Pergola Cost Calculator: Price Per Sq Ft & Install 2026

How pergola cost is worked out

A pergola has two costs, not one: the structure and the footings. The area is the length times the width. The structure cost is the area times the price per square foot, and the footings cost is the number of footings times the cost per footing. The total adds the two together, and the all-in cost per square foot is the total divided by the area.

At the defaults — 12 by 12 ft, $45.00/sq ft, 4 footings at $75.00 each — the area is 12 × 12 = 144.00 sq ft, the structure is 144 × $45.00 = $6,480.00, the footings are 4 × $75.00 = $300.00, and the total is $6,780.00 — which is $6,780.00 ÷ 144 = $47.08/sq ft all-in.

The worked example, line by line

Setup: 12 by 12 ft, $45.00/sq ft, 4 footings at $75.00 each.

Line 1 — the area. 12 × 12 = 144.00 sq ft.

Line 2 — the structure cost. 144.00 × $45.00 = $6,480.00.

Line 3 — the footings cost. 4 × $75.00 = $300.00.

Line 4 — the total. $6,480.00 + $300.00 = $6,780.00.

Line 5 — the cost per square foot. $6,780.00 ÷ 144 = $47.08/sq ft all-in.

Line 6 — the budget. An $8,000 budget minus the $300 footings leaves $7,700, and $7,700 ÷ $45.00 = 171.11 sq ft of pergola, which is about 13 by 13 ft. A $5,000 budget buys 104.44 sq ft, which is about 10 by 10 ft.

Every branch, checked

10 by 10 ft: the area is 10 × 10 = 100.00 sq ft, the structure is 100 × $45.00 = $4,500.00 and the total is $4,800.00, or $48.00/sq ft all-in. A smaller pergola costs less in total, but a little more per foot, because the $300 footings are spread over fewer feet.

$30.00/sq ft: the structure falls to 144 × $30.00 = $4,320.00, so the total is $4,620.00, or $32.08/sq ft all-in. Cheap structure is the timber and the yard, not the laying: plain pine costs less than cedar, and the footings cost the same either way.

$65.00/sq ft: the structure rises to 144 × $65.00 = $9,360.00, so the total is $9,660.00, or $67.08/sq ft all-in. Dear structure is cedar, hardwood or aluminium, and the footings are still $300.00.

16 by 12 ft, 6 footings: the area is 16 × 12 = 192.00 sq ft, the structure is 192 × $45.00 = $8,640.00, the footings are 6 × $75.00 = $450.00 and the total is $9,090.00, or $47.34/sq ft all-in. A longer pergola needs two more posts, and two more footings, which is why the footings rise with the length.

0 footings: with no footings, the total is the structure alone: $6,480.00, or $45.00/sq ft all-in. A pergola bolted to a deck or a patio slab needs no footings, but a freestanding pergola on soil does.

20 by 12 ft, 6 footings: the area is 20 × 12 = 240.00 sq ft, the structure is 240 × $45.00 = $10,800.00, the footings are 6 × $75.00 = $450.00 and the total is $11,250.00, or $46.88/sq ft all-in. A big pergola costs less per foot than a small one, because the footings are spread over more feet.

Reverse — the $8,000 budget: the footings take $300 of the budget, leaving $7,700, and $7,700 ÷ $45.00 = 171.11 sq ft of pergola, which is about 13 by 13 ft. A $5,000 budget buys 104.44 sq ft, which is about 10 by 10 ft.

What the defaults assume

The model assumes a freestanding pergola on level ground: a pergola on a slope, a pergola attached to the house, or a pergola with a solid roof changes the structure, because the posts and the beams are cut to fit and the offcuts are waste. It assumes the rate per square foot includes the timber or aluminium and the labour, which is right for a builder quote but not for materials bought alone. It assumes the footings are one flat fee each: a pergola that needs deeper footings for frost will cost more. It leaves out the stain, the lighting, the shade cloth, the permit, and tax — ask the builder whether the quote includes those. Rounding convention: money is rounded to cents, areas to 2 decimals, and all figures are computed from unrounded values, rounded only for display.

Output · formula · meaning

Who uses this

• The homeowner shading the patio: they learn a 12 by 12 ft pergola costs $6,780.00 — $6,480.00 of structure and $300.00 of footings — so they know the exact number before they call the builder, and they know it is $47.08 a square foot, not a guess.
• The landlord shading a rental yard: they learn a 10 by 10 ft pergola costs $4,800.00 — and they learn the footings are $300 of $4,800, so building the pergola in one go is cheaper than two small ones.
• The couple choosing between a pergola and a deck: a pergola costs $6,780.00 for this yard, and the same yard in decking is dearer to build — so they check the pergola against the deck before they decide, because a pergola shades and a deck walks.
• The renovator on an $8,000 budget: they learn $8,000 covers 171.11 sq ft — so they know the 144 sq ft pergola fits with room to spare, and the 20 by 12 ft pergola does not.

Accuracy & limitations

The math is exact for the numbers you enter: the area is the length times the width, the structure is the area times the rate, the footings are the number times the cost per footing, and the total adds the two together. What the model cannot do is measure your yard for you: measure the footprint you want shaded, and for a pergola that follows a slope or a curve, measure the pergola, not the straight-line distance. It leaves out the stain, the lighting, the shade cloth, the permit, and tax — ask the builder whether the quote includes those. It assumes the rate per square foot includes the timber or aluminium and the labour, and that the footings are one flat fee each. It assumes the pergola is built the season the timber arrives: timber left in a pile warps, and the extra you ordered does not cover timber that warped. For the deck for the same yard, see deck cost calculator; for the concrete for the same yard, see concrete cost calculator.