Pergola Cost and Pricing Guide
Nearly every pergola price you will find online is for an aluminium system: extruded posts and beams, bolted together, factory finished. Those are well documented and the ranges below are reliable. A welded structural steel pergola is a different product with a different cost basis, and no Canadian shop publishes a price for one. This page is honest about both.
Typical Metro Vancouver budget
$8,000 to $30,000
A professionally installed aluminium pergola generally budgets $8,000 to $18,000. A louvered aluminium roof runs roughly $135 to $150 per square foot installed, which puts a typical patio at $16,000 to $30,000. Fabricated steel is quoted per project.
Fixed roof or louvered
A louvered roof roughly doubles the cost of the same footprint. Motorised louvres add $5,000 to $9,000 on top.
Footprint
Most of the aluminium market prices by the square foot, so a 12 by 16 patio is roughly double a 10 by 12.
Structure and engineering
Anything freestanding, tall, or carrying snow load in this region needs engineering. That is separate from the fabrication.
Want the number for your patio?
Send the dimensions you have in mind, a photo of the space and whether you want a fixed or louvered roof.
Request a QuoteExample Pergola Prices
Researched Canadian market ranges, before tax. The louvered per-square-foot figure comes from a BC installer and is the most locally relevant number available.
| Pergola type | Typical budget | What drives it |
|---|---|---|
| Aluminium kit, supplied only | $2,500 to $6,000 | Big-box or online kit, self-assembly, no engineering |
| Aluminium system, professionally installed | $8,000 to $18,000 | Footprint, post count, footings, attachment to the house |
| Louvered aluminium roof, installed | $135 to $150 per sq ft | Typical patio lands $16,000 to $30,000 |
| Motorised louvre upgrade | Add $5,000 to $9,000 | Motors, controls, wiring |
| Site prep, footings and permits | Add $1,000 to $3,500 | Concrete, levelling, municipal permit where required |
| Custom fabricated steel pergola | Quoted per project | No published market figure exists in Canada |
What Changes the Cost
- Span. The distance between posts drives beam size faster than anything else. Fewer posts costs more, not less.
- Attached or freestanding. Attaching to the house saves posts but adds flashing, structural attachment and often engineering.
- Roof treatment. Open rafters, fixed panels, polycarbonate, glass and louvres are five different budgets.
- Footings. What the posts land on. An existing slab is easy. New footings in clay or rock are not.
- Snow and wind load. On the North Shore this is a real design input, not a formality.
- Electrical. Lighting, heaters and motorised louvres all need supply run to the structure.
- Finish. Powder coat is standard. Galvanizing before coating is the durable option for steel in this climate.
Aluminium Compared With Fabricated Steel
Aluminium systems are well priced, quick to install, do not corrode, and come in a limited set of sizes and profiles. They are the right answer for a straightforward patio cover on a rectangular deck.
Fabricated steel is the right answer when the span is longer than a system can do, when the geometry is not rectangular, when the structure has to carry something a kit cannot, or when the pergola is an architectural element rather than a patio cover. It costs more, and it will do things aluminium cannot.
How to Keep a Pergola Within Budget
- Settle the footprint before anything else. Every price in this category scales with area.
- Decide fixed roof or louvered early. They are different structures.
- Keep the plan rectangular if the site allows it.
- Build over an existing slab or deck rather than pouring new footings, where the structure allows.
- Run electrical during construction, not after.
- If you want the steel look but the aluminium price, ask about a steel structure with a simpler roof rather than a louvered system.
When the Price Goes Up
- Long spans with no intermediate posts
- Freestanding structures on soft ground needing engineered footings
- Motorised louvres, integrated lighting and heaters
- Non-rectangular plans and sloping sites
- Attachment to an existing structure that needs reinforcing first
- Anything requiring a permit and an engineered drawing set
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a metal pergola cost in Vancouver?
A professionally installed aluminium pergola generally budgets $8,000 to $18,000 in this market. A louvered aluminium roof runs about $135 to $150 per square foot installed, putting most patios between $16,000 and $30,000. Motorised louvres add $5,000 to $9,000, and site prep or permits add $1,000 to $3,500.
Why is a louvered pergola so much more?
Because the roof becomes a mechanism. Each louvre is a moving part with bearings and a linkage, the frame has to carry that and stay square, and a motorised version adds motors, controls and wiring. It is closer to a piece of equipment than a roof.
How much does a steel pergola cost?
There is no published Canadian market figure for a welded steel pergola, and we will not invent one. Steel pergolas are quoted from the span, height, roof treatment, footing conditions and finish. Send dimensions and a photo and we will give you a real number instead of a guess.
Do I need a permit for a pergola?
It depends on the municipality, the size and whether it is attached to the house. Where a permit is required, expect it to bring an engineered drawing set with it. Budget $1,000 to $3,500 for site prep and permits combined as a starting assumption.
Is aluminium or steel better?
For a rectangular patio cover, aluminium is usually the better value and will not corrode. For long spans, unusual geometry, or a structure that is meant to be seen as architecture, fabricated steel does things aluminium systems cannot.
Do these prices include tax?
No. All ranges on this page are before tax. Applicable taxes are shown on your written quote.
What We Need to Give You an Exact Price
The more of this you can send, the tighter the quote comes back and the fewer rounds it takes.
- The footprint you have in mind, in feet
- Photos of the space, including what the posts would land on
- Attached to the house or freestanding
- Roof treatment: open, fixed panels, or louvered
- Whether you want lighting, heaters or motorised louvres
- The finish you want, or the exposure so we can suggest one
Get an Exact Price for Your Project
Send us a few details, photos or a drawing and we will price the actual scope instead of guessing from a generic range. Photos can go to sales@trussmetal.com if the form is easier without them.
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Pricing guide updated: August 2026. Figures are planning ranges in Canadian dollars, before tax.
What changes an aluminum pergola cost
Aluminum and steel pergolas price differently, and the gap is not simply a material cost. Aluminum is lighter, which can reduce what the posts and footings have to carry, and it will not rust — but it needs larger sections to achieve the same span, so a wide opening can close much of the difference back up.
The things that move a pergola quote most, in rough order: the clear span between posts, the roof type (open rafters, slats, louvered or solid), what the posts fix into, the finish, and access to the site. A louvered roof with a moving blade system is a different order of cost from a fixed open frame, because the mechanism and its warranty come from a supplier rather than from our shop.
We do not publish a fixed price per square foot, because on a pergola the footing and the span change the number more than the area does. Send the size, the roof type you want and a photo of where it is going, and we will give you a real figure.