DIY Clear Corrugated Covered Pergola Attached to the House and an Existing Deck
Covering our deck has been on the to-do list since last year when we refinished our old deck with new paint and stain. For this project we built a DIY covered pergola attached to the house and attached to our existing deck. We then covered the DIY pergola with clear corrugated plastic roofing sheets to create a dry, sunny, outdoor living space. Here is the complete DIY tutorial for building a clear corrugated covered pergola attached to the house and an existing deck!
Before & After Photos
On the left you can see the deck before we stained and painted it followed by the deck before we added the DIY pergola. The photo on the right shows the deck with the finished pergola.
Are you ready for the tutorial? First we had to rip out that arbor. After that we were ready to begin. Here is the complete DIY covered pergola tutorial!
Tools:
- Circular Saw
- Drill
- Right angle drill with 5/8″ x 16″ auger bit
Step 1: Build the Pergola
First you will need to install your vertical supports and your horizontal beam. Just make sure you won’t need to be replacing your roof anytime soon before you begin! It always makes sense just to check that the structure around the supports is solid. Just a quick examination of the surroundings ought to be enough. You could tear out your existing deck supports and use a solid support however, we opted to extend the existing supports using a bracket. As far as wood goes, you can use pressure treated wood or cedar. Pressure treated wood is much cheaper, and comes in in either incised or non-incised. We opted for non-incised (though its slightly more expensive than incised) on all the pieces except the beam (because it wasn’t available in our area) and then wrapped the beam in 1×6″ cedar to hide the incisions.
Supplies:
- Post support brackets for 4×4″ wood (2)
- 4×4″ vertical wood supports (2) we cut a 10′ beam in 1/2 and used 5′ lengths to reach our desired height of 8′ at the end of our pergola
- 4×6″ horizontal support beam (1) we used a 16′ beam, the width of our deck
- 2×6″ plank of wood to attach to the house as the ledger (1) we used a 16′ long plank
- 2×4″ wood joist slats (9) we used 12′ long wood slats, spaced 24″ apart spanned across our 16′ wide deck (we used 9 total)
- 2×4″ wood – 8′ length (2) we used these to add additional support to the vertical 4×4″ supports
- 2-in x 4-in 18-Gauge Triple Zinc Face Mount Joist Hanger – to attach the wood slats to the house (9) you will need one for each wood slat you attach to the house
- 5-2/7-in 18-Gauge Triple Zinc Steel Rafter Tie Brackets – to attach joist slats to the horizontal support beam (9) you will need one for each wood slat you attach to the beam
- 5″ ledger board fastener, 5/16″ hex head coated (7) use as many as you feel necessary, we used 7, spaced 24″ apart
- 8″ lag bolts (4)
Cut existing caps off where the vertical supports will be attached 
You will need to drill a hole for this bracket to drop into, between the posts 
Drill a hole in the existing vertical support 
Cut new support to size 
Attach new support using this bracket (the bottom of the bracket has a long pole you insert in the existing support) 
Repeat for the other side of the pergola 
Place the horizontal beam on the vertical supports. Add an 8′ 2×4″ wood as additional structural support 
Clamp in place and add a temporary support 
Screw the 2×4″ wood into the beam and the supports, then remove the temporary support
Note that we simply screwed the beam into the 4×4″ supports using 8″ lag bolts (2 per post) to secure their attachment. The temporary supports are to hold this structure in place until it is secured to the house.
After the supports and beam are in place, you can work on attaching it to the house. We used a 16′ long 2×4″ piece of wood which we attached to the house with lag bolts, and then spaced 9x 12′ long 2×4″ slats spaced 24″ apart. No siding was removed – the bolts are strong enough to go through the siding and into the framing. We selected this height for our ledger because it is in line with the ceiling, where we know there would be wood framing to support the attachment of the roof.
Attach your wood joist slats to the house with ledger fastners 
Measure and place your joist hanger brackets, then place your wood slats in the bracket and secure 
Place all the wood slats, measure and ensure even placement 
Using these other brackets, secure your wood slats to the horizontal beam 
Here’s a look at the wood slats secured to the beam 
Add 16′ 1×6″ cedar plank to both sides of the beam to hide the incisions on the wood 
Overview of the pergola with all wood slats installed
Step 2: Install the Clear Corrugated Roof
Next, you will install the wood roof supports on top of the wood slats and then install the clear corrugated roof on top of these roof supports. As far as painting goes, you should at least paint the wood roof supports before installing them because once the roof is attached it will be very hard to paint, and impossible to paint the top (which you can see from above).
Supplies:
- Corrugated roof panels (8) we used 8x 26″ wide panels at 12′ lengths from Home Depot (Palruf brand – 26 in. x 12 ft. Clear PVC Roofing Panel)
- Horizontal plastic closure strips, packs of 6 (8) we used 8 packs of 6 to cover our 4 roof supports at 16′ long each support
- 2×2″ wood roof supports (4) we used 8x 8′ lengths, but you could use 4x 16′ lengths, or whatever length you need for your project to at least create 4 roof supports across the top
- 1.5″ Decking screws (100)
- 1.5″ Fastener Screws (100)
Place your 2×2″ wood roof supports on top of the wood slats, spacing evenly. We did 3.5′ spacing 
Install the plastic closure strips on the wood roof supports, snapping together as you go. Make sure they line up so the roof will sit properly in them. Screw to the wood at the lower part of the closure strip using 1.5″ decking screws 
Install the corrugated roof one panel at a time so you can reach all the areas you need to screw down 
Place your first sheet of corrugated roofing, ensure that it sits in the supports properly 
Here’s how the roof should look sitting in the closure strips properly 
Carefully screw in the roof one panel at a time with the 1.5″ fastners, either predrill the holes or gently screw down as to not crack the roofing. 
Here’s how one panel should look installed 
Here is 2 panels installed 
Here is a look at all the panels installed 
Cut your roof panels if needed so they are at your desired length
Step 3: Paint
We used the same paint that we previously painted the deck, which is easy to paint on, and durable for outdoor projects: Glidden Premium Exterior Paint, satin, white. We used a combination of rollers and brushes, making sure our deck was covered with drop cloths as we worked. The painting itself took nearly a whole day.
The Finished Project
It is so nice to have a DIY covered pergola with a clear corrugated roof. Now the relentless Seattle rain won’t stop us from enjoying our outdoor space year round! This DIY project only took us 3 days start to finish, and was fairly straightforward. I hope this helps you on your own DIY pergola and clear corrugated roof installation!
Answers to some of my readers questions:
- This project cost us approx. $800, though we already owned all the power tools
- Our deck is 16′ wide and 10′ deep
- The roof is Palruf brand, we found it at Home Depot
- We did not remove any siding, we attached the ledger directly into the siding of the house
- The height from the deck to the top of the ledger on the house is 9′ which creates about a 1′ difference from the house to the edge of the pergola, and it is perfect for the slope to keep the rain draining properly (even in the heavy rain we see in Washington)
- The edge of the corrugated plastic roof hangs over the last support just slightly to line up with the edges of our house, which is slightly farther out than the deck railing – it was simply a matter of aesthetic preference when we did this – we actually plan to add more roofing even farther out to protect against the rain dripping off the edge onto the deck
- The support slats for the roofing are spaced approximately 24″ apart. We centered the first one and then spaced out evenly on either side except for the last support on one side which had to be slightly closer to line up with the ledger at about 22″ (the farthest part of the house we could attach it to) We wanted them as even as possible, and the outside slats to line up with the deck railing
- We did 4 cross supports, we could have added more or done less, we just guessed and so far it seems like the perfect amount of space
- This project cost us around $800 for wood, roofing, paint and all materials – we already owned the tools
- We have had it for a year and so far no leaks or holes
- It does need to be gently sprayed off at least yearly because of the moss from our second floor gutter that drops on it
- We had 2 weeks of heavy snow over the past year and it did not damage the pergola
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39 Comments
Lucy
Thank you for this tutorial. It’s fantastic!!!
One question — did you use standard joist hangers or 45 degree angled joist hangers on the ledger board attached to your house?
Bree
Thank you! We used stadard joist hangers, the wood rested at a slight angle naturally when we rested it on both the ledger board and the support beam, and once secured with screws they didnt move at all.
Kevin belgrave
Hi I don’t see any use of flashing where the roof meets the house?
Lauren
This looks incredible! I’m considering doing something similar for my walkout basement. I’m looking to create a protected space so I can sit outside when it rains. I live in Cincinnati, and we get a fair amount year-round. Have you found the plastic roof to be especially noisy during rainstorms? I don’t want to annoy my closely situated neighbors if this option has the potential to create a lot of noise on rainy days. Thanks!
Bree
Thanks! Honestly, no I haven’t noticed any extra noise. I can’t generally hear much of what is happening outside when its stormy, and adding the pergola hasn’t made it any louder that I can tell. We have sat outside while it is raining and it sounds the same as if the rain were hitting the deck below.
Ludmil
I have a question about this: “You could tear out your existing deck supports and use a solid support however, we opted to extend the existing supports using a bracket.”
The “deck supports” that I have on the front are NOT actual supports. They don’t extent to the ground. The actual support beams are further back. So, I wonder if the weight of the pergola would be supported this way. I am afraid the whole deck could collapse.
Do you know of a way to calculate the supported weight of a deck or I should schedule an appointment with an inspector in order to find out?
Thanks!
Bree
HI! Unfortunately I do not know how to best calculate that, I would hire someone to help you with that. The corner “deck supports” that I am referring to are slightly in further from the deck on my deck as well, but not by much.
Robert
Hi, what a great and helpful tutorial for folks like me considering doing a similar project. Thank you. Could you please clarify though 1.) How you attached the horizontal beam to the 4×4 posts? And 2.) Where you able to find all the support brackets needed at Home Depot or did you need to go to more specialty lumber/hardware suppliers?
Bree
Hi! Thanks! We simply screwed the beam into the 4×4″ supports using 8″ lag bolts (2 per post) to secure their attachment. We ordered most of the supplies directly from our local lumber store and had them delivered, but I believe these are standard brackets you can find at Home Depot. I updated the post with more detailed information on what type of brackets we used.
Jacqueline B.
This is everything I wanted in a deck all combined in one unit! Thank you so much for sharing!! This project is in motion for next year (cost of lumber is a little steep right now) I think we will be getting our patio furniture THIS year to use on our existing deck (that just so happens to be the same exact size – it was meant to be LOL)
I was wondering if you would share your furniture brand/style so that I can purchase it for myself!! Thank you in advance 🙂
Shann
Hi Bree, this looks amazing. Does the clear roof provide any protection from the sun?
Bree
Thanks! We have zero direct sun exposure over our deck, only from the sides for a short amount of time so I am unsure. We installed a clear roof because we wanted more light in our home since we do not get direct sunlight in 80% of our living spaces in our home.
Nancy Fuller
Thanks for such a detailed post – my husband is about to build ours and this will help us so much!
Geraldine Mayor
Which brand of clear polycarbonate roof did you go with? Your blog saves me a lot of research. Your project is exactly what I had in mind for my deck. Seeing your blog, cleared up a lot of confusion for me. Thanks
Bree
Hi! We used Palruf brand – 26 in. x 12 ft. Clear PVC Roofing Panel from Home Depot. I am so glad this is helpful for you!
Ted Boerkamp
HI Bree….Beautiful pictures of your pergola…nice job! Just a few questions for you.
The header board your husband bolted to the house over the sliding doors, what is the measured
height from the deck to the bottom edge of that board? Has to be higher than the 8 ft you used for
the support beam at the other end. Was there a certain roof angle you wanted for the pergola?
What was the spacing of your wood slats center to center?
Were the two outside slats placed in line with the railings below and the space in between divided evenly
to space the inside slats?
Thanks again for a great project. My wife wants me to build the same design for our deck.
regards
Bree
Hi Ted! Sorry I did not see this comment sooner. I have added a section to this post addressing your questions. Please let me know if there is anything else I can help you with 🙂 Happy DIYing!
Linda
Can you do this on plastic decking?
Bree
Hi! You should be able to build this pergola over plastic decking, as long as you have a method to attach it!
Taylor
Hi Bree! Thank so much for sharing this project – it’s provided some MAJOR inspiration for my own backyard deck I plan to tackle hopefully early next year!
As a fellow Seattleite, I was wondering if you could share how the clear corrugated roof has held up so far in terms of staying clean? Obviously understanding that it will need to be maintained, but have you noticed any issues with coloring or dirt from leaves and such, especially now being in fall? Do you have any specific cleaning products you’ve used on it that seem to do the job well?
Thanks! – Taylor
Bree
Hi Taylor! I am so glad this post has been helpful for you! Now that I have had it for a few months I can tell you that its holding up really well. I did a lot of research on the roof, and read that some brands are better than others. So definitely go for the better brands. As for dirt, there is a fair bit of moss chunks that have fallen, we have a very wooded back yard so thats expected. But it doesnt actually have any dirt or anything stuck to it yet, just the mossy chunks that could even be blown off with a blower. My plan is to clean it every spring, on a ladder with a pressure washer. My long term plan is to replace the roof if it gets too bad – since the roof itself was the easiest and cheapest part of the project we wont mind having to re-do it every 5-10 years (if thats even necessary). Having a dry, bright porch (especially since its pretty dark in Seattle most of the winter) is worth the maintenance. I have all the natural light in my home and we can BBQ and relax outside and be dry!! Good luck on your project!
Becca Wilson
Thank you for the step by step tutorial!! This is so helpful!
Elizabeth
You did a fantastic job building that beautiful new pergola! We are going to start building one soon -thanks for the help!
Karen
I really love how this turned out! I want to build one for our house someday!
Angela
This is such a great idea! It looks gorgeous, I would love to do something like this on our back deck!
Courtney
Oooo just love heya you have done to the deck! Can’t wait for it to get a tad bit warmer here so we can start our yard projects
Ria
What a beautiful pergola! Thanks for sharing such a detailed account of how to do this. Looks fab and you’ve done an amazing job!
Mariam
Wow, this looks so professional and beautiful!! Just perfect for summer nights. (love the lights too!)
Amy
This totally changed the look of your outdoor space! And it looks so professional!!
Flossie McCowald
Your step-by-step tutorial for this project is fabulous! And I can just imagine how much you love the end result – it looks great and must be so useful!
David Elliott
You did such an amazing job with this. I know that I had a friend who I helped him and his dad do this for their house. It was a lot of work, but it felt so good when it was done. Very nice.
Stephanie
We did something similar in our backyard recently! We didn’t have a deck, but just a concrete pad, so we built the complete pergola. We bought a kit from SAMs and my husband and his dad built it. The pergola came with a canvas roof but we didn’t like that the rain could get through. We bought some tan corrugated plastic to cover it with since we didn’t want the sun to get through. It’s hot enough in the shade here! I have never seen the clips you used, though! We just screwed ours straight through the plastic to the wooden slats.
Kate
This looks fab – what a great DIY project… we’re working on our garden at the moment, I love improving the yard!
Allie
I love that clear roof! I didn’t know you could instal a roof that was clear, I’m thinking we might end up with that as well to help keep it bright inside.
Megan
Hi Bree! I just wanted to say how fabulous your covered deck looks! I wanted to ask if you could tell me an estimate on what it took you guys to build your pergola? Thanks!
Bree
Hi Megan!
Thank you so much. The materials including paint, wood, and roofing was around $800. We already owned the tools. We overbought some supplies so it might have been cheaper. Happy DIYing!
Juan
You did an awesome job on this project. I will like to do one myself at home. Can you tell me what are the measurements on your patio? Mine is 10×15. Also, did you remove part of the siding to install the ledger board?
Bree
Hi! It is 10′ deep and 16′ wide. We attached the ledger to the siding of the house. You just need to have heavy duty bolts and to be sure there is wood framing behind the siding. We selected the height we did because it is in line with between floors of our home and we knew there would be wood framing to attach the pergola to, once we drilled through the siding.
Shelia
Hi! I just want to thank you so very much for this post! My husband and I built a pergola years ago but have never been able to sit and enjoy the thunderstorms that roll across the marsh that we live on. He tried to install an identical plastic roof on our pergola. He clearly didn’t know the proper way to install it, lol. Now, thanks to your post I can show him how it’s done the correct way! I’m so thrilled to tell him about it because we’ve been dodging rain under this crazy roof for years. Thank you, thank you, thank you for this post! Have a great day! 😊