Pergolas and arbors anchor to existing patios with post base brackets.
Patio covers provide privacy and shade and add visual interest to an outdoor space. Existing patio slabs are an ideal location for building a pergola. The slab not only functions as a floor, but also serves as a foundation for the pergola's posts. Builders typically anchor pergola posts to patio slabs with specially designed post base brackets. The bottom of the U-shaped bracket attaches to the patio with concrete screws or anchors while the sides attach to a pergola post with lag screws or nuts and bolts.
Instructions
1. Mark the location of one of the pergola's corner posts on the cement patio with a pencil. Stretch a tape measure from the mark to the desired location of the opposite corner post. Mark the opposite post's location on the patio with a pencil. Run a chalk snap line between the marks, pull the line taut, and snap a line between the marks. The resulting chalk line represents one side of the pergola frame.
2. Stretch the tape measure from the line to the desired location of the pergola's opposite side and mark the location on the patio with a pencil. Move the tape to the opposite end of the line and create a similar mark. Run the snap line between the marks, pull the line taut, and snap a line to represent the opposite side of the pergola. Use a pencil to mark the location of the remaining corner posts along the second line.
3. Align post base brackets with the marks that represent the pergola's corner posts. Position one side of each bracket along the lines that represent the sides of the pergola. Press a pencil through the brackets' screw holes and mark the locations of the screw holes on the patio's cement surface. Remove the brackets from the patio's surface. Select a masonry bit equal in diameter to the shanks of your concrete anchors.
4. Mount the masonry bit to the drill. Set the drill to the driver setting. Attach drill stops to the bit's shank to indicate the desired drilling depth; consult your anchor manufacturer's instructions to determine required drilling depth. Alternatively, wrap electrical tape around the bit's shank to indicate the drilling depth. Bore an anchor hole through each screw hole mark. Clean concrete dust from the holes with a stiff-bristled brush or compressed air.
5. Align the brackets' screw holes with the pre-drilled anchor holes. Slip a washer over the concrete expansion anchors' shanks. Thread a nut onto the anchors' shanks. Insert the wedge ends of the anchors through the brackets' screw holes and into the pre-drilled anchor holes. Pound the tips of the anchors with a hammer to expand their butts and secure them to the cement patio.
6. Tighten the anchors' nuts by twisting them clockwise with an adjustable wrench. Tighten the nuts until the brackets press flush against the patio's surface. Hoist posts into the brackets and align the posts with the brackets' edges. Press a pencil through the brackets' side screw holes and mark the locations of the holes on the sides of the posts. Remove the posts from the brackets. Select a wood slightly smaller than the shanks of the lag screws.
7. Mount the wood bit to the drill and set the drill to the driver setting. Bore starter holes through the screw holes on the posts' sides. Mount a nut driver to the drill. Hoist the posts into the brackets and align the starter holes with the brackets' screw holes. Drive lag screws through the brackets and into the starter holes to secure the posts to the post base brackets.
Tips Warnings
Standard pergola posts are 4-by-4 lumber, which actually measures 3-1/2-inches-by-3-1/2-inches.
After connecting the pergola's posts to the cement patio, frame the pergola's beams and joists according to your design specifications.
Tags: connect, pergola, cement, patio, screw holes, base brackets, brackets screw, brackets screw holes, patio with, pergola posts, post base, post base brackets, snap line
