What Each Roof Actually Does
A wood pergola was never meant to be a roof. It's a frame. Open rafters that break the sun into stripes. Sure, you could let some vegetation grow over it to expand your shade, but that still won't stop the rain, or keep you from moving your chair to chase the shifting shade.
A louvered pergola is a roof that moves. The louvers are aluminum slats that pivot to your preference. Open for sun and air, closed to keep rain out. And on ours, the water runs into gutters and drains out through the posts. You control your shade without ever leaving your chair.
Side by Side
Wood vs. aluminum, line by line.
* Transferable to the next homeowner. Read the full warranty.
What Wood Asks of You
Wood comes with a choice nobody mentions at the lumberyard. The finishes that let you see the wood last a year or two, and the ones that go seven or eight cover the grain you paid extra for. Either way, every second or third spring you're moving furniture, washing, sanding, and coating. Skipping one only makes the next worse. Grow anything up it and you can't refinish under the vine at all.
When Wood Is
the
Right Call
If wood is the look you want, that's a good enough reason on its own. It gives you something aluminum doesn't: the grain, the color, the way it sits against an older house.
- You want that look and you don't mind refinishing it
- You're moving in a couple of years
- You want to build it yourself
- You want vines growing up it, or plants hanging from it
What It Costs
Average cost of a 12×18 covered outdoor space in 2026
Typical installed cost for a 12×18 footprint, 2026. Your number depends on size, finish, and site.
Not All Aluminum Is the Same
There are $3,000 manual louvered pergolas at Costco where you crank the blades open by hand. There are also commercial-grade pergolas sold through dealers that start anywhere from $40,000–60,000. Both get called the same thing. They're not.
So what separates them?
Wall thickness, how far it spans before it needs a post in the middle, the powder coat, and whether anyone answers the phone in year eight. There's a lot of marketing in this category. Vet whoever you buy from. Us included.
What's Different About Us
- Family-owned
- Made in the USA
- Lifetime, transferable warranty
- No call center or AI customer service
- Factory-direct pricing, without the dealer-brand middleman markup
- Commercial-grade aluminum and construction
- The longest louvers in the industry, so no center post on spans over 18 feet
- Freestanding models go up in about a day if you're handy
WHAT CUSTOMERS ARE SAYING
1,500+ families. Every unit is made in Indiana and backed for life.
"We saved thousands but still got that expensive look."
"Upon completion we have received many compliments on the overall all look and design adding additional curb appeal to our home."
"My wife and I (age 70) confidently built both pergolas with the assistance of a materials lift. The end results yielded a dignified and high-end look to our courtyard."
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
It costs more on day one. That part's true and we're not going to dress it up. What the sticker price on a wood pergola leaves out is the refinishing, every two or three years, for as long as you own it.
The Luxury Pergola is built to last a lifetime — and our warranty backs that with no weather exclusions. Extruded aluminum doesn't rot, warp, or feed insects. And the powder-coat finis is guaranteed fade-proof for 10 years, even in beachfront sun.
No sanding, no sealing, no staining. Ever. Rinse it with a hose when it looks like it needs it.
We build in aluminum, in a range of powder-coat colors, and we don't imitate woodgrain. The clean architectural look outlasts the trend, and unlike a wood finish it never needs refinishing to keep looking that way. Browse the colors in the Online Design Studio.
Most people have it up in a day with two or three sets of hands, and we've got step-by-step videos and someone on the phone while you do it.
No. They bore into wood, and a cedar pergola is exactly what they're looking for — half-inch holes, and the tunnels behind them run up to two feet after a few seasons of reuse. Paint deters them. Stain, which is what most cedar pergolas get, does almost nothing. There's nothing in aluminum for them.
4-6 weeks on average. We'll provide updates and tracking information once shipped. Production slots fill quickly. Order now to lock in your preferred time and date.
Nationwide, straight from our factory, and shipping is included in your build price. Buying direct is most of the reason we land where we do. A dealer-installed pergola of comparable grade typically runs about twice what ours does.
GET A FREE QUOTE NOW
Call (844-589-7374) or fill out the form below, tell us about your space, and we'll get you a real, no-pressure quote right away.
HOW CAN WE HELP?
Our design experts are available morning, noon, and night (including weekends) to guide you through every step of the process.