks of Wood | Adjustable Louvered Roof | Arched Roof + Fantastic Quality | Superb Quality + Expert Craftsmanship | Retractable Canopy + Superb Quality + Expert Craftsmanship | ||
Warranty | 20 Years | 1 Year | 20 Years | 20 Years | 3 Years | 1 Year | 1 Year |
Availability |
Pergola Reviews
Here you’ll find a thorough analysis and review of each pergola shown in the table above. This will show you their unique qualities and give you a deep understanding of what each model has to offer.
Regency 12’x12′ Vinyl Pergola
Starting off our list, the Regency is a very affordable garden pergola that manages to offer a handsome design and solid durability at a mind blowing price. New England Arbors achieves this feat by using vinyl instead of wood, which still looks good and easily resists the weather. It has the regular 12’x12′ dimensions and stands at 8.8′ of height which gives you plenty of space to get creative with it. The frame and design are simple but good looking, sturdy and resistant to weather plus it comes with a massive 20 year warranty which is a fantastic bonus. With a white coloring, the Regency pergola can fit nicely with any decoration you have and will bring a modern look to it. The installation is straightforward but you’ll need 2 people to do it in a quick and easy fashion. I must say that the amount of quality this unit gives you at such a low price is beyond great – if you don’t require a wooden pergola and want a more affordable option then the Regency is for you. There’s also a curved roof version called the “Riveriera” so take a look at it if it’s more your style.
Backyard Discovery Oasis 14×10 Cedar Pergola
Backyard Discovery delivers a beautiful cedar wood pergola at a very attractive price, making the dream of having one of these much easier to accomplish. It’s 10 feet long, 14 feet wide and 8 feet tall, making it a substantial addition to your patio. It has a classic multilevel design with fairly simple detailing although it features a shelf on one side and two benches on the other, giving it a unique (and handy) look. It’s well built and sturdy once setup although the bolts that come with it aren’t the best as they don’t fit perfectly. To fix this, simply buy and use a set of 32 bolts of the 5/16 in. x 3-1/2 size and their respective nuts and washers, this will deliver a much tighter and higher quality assembly to the pergola at next to no cost. The assembly itself is fairly easy and can even be done alone if you wish, although I highly recommend that you get a helping hand to fasten the process. The cedar wood can take a punch from use and weather and still look great although with age it develops a new more rustic look. If you love the fresh color you can always sand and re-finish every couple of years. To further improve its resistance, the feet have a resin bottom so moisture doesn’t creep up the pergola. It comes with 1 year of warranty on any defects and 5 years on the wood, giving you extra security. It’s also available in a red cedar version that doesn’t have the side table and benches. A wooden pergola that’s this good at this price is a rarity and a truly beautiful opportunity.
Roosevelt 12’x12′ Composite Pergola
The Roosevelt composite pergola aims to get the best of both worlds – the resistance and affordability of vinyl with the natural good looks of wood – and it does so in a decently successful way. While the color remains wood-like, the texture is very similar to vinyl which results in a unique, resistant and handsome blend. It’s 12’x12′ and 8.8′ tall, making it a regular sized pergola. The design of the body and detailing is a hard copy of the Regency model, which is simple yet elegant. Since it’s made by New England Arbors it comes with a gigantic 20 year warranty which is a fantastic bonus. When it comes to the assembly it’s as straightforward as the other model, requiring two people to get the job done easily. The Roosevelt is sturdy, durable, very affordable and the perfect meeting point between those who want the familiar look of wood without giving up the resilience and practicality of a modern vinyl pergola.
Avalon 10’x10′ Adjustable Louvered Vinyl Pergola
The last unit by the great team at New England Arbors, the Avalon is a small pergola made of Vinyl takes all the good qualities of previous models such as the durability and good looks and takes it a step further by adding an adjustable louver roof. Adjustable shade pergolas are a favorite among users and the Avalon shows why – it allows you to completely control how much shade you want in a quick and easy fashion. It’s got the brand’s trademark design but with a twist – double beams. This detail makes the pergola have a more intricate and powerful look, making it pop in any patio. The body’s made of New England Arbor’s vinyl and as such it is sturdy, elegant and it comes with the brand’s classic 20 year warranty. The 10′ x 10′ size makes it easy to fit this beautiful pergola in virtually any place and the 8.7 feet height is just perfect to adjust the louvered roof. Assembling the Avalon is a breeze as long as you have a friend to help out and it’ll likely last a lifetime, in my view, without even worrying about its care. It’s also available in a larger 12′ x 12′ size under the name “Camelot”, a good play on words.
Outdoor GreatRoom Company Sonoma Pergola 12×12′, Redwood
This curved roof pergola is an unknown gem that I found. At the request of a client I started searching for a pergola that fitted the description – wooden, arched roof and with lots of class, and this fit perfectly. It’s got the common 12’x12′ size and stands at around 9.3 feet of height, giving you enough space to place, for example, a full furniture set below complete with a table, a fire pit and other decorations. One of the reasons I chose this instead of other similar competing pergolas is that the brand behind it (Outdoor GreatRoom Company) is fantastic in terms of product quality, innovation and customer service. I’ve had a lot of other products from them such as fireplaces and tables and all of them were outstanding, giving me enough confidence to dive in. The whole pergola is made of beautiful Douglas fir and it has a redwood stain finish which really elevates its elegance and makes it much more vibrant. It’s very well made as expected from the brand and the assembly is pretty straightforward as well if you’ve got a friend to help you out. There are a variety of excellent accessories available (sold separately) to add to it such as a privacy wall, a Sunbrella cover and my favorite by far, an incredibly beautiful lattice shade roof. The price, while not exactly budget-friendly, is more than fair for the amount of quality you get in both design, craftsmanship and durability. It also comes with 1 year of warranty on the finish and 3 on the structure itself. If you like arched roofs, this is in my opinion the best pergola you can get.
Breeze Cedar Pergola, 12×16
With a second to none level of quality, this enormous 12′ x 16′ pergola offers you an expertly crafted cedar wood body that’s so natural and fresh that even the smell is incredible. Considering its size and excellence, it’s fairly priced and it comes with 1 year of warranty. If you’re into woodworking yourself you can instantly notice the stunning attention to detail and how well made everything really is – it fits perfectly and doesn’t use any shortcuts in its assembly. It’s also pretty tall, standing at 9 feet of height, so coupled with the enormous area it really opens up your possibilities as to how to use the space, the sky’s the limit. The detailing is flawless and the quality of the design really shines due to this. From the little notched top caps to the stunning curved braces, this thing’s a beauty. The assembly is surprisingly easy and it can be put together in 1 day provided you have someone to help out. Worth mentioning is the sheer sturdiness, durability and heft of the pergola, it’s truly made to last a lifetime no matter the use or weather. In short, it’s a brilliantly made unit that looks fantastic and will keep doing so for many years, easily putting it among my favorites and in my opinion, also one of the very best pergolas you can get.
Breeze Cedar Pergola, 12×20 With Retractable Canopy
This is the even larger version of the model shown above, made by the same excellent team at Outdoor Living Today. The height (9 feet tall) and quality stays the same – expert craftsmanship, gorgeous cedar wood, perfect construction and incredible durability – but the length and width increase to a gigantic 12′ x 20′, making it the biggest pergola on the list by far. Another added feature is the excellent retractable canopy – making this a wooden pergola with a roof. This gives you another level of comfort and the beige fabric, besides being thick, resilient and water repellent, also perfectly matches the pergola’s natural color. It’s super easy to use due to the hand crank system, allowing you to easily roll it out of the way whenever you want. The design and level of detail are out of this world, as expected, and they make the pergola deliver a truly classy and elegant ambiance to your outdoors. It comes with 1 year of warranty and the assembly, even if fairly easy, requires at least two people. It’s fairly pricey, no doubt, but you truly get what you pay for. If you want what is in my opinion the best pergola money can buy, this is an excellent choice.
There’s also a smaller and less expensive 12’x12′ version, which I equally recommend, especially for smaller outdoor spaces.
Picking the models that were, in my view, the best pergolas out of all the competition wasn’t easy but it was a lot of fun and in the end, the excellent ones just naturally stood out. Any one of these is nearly guaranteed to give you superb value for what you pay and they’ll surely give a new life to your outdoors.
Due to popular request I’ve also created a list of my personal favorite affordable pergolas, proving that you don’t need to break your bank to get a quality unit. Make sure to give it a read if you’re interested.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading and that you’ve found your new pergola!