Attached Pergolas with Gutters, A pergola is perfect if you want a place to hide from the excruciating summer sun. A pergola is an outdoor garden feature/ structure that allows you to relax and entertain yourself in your backyard. It extends your living space giving you enough outdoor time.
This long, narrow structure with four freestanding pillars to support a roof can be attached to a home or entirely freestanding. Many are versions where you can connect this fantastic feature to your house based on your preferences.
How do you attach a pergola to a house with gutters? Worry no more, for you’re on the right page. Here, we share a quick guideline of what a pergola is? What purpose does it have? And other considerations you need to observe when building one.
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What Purpose Does A Pergola Serve?
Typically, pergolas offer shade and protection from harmful UV rays. They cover the terrace or a patio, built directly into a home. They extend your living space into your backyard and popularly host outdoor meals and summer gatherings.
However, their design uniquely suits growing vines and displaying hanging plants. In addition to offering a cool-off space and sun protection, a pergola increases your home’s resale value.
How Can You Attach A Pergola Ledger Around A Gutter?
To hang the ledger for a pergola feature on the house’s exterior is done by bolting it onto the exterior wall. However, if a gutter is at the same level as the pergola’s ledger, it calls for a different method.
To hang a pergola ledger around a gutter, attach it to a bracket installed on the wall behind the drain.
Ensure you verify the ledges are hanging straight on the brackets by using a level.
Bracket Method
To ensure your gutters are not damaged and free of leakages and drainage issues, secure a bracket around them. It should be strong enough to protect the drains without any bend. Therefore, fasten the pergola ledger to the frame on the outer edge of the channel.
Requirements:
- Tape measure
- ½-inch PVC pipe
- Hacksaw
- Power drill
- Lag screws
- Galvanized bolts
- Washers
- Nuts
- Wrench
- ABU66 post base
Procedure:
First, count the number of lag screws used to secure the gutter to the exterior wall.
Second, measure 6-inches of the ½-inch PVC pipe with the tape measure. Using a felt tip marker, make a cut mark, then cut the PVC pipe with the hacksaw. Repeat this step to match the number of screws you counted in step 1.
Third, take out one of the lag screws with the power drill. Place a Simpson ABU66 post base between the gutter’s back and the fascia board.
Fourth, insert the lag screw into the hole in the post base and the front of the gutter. Place a 6-inch length of the PVC pipe over the hole on the gutter’s backside. Slide the lag screw into the PVC pipe, securing it to the exterior wall with the power drill.
Fifth, where there is a lag screw, install a Simpson ABU66 post base by repeating steps 3 and 4
Sixth, set the pergola’s ledger in place on the side of the post base. With a pencil, mark the bolt hole locations on the ledger and drill it with the power drill.
Lastly, place the ledger back on the post base. Insert a galvanized bolt into the bolt hole. Insert a washer and a nut over the end of the bolt, then tighten the nut with the wrench. Secure the ledger at each post base by repeating this step.
Other Techniques of Attaching a Pergola If You Have Gutters
The Four-Post Method
Here you build a pergola that appears to connect to the house without anchoring it to the existing structure. This method is ideal if the distance between the eaves and doorway can’t accommodate a ledger board, and you would want to ruin your gutters.
Generally, it is a freestanding pergola installed 6-inches away from the existing home.
The Benefits of a Post Method
Its has versatile design options
It doesn’t affect gutters
Its does not affect tax value like the anchored pergolas
It doesn’t add weight to the home’s structure
What Is An Attached Pergola?
It is a pergola connected to your house. It comprises a frame for the roof and two columns at the outer corners, with the inner corners adjacent to the house.
Therefore, it offers easy access to the house from the pergola creating a seamless architectural appearance that gradually transitions from the indoors to the patio.
A pergola joining the house can have 2 or 4 posts, with the one with two positions requiring support from the house’s existing wall.
Application of Attached Pergola
The attached pergolas bring visual interest and functionality close to the home. Below are examples of where you can apply them:
- Adding a front porch and boosting curb appeal
- Build a carport
- Cover a back patio without the cost of a sunroom or the instability of a patio umbrella.
- Create a poolside cabana close to the pool house
- Small areas on a large deck
Benefits and Shortcomings of an Attached Pergola
Read through the advantages and disadvantages to enable you to decide whether it is something worth investing in with your gutters.
Pros:
Attached Pergolas with Gutters is cost-effective because it needs fewer columns
Because it has an open roof, it does not affect the drainage or offer shade
It is more secure in high winds as it anchors on the wall
Consume less space than a four-column pergola
It can be attached to any housing material, including masonry
Cons:
Attached Pergolas with Gutters poorly installed, it can affect your gutters
Requires skills to install it correctly
The structure’s weight can damage a home without a traditional foundation.
May require permits from the authorities or incline your tax costs compared to a freestanding pergola.
Tips on Building a Pergola with Gutters
Attached Pergolas with Gutters want to use your pergola as a garden space, it should be lower than the eaves to avoid the shedding of leaves into the gutters, which will clog them. Nevertheless, check regularly to ensure it is not impeding the water flow.
Based on your roof type, runoff from your house may destroy your pergola. Ensure that your gutter and downspout network is standard to prevent foundational damages, leaks, and landscape erosion.
Attached Pergolas with Gutters may not be a must but adding gutters to your pergola is essential to divert water from your home without adding weight to the silhouette.
Is a Pergola Worth Investing?
A pergola can add to the property’s ambiance, aesthetic visual effect, and value. It makes your outdoor space more functional, like creating a comfortable area for lounging, dining, and entertaining while enjoying the protection from elements like sun rays and pesky animals.
Therefore, install it correctly to avoid roof repairs in the future. It is allowed to consult an expert or contractor to safeguard your house and protect the pergola’s durability.
