10×10 pergolas

For shade on a budget: the Backyard Discovery Beaumont. It’s solid cedar on 5.5 inch posts, and the box includes concealed concrete anchors and steel anchor plates, so a sound patio is all you need. Backyard Discovery rates it for 100 mph winds once it’s anchored the way the manual says, and covers it for five years. The catch is the open slat roof: it gives dappled shade and nothing against rain, and the cedar needs sealing, which isn’t included.

For rain cover: the Backyard Discovery Sarasota. Its galvanized steel louvers close flat with the included wand, and the brand rates it for 100 mph winds and 2,000 pounds of snow when anchored. It costs about $800 more than the Beaumont, and that money buys a roof you can shut. Steel is heavy, so plan on two people for the build. If you’d rather fix it to the house, the wall mounted Evanston is the same idea for about $300 less.

For a cheaper louvered roof: Domi’s metal louvered pergola costs under $1,000 at this size, and Domi covers the structure of its louvered pergolas for five years. Erommy’s louvered kits cost a little more and come with one year.

For a pergola that lasts longest: the Hansø Pro+ costs more than twice the Sarasota, but it’s aluminum, so it won’t rust, and its warranty runs ten years. It also has more room inside than the other kits that publish the figure, 8 feet 8 inches between the posts.

The spread is wide because these are three different products at one size. A sliding canopy is cheap shade you take down for winter. Cedar slats give a permanent frame and dappled light. Louvers are the only roof here that closes against rain, and adding a motor costs about $1,000 more within the same brand. For every louvered kit at this size, see louvered pergolas.

A 10×10 covers 100 square feet: a round table for four, or a loveseat and two chairs, but not both. The posts stand inside the roof, so the room you get is smaller than the name. The Hansø Pro+ has 8 feet 8 inches between its posts, the Kozyard Morgan about 7 feet 10 inches, and the Veikous cedar kit about 7 feet 8 inches. Check the post spacing on the listing before you order.

Height matters too: the Hansø clears 7 feet 7 inches under the beam. If you want both a table and a sofa, step up to a 10×12 or 12×12.

The permit. At 100 square feet, a freestanding open 10×10 needs no building permit in 17 of the 24 cities and counties in our permit guide. Attach it to the house, or add a solid roof, and that changes quickly, so ask your building department first.

The base. On a sound concrete patio you only bolt it down. With no slab, Angi puts a new one at about $600 per 100 square feet, so roughly $600 under a 10×10.

The anchors. The Beaumont includes concrete anchors. Other kits ship with plates only, and some, like PergoLux, include no anchoring hardware at all, so check the box list and budget for bolts.

The parts on delivery. Damaged or missing parts come up again and again in low-star reviews of louvered kits, and replacements can take weeks. Open every box and count the parts before you start building or throw away the packaging.