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Carolina Pergola Works

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Aluminum pergolas around Charlotte, NC

A powder-coated aluminum frame, anchored to your slab or to new footings. It does not rot or warp, and the color is baked on. Straight lines, a few fixed colors, and a free written quote from your photos.

Aluminum pergolas: Quoted after we see photos free written quote, no visit needed to quote

Send photos for a quoteStart in 3 taps

Prefer a form? Get a free written quote from your photos and rough sizes.

Price
Quoted after we see photos
Quote
Free, in writing from your photos
Common colors
Black, white, bronze
Upkeep
No stain, no sealer

A metal frame with the color baked on

An aluminum pergola is the same idea as a wood one: posts, beams and an open top over a place to sit. The material is the difference. The frame comes from a manufacturer's system, and the color is a powder coat.

Aluminum does not rot. It does not warp. It never needs stain or sealer.

The look is straight and modern. If you want shaped rafter tails and the grain of real wood, look at a wood pergola. Our guide wood vs aluminum compares the two.

WoodAluminumLookPosts, doubled beams andshaped rafter tails.Straight, modern lines.A powder-coated frame.Upkeep overthe yearsNeeds stain or sealerover the years.No rot and no stain.The color is baked on.Sizes andcolorsPine or cedar, cut on siteand sized to the patio.Not a kit size.A manufacturer's system.Fixed colors: black, whiteand bronze are common.

Swipe the drawing sideways to see all of it.

Wood is cut and built on site and needs stain or sealer over the years. Aluminum does not rot or need stain, and its color is baked on in a few fixed colors.

Aluminum fits when

  • You do not want to stain or seal anything, ever.
  • You like straight, modern lines.
  • One of the fixed colors suits your house.

Wood or a roof is the better call when

  • You want a stain color of your own, or the look of real wood.
  • You want a size the manufacturer's system does not make. Wood is cut on site to the size of your space.
  • You want a solid roof and a dry seat in the rain. That is a pavilion.

Three things make the pergola

The frame, the finish and what holds it down.

The frame

Aluminum posts and beams that come from one manufacturer's system. The lines are straight and the look is modern.

The finish

Powder coat. The color is baked on, so there is nothing to stain and nothing to seal. Black, white and bronze are the common colors.

The anchors

Each post is anchored to a concrete slab that is thick and sound enough, or to a new footing in the ground. Loose pavers cannot hold a post.

If you want a louvered roof

Some aluminum pergolas have a louvered roof that opens and closes. If you want one, tell us when you send photos. The written quote says if we can supply it. The manufacturer has the final word on its own system: the spans, the colors and the details.

10 x 10 fta table for four12 x 12 fta table for six12 x 16 fta sofa and two chairs16 x 20 fta table and a sofa setSeen from above. The dashed lines are the rafters overhead.

Swipe the drawing sideways to see all of it.

Common footprints at one scale, with furniture to show what fits. We size a pergola to your patio or yard, not to a kit.

How big should it be?

Common footprints are 10x10, 10x12, 12x12, 12x16, 14x16 and 16x20 feet. The common clear height under the beam is about 8 feet.

The drawing shows a table and chairs to scale under each one, so you can judge the room you get.

Measure the patio, then tell us what has to fit under the pergola. The written quote names the size that works for your space.

What to send us

The slab matters most, so start there.

The slab, up close
The surface, the edge and any cracks. The slab has to be thick and sound enough to anchor to.
The whole patio, from two corners
So we see the house, the doors and what is around the patio.
What is overhead or in the way
A gutter, a window, a vent, a utility line or a tree that the frame has to clear.
The rough width and depth
In feet, of the patio or of the spot you have in mind.
The color and the top
Black, white, bronze or another color you saw. An open top, or a louvered roof.

We price it from your photos

We look at the slab and the space in your photos and send a free written quote. It names the size, the color and what the posts are anchored to.

If your project needs a visit before we can price it, we'll tell you up front, before anyone drives out.

Nothing is ordered until you have said yes and we have confirmed the exact sizes on site. That check is part of the job.

Send photos Start in 3 taps

What moves the price of an aluminum pergola

Every aluminum pergola is quoted after we see photos, and the written quote is free.

Size
A bigger footprint means more frame.
The top
An open top, or a louvered roof if we can supply it.
Slab or new footings
Anchors into a sound slab, or a footing dug and poured for each post.
Freestanding or attached
Standing on its own posts, or starting at the house.
Permit and drawings
What your town and your HOA ask for.
Access
How we carry long parts to the back yard.

Our workmanship warranty terms are being finalized. The written quote states the warranty that applies to that job. The pergola cost page walks through each of these.

What aluminum does not fix

Low upkeep is real. These limits are real too.

Still partial shade
An open aluminum pergola gives partial shade that moves with the sun. It is not full shade. For that you need a roof, and that is a pavilion.
Fixed colors
You pick from the colors the manufacturer makes. There is no stain to change it later.
It needs a sound base
Loose pavers cannot hold the anchors, and neither can a slab that is too thin or broken. Then each post gets its own footing, and that adds work.
A louvered roof is not a given
Tell us you want one. The written quote says if we can supply it. We do not promise it on this page.
No wiring
We do no electrical work of any kind. Lights, fans and outlets need a licensed electrician, and often a permit of their own.
Approvals take time
A permit or an HOA approval can add weeks before the build. Neither one is ours to promise.

Ask your HOA before you pick a color

In Union, Mecklenburg, York and Lancaster County, many HOAs have to approve an outdoor structure before any work starts. Material and color are on their list, next to size, height and where the pergola sits. A yes can take a few weeks.

We give you a drawing with the sizes and the materials to send with your request. The HOA has the final word. Read what an HOA asks for.

Then the permit

The permit rules look at the size and the place. North Carolina's residential code treats a freestanding structure with any dimension over 12 feet as a building, so many towns and counties ask for a building permit. A smaller one may still need a zoning permit. One that attaches to the house usually needs a permit.

If your project needs a building or zoning permit, the written quote says so, and who files it is agreed in writing before any work starts. We cannot give you the legal answer: your town or county has it. Our guide do you need a permit for a pergola lists what to ask.

From photos to a finished frame

  1. Send photos of the slab and the space

    Send photos of the patio from two corners, the slab up close, and the rough width and depth. Tell us the color, and if you want a louvered roof. We send a free written quote. If your project needs a visit before we can price it, we'll tell you up front, before anyone drives out.

  2. Color approved, sizes confirmed

    If your HOA or your town has to approve it, you get that yes first. After you accept the quote, we confirm the exact sizes on site as part of the job, and only then is the frame ordered. The build date goes in the written quote.

  3. Anchors, posts, then the top

    We anchor the posts to the slab, or set them on new footings. Then the beams and the top go on, the way the manufacturer's system is made to go together.

Common questions

How much does an aluminum pergola cost?
Every aluminum pergola is quoted after we see photos. The price moves with the size, an open top or a louvered roof, and whether the posts anchor to your slab or need new footings. The written quote is free. See the pergola cost page.
Does an aluminum pergola need any upkeep?
No stain and no sealer. Aluminum does not rot or warp, and the color is baked on as a powder coat. That is the point of choosing it over wood.
What colors can I get?
The colors are fixed by the manufacturer. Black, white and bronze are the common ones. If you have another color in mind, tell us, and the written quote says if it exists. Check the color with your HOA before anything is ordered.
Can I get a louvered roof that opens and closes?
Maybe. Tell us when you send photos, and the written quote says if we can supply it. We do no electrical work, so anything that needs wiring needs a licensed electrician.
Can an aluminum pergola go on my existing patio?
Yes, when the patio is a concrete slab that is thick and sound enough to anchor to. A patio of loose pavers cannot hold a post. There, each post gets a concrete footing in the ground. We do not pour slabs or lay pavers.
Is aluminum or wood better in the Carolinas?
It depends on what you want to live with. Wood is cut on site to the size of your space and can be stained, and it needs stain or sealer over the years. Aluminum needs none, and its colors are fixed. Our guide wood vs aluminum pergola puts them side by side.

Send the slab. We tell you what can stand on it.

A photo of the patio from two corners, the slab up close, and the color you want. We send a free written quote for an aluminum pergola.

Send photos for a quote

Not ready for photos? Start your estimate in 3 taps, or fill in the form and we text or call you back.

Get a free written quote

Tell us what you want to build or fix. We text or call you back during business hours, usually the same day. Photos get you a faster quote: send them here.

Not sure what to photograph? See our 1-page photo guide.

English and Spanish Free written quote

We use it to check that you are in our service area.

It matters only if the pergola attaches to the house. Older homes may have lead paint.

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Our pergola services

Wood, aluminum and attached pergolas, pavilions, privacy walls and pergola repair, across south Charlotte, Union County and York and Lancaster County, SC.

Cities we serve

These towns have their own page. We also work in the towns around them. If you do not see yours, send your photos with your zip code and we tell you before we quote.

Start with a few photos of your patio or yard

Send us photos of the space and its rough width and depth, and we send you a free written quote. If your project needs a visit before we can price it, we'll tell you up front, before anyone drives out. We answer during business hours, usually the same day.

Send photos for a quote Start in 3 taps
  • Free written quote
  • A drawing with sizes before the build
  • English and Spanish

Not sure what to photograph? See our 1-page photo guide.