Prices of decks, pergolas etc (credit, how much, home)

[Sambo78253]

Does anyone know how much a 10X10 pergola should cost me? Also has anyone had experience with deckmasters?

[RGJ]

I know nothing of the contractor you mention. Whatever you do, DO NOT give any contractor money up front. If they don't have the funds to purchase the materials out of their own funds, then I'd be really leery....

Here's what can happen

http://www.ksat.com/news/21704297/detail.html (broken link)

[scuba steve]

What's it going to look like, are footings needed, what's it going to be made of, ... too many unknowns.

[dendox]

I built one last year that is about a 50x30 and did so (with the purchase of some some gear (new *** saw - clamps, etc.) for less than $2,000. I wanna say less than $1500, but I can't be certain about that.

Needless to say - the $10,000 + bids I was getting made me sick to my stomach. Which made me do it myself.

I suspect a 10x10 would be in the $3,000-$5,000 range with many factors to be considered.

[TexasRedneck]

You're spot-on RGJ! Customers always act surprised when I tell them I don't want any kind of "deposit". I tell them when I'm done, they pay me - period. My credit is good enough with my vendors that I don't need to pay them up front, so I don't expect my customer to. If you're dealing with someone living THAT tight, they need another line of work, and you need a different contractor.

Obviously, this is on smaller jobs. If I'm doing a significant sized job (20k or more), then I'll set up a written agreement with "draws" at predetermined progress points - but even then, I'm not going to exceed 70-80% of the contract value - and it would have to be a pretty prolonged and involved job for me to be looking for that.

[Sambo78253]

Thanks for all the info. Yeah they seem legit, no money upfront. A 10X10 cedar pergola with stained deck flooring. 6X6 posts held with cement. It has a bench. Cost $2800. Not bad. I think

[scuba steve]

If the rest of the pergola isn't stained, don't forget to do it or you'll wind up power washing and staining a year later anyway. As far as what kind of stain is best, I've had tremendous success with Sikkens. It's withstood the summer sun on my south-facing pergola much better than I expected.

[Paka]

Man, they had one at the Home and Garden show that was aluminum I think, but it was wonderful in that it had the slats up for sunshine, slats roll down for complete cover (like if it was raining or too hot) options. EVERYONE was looking at them, but I did not get the name of the company. Maybe someone on the forum can provide you the name. It would cost more, but be SO worth it to be able to have the shaded sun/completely protected options (not to mention the lack of maintenance required).
Good luck in finding the pergola of your dreams!

[wellguy]

Well this thread is about a year old and maybe we can revive it. We too are in the process of searching out a reputable company to buid us one, approx. 10" x 10', maybe a little bigger.

Are there any suggestions as to who we can call?

Thanks

[kevcrawford]

Call Jeff with Heyen Residential Services. He and his partner are carpenters by trade and have an awesome handyman business. You won't believe the quality and they're very focused on trying to be incredibly competitive on price. 725-8390

They just rebuilt a large portion of my fence and did an amazing job for a fraction of what I would have paid one of the fencing companies in town. More sturdy than I could have dreamed and really looks great. Spent a lot of time looking at the way the hinges looked, swung, etc. Came back several times to make sure that when it settled it still looked good.