Overheard a neighbor bragging about building a pergola in one weekend

Tbh, I was at a block party last Saturday and this guy Dave was going on about how he built a 12x16 foot pergola in just two days with no prior experience. I've been planning mine for weeks and still stressing over getting the posts perfectly level. Honestly, I think he's either lying or cutting corners on the foundation work. Has anyone else had a neighbor claim they pulled off something massive in a weekend?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_sean9d ago

Read an article in a woodworking mag that said a solid weekend pergola build is only doable if you skip the concrete footings and just sink the posts in gravel. If Dave really did it in two days with no experience, he probably did that and his posts are gonna shift on him come spring thaw. My buddy tried the same shortcut last year and by August his pergola was leaning like it was drunk lol. Good foundation work just takes time, nobody brags about digging post holes and waiting for concrete to cure, it's boring but necessary. Plus there's no way he did proper electrical for any lighting or got permits pulled in that timeframe, so he's either winging it or whitewashing the story a bit.

sullivan.riley8d ago

Wait, is gravel really that bad for posts if you pack it right and go deep enough? I've seen plenty of decks around here that use gravel bases and they've held up for years, it's all about the drainage and how compact you get it. Though I'll give you the permit thing, nobody's pulling those on a two day build.