A pergola cost covers a wide range because pergola means very different things — a simple shade frame over a patio is a different animal from a stone-column pavilion with a solid roof. For the structures we design and build across Greenville and Eastern North Carolina in 2026, the installed range runs from about $6,000 for a straightforward wood pergola to $40,000+ for a masonry-column pavilion. This guide breaks it down by material and configuration.
Pressure-treated wood ($6,000 to $12,000). The entry point is a pressure-treated southern pine pergola, stained to finish. It is the most affordable option and, built well on proper footings, a solid structure — but southern pine in our humidity needs re-staining every three to five years, so factor ongoing maintenance into the real cost.
Cedar or hardwood ($12,000 to $22,000). Western red cedar, and higher up, ipe or mahogany, are the choice where the structure is a design feature. They resist rot and insects naturally, hold a finish better than pine, and read as craftsmanship rather than lumber. Most of our freestanding garden pergolas land here.
Aluminum and louvered-roof systems ($15,000 to $35,000). Powder-coated aluminum pergolas — including adjustable louvered-roof systems like StruXure that open and close to control sun and rain — are effectively maintenance-free and increasingly popular for patios and poolsides. The louvered-roof systems sit at the top of this band because of the mechanism, motor, and integrated hardware.
Stone-column pavilions ($25,000 to $40,000+). When the posts become masonry columns and the open frame becomes a solid or timber roof, a pergola becomes a pavilion — an outdoor room. Stone or brick columns, a real roof structure, and often integrated lighting and a ceiling fan put these at the top of the range. This is the tier that pairs with an outdoor kitchen or a fireplace to make a year-round outdoor living space.
What drives the cost. Beyond material, the big levers are size (a structure sized to cover a dining set is far smaller than one over a full seating-and-kitchen zone), attached versus freestanding (attaching to the home saves two posts but adds flashing and structural connection work), roof type (open rafters are cheapest, louvered and solid roofs cost more), and footings — a permanent structure needs proper concrete footings below frost, which is real excavation and concrete work, not an optional line.
Add-ons. Integrated low-voltage or overhead lighting, a ceiling fan, privacy screens or drapery, a stereo speaker tap, and running power out to the structure all add to the base number — and they are far cheaper to install while the structure is being framed than to retrofit later.
Where to spend and where to save. Spend on footings and on material appropriate to your climate exposure — a cheap frame on shallow footings is the one that racks and leans. Save by choosing cedar over an aluminum louvered system if you do not need the adjustable roof, and by sizing the structure to what you will actually use rather than oversizing it. Yardie designs and builds pergolas and pavilions across Eastern North Carolina; we offer no-cost property visits and follow up with an itemized written estimate that shows the structure, footings, and any lighting or electrical as separate lines.
Written by the Yardie studio · June 24, 2026
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