How Much Does a Cedar Pergola Cost in BC (2026)? Real Materials Pricing

Most "pergola cost" guides quote installed prices from US contractors — usually $4,000 to $10,000+ US for a finished structure — which tells you almost nothing about what the lumber itself costs if you're building it yourself or pricing out a quote from a local contractor. Here's what the actual cedar costs, board by board, using our current stock.

Pricing a real 10' x 10' freestanding pergola

This is a standard freestanding pergola: four posts, two main beams, seven crossing rafters, and open slat spacing on top rather than a solid roof. Sizes and spacing vary by design, so treat this as a real worked example, not a universal quote.

Posts (4x, Western Red Cedar 4x6, 10 ft):
4 × $45.00 = $180.00
(4x6 gives you a substantial, code-friendly post — plenty of pergola builds get away with 4x4, which would drop this line to 4 × $25.00 = $100.00 using our WRC 4x4 posts.)

Main beams (2x, built from doubled 2x4 planks, 10 ft):
4 boards × $10.00 = $40.00
(Sistering two 2x4s together is a common way to get beam strength without paying for a single oversized timber — swap for a single larger member if your span or local snow-load requirements call for it.)

Rafters (7x, Western Red Cedar 2x4, 10 ft, spaced ~18" on centre):
7 × $10.00 = $70.00

Top slats (Western Red Cedar 1x2, 7 ft, spaced for partial shade):
20 × $1.75 = $35.00

Estimated material total: ~$325

That's lumber only — no post bases, joist hangers, structural screws, concrete for footings, or a finish/sealer, which together typically add $150–$400 depending on hardware quality and whether you're setting posts in concrete.

What drives the price up or down

• Post size: 4x4 vs 4x6 vs 6x6 is the single biggest swing factor. Go bigger for a heavier, more substantial look (and if you're spanning wider or building attached to a structure where code requires it) — go 4x4 to save.
• Species: swapping Western Red Cedar posts for Yellow Cedar pushes the price up — a 6x6 Yellow Cedar post runs $40–$60 depending on length, versus $36–$54 for WRC 4x6 — in exchange for a harder, more rot-resistant wood. Our species comparison guide breaks down when that trade-off is worth it.
• Roof density: open rafters (like the example above) are the cheapest option. Adding a full slatted or louvred top roughly doubles your rafter/slat material cost.
• Size: cost scales close to linearly with footprint once you're past a single 10'x10' bay — a 12'x16' pergola with two bays will run close to double the material cost above.

Full price list for pergola-relevant lumber

Is cedar worth it over pressure-treated or vinyl for a pergola?

For an overhead structure — one that's rained on, gets full sun exposure, and is looked at from underneath far more than a fence ever is — cedar's natural resistance to warping, checking, and rot matters more than it does for, say, a buried fence post. It also doesn't carry the chemical treatment of pressure-treated lumber, which matters if you're building anything people will sit directly underneath. For the health-and-durability trade-offs specifically, see our cedar vs. pressure-treated guide.

Browse our Pergola & Trellis collection for current stock across every size in the tables above, or send us your dimensions and we'll help you put together a full cut list.

Prices current as of publication and subject to change with lumber market conditions. Confirm current pricing and stock before ordering.