Q: What sets Sunset Pergola Kits apart? How are your pergolas better than the competition?
Sunset Pergola Kits offer the unbeatable combination of...
1. High Strength - All structural components have a heavy-duty (and we mean heavy-duty) aluminum frame. The aluminum frame inside the posts (columns) is .150 gauge aluminum, while the beams and rafters have either .060 gauge aluminum (2x6s) or .080 gauge aluminum (2x8s).
2. Low Maintenance - The exterior of every piece is made of premium extruded vinyl that is as beautiful as it is durable. Anyone who has ever had both a vinyl fence and a wooden fence knows how much easier it is to clean and maintain vinyl. Our pergolas are virtually maintenance-free and are guaranteed to never chalk, pit, discolor or become brittle.
3. Real Shade - Our pergolas aren't there just to look pretty; they're there to offer REAL shade (as you can see in this picture). Other pergolas might as well come with a bottle of sunscreen, while Sunset Pergolas are essentially lower-cost patio covers.
We know our pergolas aren't the cheapest pergolas on the market, and we're okay with that (even proud of that). Sunset Pergola Kits are made to last a lifetime. If you're looking for a low-cost pergola that will look nice for a couple years before it starts bowing, sagging, discoloring and falling apart, you're in the wrong place (though we'll gladly welcome you back in 2-3 years when you're ready to replace the economy/value pergola you made the mistake of getting). It's very telling that almost 50% of the pergolas we sell are to people replacing a low-cost pergola (as opposed to people buying a pergola for the first time).
Sunset Pergolas are commercial grade... premium all the way and protected by a lifetime warranty. All men and women are created equal... but the same cannot be said of vinyl or aluminum. Just because a pergola has a vinyl exterior doesn't mean it's high-quality vinyl that won't chalk, pit, discolor or chip. Just because a pergola has an aluminum frame doesn't mean it's made of high-gauge aluminum that will hold up to extreme winds, extreme heat, extreme cold and other extreme weather conditions.
If you're going to invest in a pergola, don't go half-way. Spend a little more and get a Sunset Pergola that will not only last a lifetime but will also stay beautiful for a lifetime. Click here to see real reviews from real customers.
Q: How do I measure my space correctly to know which pergola kit to order?
See this guide about measuring your space and factors to consider when ordering your pergola kit.
Q: How tall are the posts (columns)?
Our posts (columns) are 10 feet tall, which is ideal for most customers.
If you need/want the pergola to be shorter (which is sometimes the case for attached pergolas because of where the pergola needs to attach to your home), the posts can easily be trimmed down to a shorter height with a circular or miter saw.
If you need/want taller posts, you have a couple options:
Option #1 (preferred) - Add risers or pillars to the base so that the posts themselves are only 10’ tall. If the risers are fairly short (12” tall or less), a 12” square riser should be fine. But if the risers are taller than that (2-4 feet tall), we’d recommend the risers be bigger (like 18” square). Here are links to a few images: Image 1, Image 2, Image 3, Image 4, Image 5 and Image 6.
Option #2 - For $300 more (for 5" posts) or $400 more (for 7" posts), we can make the posts up to 4 feet longer (up to 14 feet tall). However, since we did all of our engineer testing and certification done using our standard 10' tall posts, we cannot warrant pergolas that have posts taller than 10' tall.
This doesn't mean the pergola won't be structurally strong. Over the years, we’ve had several dozen customers go over 10’ tall on the posts (some as tall as 13-14 feet), and they haven’t had any problems. But it’s an infrequent enough occurrence that it hasn’t made sense for us to do the official engineer testing to get them certified, and therefore we won’t warrant them.
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Q: How well do Sunset Pergolas stand up to windy conditions?
Extremely well! In fact, we are so confident your pergola will stand up against heavy winds that, with the hurricane brackets (an optional add-on when you purchase your pergola), we offer a lifetime warranty against any damage caused by wind. If the pergola is correctly installed (with hurricane brackets) and suffers any kind of damage due to heavy winds, we will replace the damaged components and ship them to you free of charge.
Q: Have your pergola kits been through any type of wind or structural testing?
Absolutely. Our kits have been put through FEA testing performed by an independent structural engineering firm. The results helped us to design our pergolas to withstand high wind speeds. We are so confident in the structural soundness of our pergolas that we provide a warranty against wind damage when correctly installed using hurricane brackets. You can read more about our wind warranty here.
Q: How well do Sunset Pergolas withstand extreme heat and cold?
Very well! Our pergolas have an internal heavy-duty aluminum frame. This means they won’t sag, bend, break or rust in extreme weather. The premium extruded vinyl exterior is thick and durable enough that you don’t have to worry about it deforming in heat or cracking in the cold. We guarantee it!
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Q: Can I add a fan, lights, or speakers to a Sunset Pergola?
Sure, we encourage it! Adding a fan to keep air moving on a hot day is the perfect way to get even more enjoyment in your outside space. Lights and speakers are also a great addition. The best part is that because all of the structural components have a hollow core, it’s easy to chase wires and add boxes and switches to your pergola.
Q: How are attached pergolas mounted to the house?
There are 3 ways for attaching one of our attached pergolas to your home, as discussed and illustrated here.
Q: What if my house has a "bump-out" where I plan to attach the pergola?
It's not uncommon for homes to have either a square (right-angle) "bump-out" OR a 45-degree-angled "bump-out" on the side of the home where the pergola needs to be attached. This isn't a problem at all. See this page for information (and accompanying illustrations) about how this is handled.
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Q: What are beam attachment brackets and are they really optional?
Beam attachment brackets are not necessary, nor do they add any structural strength to the pergola. They just simplify and expedite the installation step of attaching the beams to the posts (which is one of the more difficult assembly steps). If you have pretty good carpentry/assembly skills, you shouldn't need beam attachment brackets. However, if you're quite inexperienced and consider yourself a novice, we'd recommend adding beam attachment brackets.
Q: Do you offer fully covered (i.e. 100% shade) pergolas or patio covers?
We don't offer fully covered pergolas with 100% shade. However, the 90% shade option we offer honestly provides 100% shade the vast majority of the day. Light only gets through when the sun is directly overhead (or very close to it). In the afternoon or evening (which is when most people use their pergolas), the shade purlins block the sun completely and provide 100% shade. Here's a picture of a pergola that has 90% shade on the left half of the pergola and 75% shade on the right half.
Our 90% shade option is perfect because it provides complete shade for almost the entire day, but it also allows rain/snow to get through, preventing drainage issues and snow pileup.
Q: Are 50%, 75% and 90% the only shade options? Can I get something else?
While our website only shows 50%, 75% and 90% shade options, you can technically get ANY percentage you'd like. The higher the shade percentage, the closer the shade purlins will be (i.e. for 90% shade, the purlins have 3" on-center spacing, while 75% shade has 4" on-center spacing). If you'd like a different percentage of shade coverage (i.e. 20%, 30%, 40%, 60%, 80%, etc.), please contact us to discuss.
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Q: Under what circumstances do you recommend hurricane brackets?
Hurricane brackets add structural strength to the pergola to prevent wind damage. And more importantly, they add a lifetime wind warranty to your pergola. We highly recommend adding hurricane brackets to your pergola if you live in an area that sometimes gets winds in excess of 70-80 MPH.
Hurricane brackets are placed at the intersection of each beam (running the width of the pergola) and rafter (running the depth of the pergola). For a 6-rafter freestanding pergola (which has 4 beams), your kit will include 24 hurricane brackets (6x4). For a 6-rafter atached pergola (which has 2 beams), your kit will include 12 hurricane brackets (6x2).
The hurricane brackets are visible on the pergola, but they're very discreet and look nice. White pergolas have white hurricane brackets (as shown in this picture), while tan pergolas have tan-colored hurricane brackets.
Q: How thick (what gauge) is the aluminum frame?
The aluminum frame inside the posts (columns) is extremely heavy-duty .150 gauge aluminum.
2" x 6" beams and rafters (which are standard for pergolas up to 18' width or depth) have .060 gauge aluminum. Upgraded 2" x 8" beams and rafters (for larger pergolas) have .080 gauge aluminum.
Q: Do the posts have to be installed so there's an overhang?
Our pergolas are designed to offer maximum flexibility. While the CAD drawings of our traditional pergolas assume a 12-inch overhang for beams and rafters, you do NOT need to install them that way. The overhang can be as little as 0 inches (i.e. no overhang at all) or as much as 36 inches, or anything in between. Here is a picture that illustrates these options.
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Q: I love the look of your modern pergolas but want the lower price of the traditional pergolas. Any advice?
A lot of our customers are torn between the lower cost of a traditional pergola and the more contemporary look (but higher cost) of a modern pergola.
Depending on the size, traditional pergolas typically cost 20-40% LESS than modern pergolas with the same dimensions. When you're talking about a several-thousand-dollar purchase, that's A LOT of savings on our traditional pergolas!
A really attractive option is our hybrid pergola design. It's actually just a traditional pergola (so you get the cost savings), but it's customized and installed in a way that makes it look very similar to our modern pergolas (no overhangs, and clean squared-off corners). Here's what it looks like from underneath and from the outside.
Check out this page for more information on our "hybrid" pergola design and how to order it.
Q: What are your biggest sales of the year?
We have multiple sales throughout the year associated with various holidays, seasons and events. The deepest discount we offer in ANY sale event is $1,000 off + half-off shipping ($499 instead of the regular $999).
Q: How difficult is the installation process? What resources do you provide?
Most people have very little difficulty assembling a Sunset Pergola. Our pergola kits were specifically designed as Do It Yourself (DIY) kits. There aren't any "moving parts" and it's pretty obvious how everything fits together (even if you didn’t have fully illustrated step-by-step instructions or demo videos like you will have). Even a novice in basic construction can assemble our pergola kits without much trouble at all. But here’s the best part... if you have any questions on a certain step, you can talk directly with our trained staff via FaceTime or Skype (free of charge).
Q: I still have questions. How do I get in touch with you?
If it's during business hours (Mon-Fri 8am-5pm MT), the best ways to get help are to call us (877-760-6992) or start a live chat. If it's outside of business hours, you can call and leave a message or submit a help ticket here.
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