Backyard Discovery's 14×12 Windham pergola drops to $1,199, $600 under Labor Day

How it compares

Here are three similar metal pergolas with fabric canopies, on their makers' own sites and before tax:

• Sunjoy Palladio (12×14, steel, sliding canopy; Sunjoy says it is intended for "decorative and sunshade purposes only"): $1,267.58
• Paragon Florence (11×16, aluminum, slide-back canopy that Paragon calls water-resistant): $1,999.99
• Paragon Modena (12×16, aluminum, canopy Paragon says is water-resistant in light rain): $2,799.99

Of these four, the Windham is the cheapest: $69 under the same-size Sunjoy and $800 or more under the Paragons. What you give up is rain resistance, since Paragon says both its canopies resist water and the Windham's fabric lets it through. Cheaper aluminum kits with retractable canopies exist, but the sizes near this one are mostly sold out.

The shade, the anchors and the assembly bill

Backyard Discovery lists a 14×12-foot galvanized steel frame, a fabric sail canopy, a power hub with three outlets and three USB ports (you supply the power), a five-year warranty and free shipping (it doesn't ship to Alaska or Hawaii). The smaller 14×10 is $1,149, and the 16×12 is sold out.

Watch out: the canopy is shade, not a roof. Backyard Discovery's own description says the fabric "allows air and water to flow through freely."

Getting it up is the other cost. Backyard Discovery's assembly add-on is $860 and isn't discounted, so built by the company it's $2,059, done on a separate visit after delivery. Do it yourself and the owner's manual puts assembly at about 10 hours for three people. It also recommends a concrete surface or concrete post pads, with anchors, so you'll need a drill and a concrete bit. Backyard Discovery says the pergola withstands winds up to 100 mph, but only when anchored the way that manual specifies.

Should you buy?

If you want shade over a patio and have a concrete surface for it (or will pay for assembly), buy before the sale ends. If you need to stay dry, look at louvered pergolas instead.

The reason to move: when the Labor Day sale ended, Backyard Discovery's sale-priced pergolas were back at regular price by late September, typically about $500 more, and the company hasn't said what comes after this sale.

If you're eyeing a different Backyard Discovery kit, most of its pergolas are on sale at the same prices as at Labor Day, and the Ridgeline louvered pergola is 12% to 14% off. The details on this one are on the Windham page.

How we got this: we compared Backyard Discovery's public prices on Sept. 13 (from a saved copy of its product list), Sept. 24 (our Price Index capture) and Oct. 12, when we also checked the Sunjoy and Paragon prices. The late-September rise is the median across the 36 pergola listings that were on sale on Sept. 13. Methodology.

Image credits

• Backyard Discovery