Our customer was looking for a carpenter to build a custom-made freestanding wooden pergola with a roof on top to suit the existing platform in his property in Dromin, near Dunleer, Co. Louth. He wanted the pergola to look chunky and we agreed on a design for the cut. I decided to use pressure treated timber to last the weather also because the posts would be fixed into concrete.

Before I cut any timber I painted it all with Ronseal oak wood stain to match the existing sleepers.

After everything was painted I dug six holes 90cm deep, one at every corner and two in the middle. Then, I got 3m long 6X6 posts and put them into position. I plumbed them up first and screwed them into the existing sleepers to have them correct, and so that I could adjust them if I needed before the concrete went in.

I poured the post mix into the holes up to the required height and let them set until the next day. Then I measured up 8ft high and levelled a line on all the posts and cut them.

I cut the design on the ends of the 6X3 beams and notched the top of the 6X6 posts so the 6X3 would slot in and be supported on top of the post.

The 6X2 joists were cut to length with the design. They were spaced out every 60cm and were nailed down into the 6X3. I then counter battened the joists with 2x2 for the perspex roofing sheet. The perspex sheeting was screwed down with tek screws every second row at 60cm.

The pitch of the roof was 15 degrees. I put 9-inch fascia at the back of the pergola with 6-inch black gutter with a downpipe coming down on one of the back posts. Then all the edges that were cut were touched up with the stain.