Best wood for a pergola?

[Jason Dunne]

Hello all

 

First post, so I hope I don't tread on any toes.

 

I'm a first-time developer and a long-time DIY house basher - but I'm totally new to carpentry and I've set myself the goal of building a pergola.

 

What's the best wood to use? The rafter span is about 2.7m and the rafter size I want to use is 2 x 4 inch. I'm guessing it needs to be hardwood, but beyond that I don't have a clue about the best trade-off between price and robustness. Any comments welcome.

 

I dashed off a mock-up in softwood just so I can work out spacing between rafters etc. See pic. The finished article will run the whole length of the patio.

 

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[nod]

While Oak is expensive 

Iroko is long lasting and looks similar and less expensive 

I used Idigbo for my gates for the same reason 

Looks very similar to oak 

Or you could use pressure treated softwood But won’t last 

[Declan52]

I done this one last week using treated softwood. Used 4*4 fence posts for the uprights and 4*2 treated for the rest. Longest span is 2.4m with 4*2 doubled up front and back of the posts. On top is treated lath as the customer has a pergola cover so they will stop it sagging. 

[joe90]

Pressure Treated Softwood should last 10years, it’s what I would use.

[Cpd]

If it was me a would be tempted to look at using unrelated larch, but getting it cut from a local mill might be cost prohibitive. Larch works well out of the ground in a well vented environment. 

[Jason Dunne]

Thank everyone. From your advice, I think I'll use pressure-treated softwood and budget to replace it after ten years.