Pergolas that adorn yards and gardens always capture attention and elicit compliments. Interlaced with trailing plants like fragrant jasmine and wisteria, colorful bougainvillea and honeysuckle, pergolas shade pathways and patios, acting as a kind of second garden above the head. Classic pergolas often extend for miles, shading pathways for horseback riding or strolling. Most residential yards do not have enough space for lengthy pergolas. When adapted for the realities of today’s yards, a pergola can be any partially-roofed open outdoor structure that is longer than it is wide. Simple to build, this basic garden pergola measures about 8 feet wide by 16 feet long and requires only low-cost materials and minimal carpentry skills.

Permits, Zoning, and Utilities

Your pergola might require a building permit if it falls within certain size or structure-type criteria for backyard structures. Exterior structures also typically cannot be built within a certain distance of property lines. Consult your local permitting office for guidance. Call 811 to have local utility companies visit and mark the location of buried services.

What You’ll Need

Equipment / Tools

• Tape measure
• Speed square
• Circular saw,
• Cordless drill,
• Step ladder,
• Laser level,
• Electric miter saw
• Jigsaw
• Bubble level
• Framing hammer
• Shovel
• Carpenter’s pencil
• Chalk snap line or twine
• Post hole digger
• Drill bits
• Clutch style bar clamps or trigger clamps

Materials

• 6 10-foot long pieces of 4-by-4 boards
• 8 8-foot long pieces of 2-by-8 boards
• 9 8-foot long pieces of 2-by-6 boards
• 18 8-foot long pieces of 1-by-3 boards
• Bagged crushed gravel
• 12 bags ready-mix concrete
• 3-inch galvanized screws
• 1 1/2-inch galvanized screws
• 1 inch galvanized screws
• Wood stakes
• 10 Stainless steel hurricane ties

Instructions

Pergola Building Options

Lumber Alternatives

Buying pressure-treated lumber helps your pergola last longer and reduces maintenance duties. Ground-contact pressure-treated wood is the least expensive type, but it is speckled with injection points where chemicals have been forced into the wood. You may wish to spend a bit more for appearance-grade pressure-treated lumber which has no visible injection points. Cedar lumber, about twice as expensive as the ground-contact boards, is a favorite exterior building material for fences and gates. It will attractively weather to a gray, silvery color if left untreated.

Paving Under the Pergola

Lay stone or concrete patio pavers below the pergola and around the posts. For a smooth appearance, miter pieces of 1-by-4 boards at 45 degrees and nail around the base of each post as trim.

Changing the Pergola’s Dimensions

This pergola takes full advantage of 8-foot-length boards, resulting in very little wasted wood. However, you can change the proportions of the pergola in any way you choose. For example, you can create a long, narrow walkway pergola by cutting the upper 2-by-6 boards in half, thus halving the pergola’s width. Add more 2-by-8 beams, vertical posts, and 1-by-3 boards to add as much length as you wish.

1. Mark the Dig Points for the Posts
   On a flat, level section of ground, establish a rectangular pattern of six points where you will mount the vertical posts. With the framing hammer and wood stakes, mark three points in a straight line, each 7 feet apart. Now 7 feet away, mark another three points in the same manner parallel to the first line. Use a chalk snap line or twine to ensure that each set of three points is straight.
2. Set the Posts
   With the post hole digger, dig 3 feet down or below your area’s frost line, at each of the six staked points. Scatter a bed of crushed gravel about 4 inches thick at the bottom of each hole. Set one post in each hole, first tamping down the gravel with the post.
   Now you will add the concrete. Hold a post so that it is plumb, then pour dry ready-mix concrete around the post. Fill the hole with water. Nail two pieces of scrap wood per post in a tripod fashion to hold the post plumb while the concrete cures.
3. Level the Posts
   While your posts may end up being the same height, it’s expected if they vary by an inch or two. With the laser level or a chalk snap line and bubble level, establish a uniform height for all of the posts. Use the lowest post as the measurement to which the other five must conform. With the circular saw, cut down any of those five posts as needed.
4. Shape the Top Beams
   Mark with a speed square and cut one end of each of the 2-by-8 boards in any decorative fashion. The easiest way to do this is to make a straight 45-degree cut with the miter saw. For a more graceful look, cut the end as a quarter-circle with a jigsaw. Cut one end only. The other end of each board must keep its 90-degree factory edge.
5. Mount the Top Beams
   Place the 2-by-8 boards at the top of the vertical posts, one on each side. You will have a total of eight 2-by-8 boards, with the eight decorative ends facing outward.
   After drilling pilot holes, affix with 3-inch screws, using four screws per attachment point. This will comprise a total of 16 screws per board, eight on one side, eight on the other side. It is helpful to temporarily hold the 2-by-8 boards in place against the posts with clutch style bar clamps or trigger clamps.
6. Cut the Lattice’s Decorative Ends
   Nine 2-by-6 boards will rest on top of the beams and will be perpendicular to the beams. Similar to the 2-by-8 boards, cut decorative ends on each 2-by-6 board. The difference with this step is that you will be cutting both ends of each 2-by-6 piece.
7. Notch the Lattice Boards
   For a flawless look and a tighter fit, notch the pieces of 2-by-6 boards so that they can rest on and within the 2-by-8 beams. Create two notches using a jigsaw at each end, each notch 1/2 inch deep. After cutting the notches for one 2-by-6 board, test it at various points down the length of the beams. If it works, use this as a template for cutting the eight other 2-by-6 pieces of lumber.
8. Build the Top Lattice
   The 2-by-6 boards and the 1-by-3 boards will form the top lattice. Rest the notched 2-by-6 boards on the beams, perpendicular to the beams, and spaced two feet apart from each other. Lay the 1-by-3 boards over the top of the 2-by-6 boards, spacing them 1 foot apart from each other. Lay them perpendicular to the 2-by-6 boards in a grid-like pattern. Screw down the 1-by-3 boards with the 1 1/2-inch screws, using one screw at every place where the two boards cross.
9. Secure the Lattice To the Beams
   While the lattice is sufficiently heavy to remain in place by itself in good conditions, a strong wind is capable of upending it.
   With the cordless drill and 1-inch galvanized screws, secure the lattice to the 1-by-8 beams with stainless steel hurricane ties.

A glass tile backsplash in your kitchen or bathroom announces itself with shimmering light and rich colors. Glass tile is a favorite material for backsplashes because of its beauty, versatility, and durability. Installing a glass tile backsplash is made easy with a sticky thin-set mortar that secures the tiles firmly to the wall. Mosaic glass tiles in 12-inch by 12-inch squares are held together with a mesh backing—no need to set tiles one by one.

Tips For Installing a Glass Tile Backsplash

A laser level is helpful, though not necessary, for installing a tile backsplash. The laser line keeps your centerline in check, plus it ensures that the tile rows remain level.

Spend ample time dry-fitting the tile on the countertop before installing it on the wall. It’s better to have all spacing issues worked out ahead of time—well before working with the thin-set mortar.

With glass mosaic tiles, it is usually possible to avoid cutting tiles entirely with careful space planning.

Safety Considerations

Turn off circuits to all outlets in the backsplash installation area.

What You’ll Need

Equipment / Tools

Drywall knife,

Laser level,

Tape measure,

Scissors,

Notched trowel,

Hammer,

Rubber grout float,

Materials

Glass tile mosaic, 1-inch

Pre-mixed thinset mortar

Drywall compound

Scrap cardboard

Painter’s tape

Scrap one-by-two or one-by-four lumber

Plastic sheeting

Grout

Caulk

Instructions

Repair and Clean the Wall
Cover the countertop in plastic sheeting and tape down the plastic. The wall should be perfectly flat and free from bumps or depressions. Sand down bumps with a drywall sander fitted with a drywall sanding screen or sandpaper. Fill in depressions and cracks by smoothing them over with drywall compound.

Create a Countertop Spacer
The bottom row of glass tiles will require a space of 1/8-inch between the bottom of the row and the top of the countertops. A single layer of scrap cardboard taped to the counter with painter’s tape works well as a spacer.

Create a Temporary Ledgerboard
For areas outside of the countertop area, create a ledgerboard by screwing scrap one-by-two or one-by-four lumber directly to the wall. Make sure that the ledgerboard meets the height of the countertop cardboard spacer, not the countertop itself.

Establish the Tile Centerline
With the tape measure, determine the center of your tile installation field. Shoot the laser level’s vertical line at this spot.

Dry-Fit the Horizontal Dimensions
Lay out the tile on the countertop. At this point, you want to establish your horizontal spacing. Avoid placing cut tiles in visible places as much as possible.
For example, if there is a corner on the left side and a refrigerator on the right side, begin with full tiles on the left and end adjacent to or behind the refrigerator, again with full tiles. With outlets, you have a bit more tolerance because the outlet faceplate provides up to 1-inch of coverage in all directions.
With scissors, cut the mesh backing that holds the tiles together.

Dry-Fit the Vertical Dimensions
In most kitchens, the distance between the top of the countertop and the bottom of the wall cabinets is 20 inches. Two mosaic tile sheets stacked are 24 inches high, total. So, this gives you plenty of working room.
Hold up one section of tiles to the wall, resting on the cardboard spacer. Hold the second section so that it is 1/8-inch below the bottom of the wall cabinet and overlapping the bottom section. Determine where you want to cut the tile sheet.
Similar to the previous step, use scissors to cut the tile to its correct vertical dimension, plus make any cut-outs for electrical outlets.
Tip
It’s usually fine if you need to increase the upper 1/8-inch expansion space to 1/4-inch or even 1/2-inch. This area is not very visible since it is under the cabinets.

Spread Thinset on the Wall
Working in 2-foot square sections to prevent the thinset from drying on you, add thinset to the wall in a three-step process:

With the notched trowel, pull out thinset mortar and fan it across the wall, using the flat edge of the trowel. Maintain a thickness of around 1/4-inch.

With the notched edge, pull across the thinset horizontally. Excess thinset will stick to the trowel or fall to the countertop.

Flatten down the grooves in the thinset with the broad, flat side of the trowel.

Place the First Tile Row
At the centerline, press a sheet of tiles into the thinset, resting on the countertop spacer. One edge of the sheet should be on the centerline. Tap the sheet with a short scrap piece of one-by-four and a hammer to set the tiles in place.

Fill in the Tile Field
Continue setting more tile sheets within the tile field, from side to side. Once you finish the bottom row, move to the second (top) row. Occasionally tap the tiles with the one-by-four and the hammer to flatten them, especially where tile sheets meet.

Grout the Tile
After the tile has fully cured in the thinset, apply grout with the rubber grout float. Run the float diagonally across the tiles to avoid digging out the grout. After the grout has dried, clean off the haze with grout haze cleaner.

Caulk the Tile
Caulk the corners of the tile. Replace the electrical outlets with extenders, if needed.