Best Time to Buy a Pergola (and When Prices Drop)

Most people start thinking seriously about a pergola on the first warm Saturday of spring, standing on a bare patio with a coffee in hand and a sudden conviction that this is finally the year the backyard gets finished.

It's a lovely instinct, and it also happens to be the moment when half the neighborhood has exactly the same idea, which is why spring tends to be the busiest and least forgiving time of year to buy one.

There's a strong case for doing the opposite and buying around the time the patio cushions go into storage, when you can take advantage of the early-bird and holiday sales between mid-October and early December, let the quieter months take care of the practical details, and, with the right setup, keep using the space through the winters to come.

In this guide we walk through the calendar month by month, explain why the last quarter of the year works so well, and help you choose the model that suits the way you actually plan to live outside.

When do pergolas go on sale? A month-by-month guide

The biggest pergola sale events cluster between mid-October and early December, when early-bird offers for the following spring overlap with Veterans Day and the Black Friday to Cyber Monday weekend, all during one of the slowest stretches of the year for outdoor living.

Interest in outdoor projects follows the weather closely, climbing from March, staying high through late spring and summer, and easing off once the evenings get cooler, and many brands time their biggest promotions for the holidays, when the backyard is the last thing on most people's minds.

Here's the typical pattern across the year for someone shopping for an aluminum pergola, although every brand sets its own promotions:

If you already have a rough size in mind, it's worth taking a few minutes to compare this season's louvered pergola models while early-bird pricing and the best delivery windows are still available.

Why Q4 is the smartest time to buy a pergola

Buying a pergola in the fourth quarter makes sense for four practical reasons, and the price is only the first of them. The others have to do with how much of the following season you actually get to enjoy once the structure is standing in your yard.

1. The biggest offers of the year run from mid-October to early December

The weeks from mid-October to early December are when many outdoor living brands run their most generous promotions, with early-bird pricing for the coming spring followed by Veterans Day on November 11, Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

At Hansø, the Early Bird offers take up to 40% off and include freebies worth up to $2,500, and because a pergola is a considered purchase that usually runs into the thousands, those savings translate into real money that can go toward glass walls, a heater or a good outdoor sofa.

Buying in the fall also gives you the rest of the winter to settle the details at an unhurried pace, from choosing a finish to arranging any help you'll need with installation.

2. You're ready the moment spring arrives

A quality aluminum pergola is a permanent structure, so between ordering, delivery, any HOA or permit approval and the weekend you set aside for assembly, it naturally takes a little while to go from checkout to the first dinner underneath it.

When you buy in the fall, you reserve a spring delivery window and handle the planning and paperwork during months you weren't going to spend outside anyway, and when you buy in April, the same steps happen while the weather is perfect and your patio is still empty.

Fall is also the ideal moment to measure carefully and work through our pergola size guide without anyone rushing you, because the footprint shapes how the whole space feels for years to come.

3. You get the whole season, from the very first warm day

When we looked at how often people actually use their pergola, the spaces that adapt to the weather, with an adjustable roof, lighting and heat, were the ones that got used most, and having that space ready from the first warm day adds even more weeks to the year. A fall buyer starts the year with morning coffee in March and long dinners in May, while a spring buyer tends to spend some of those same weeks waiting, which is a shame when the best evenings of the year come early.

4. It makes a generous holiday gift for the whole household

A pergola ordered this fall is one of the few holiday gifts that everyone in the house will use, from the parent who wants a quiet place for coffee to the teenagers who will happily claim it for evenings with friends. It also has the advantage of arriving with a whole season of anticipation built in, since the family gets to plan the furniture, the lighting and the first dinner underneath it over the winter.

Can you use a pergola in winter? Yes, with the right setup

You can use a pergola in winter if it has a roof that closes, a way to block the wind and a source of heat and light, and that combination is what turns a summer shade structure into what we like to call another room of the house. The idea behind every Hansø design is that the backyard should feel like part of your home, and the colder months are when that idea gets put to the most enjoyable test.

A roof that closes when the weather turns

The Horizon motorized louvered pergola is the model we recommend most often for year-round living, with aluminum louvers that open, tilt and close with the remote, through the app, or by voice with Alexa, Google Home or Apple HomeKit.

When the louvers are closed, rain is channeled away through drainage built into the frame and posts, and an optional Horizon rain sensor will close them automatically when it detects rain.

With the louvers closed, the T6 aluminum structure is rated to 165 mph wind and 60 PSF of snow, and during a heavy snowfall our guide to winterizing a pergola recommends opening the louvers so the snow falls through and doesn't pile up on the roof.

Walls that keep the wind out

One of the biggest differences between a pleasant winter evening outside and one that sends everyone back indoors is the wind, and that's exactly what the Horizon glass walls are designed to deal with.

The tempered safety glass panels slide on rails built into the Horizon frame and are weather-sealed when closed, so they block wind, rain and much of the cold while keeping the garden view completely intact, and when spring comes back you simply slide them open again. On sides where you'd like privacy or protection from the low winter sun, the Horizon sun shades do a lovely job at a lower cost, and each side works independently.

Heat and light for the short winter evenings

Once the wind is handled, the 1,500-watt infrared Hansø electric heater, which mounts directly to the pergola and runs from a standard outlet, makes a chilly evening feel comfortable, and the Horizon's integrated LED lighting means dinner can carry on long after the sun goes down in the late afternoon, which is really what makes the space part of daily life in December.

String lights add a softer glow that looks especially good against glass on a dark evening. If you plan to enclose your pergola, use an electric heater and check whether your local code treats an enclosed pergola differently from an open one.

Ways to enjoy a pergola in the colder months

• Morning coffee in a sunny corner with the glass closed and the heater on for ten minutes before you sit down.
• Holiday overflow dining, when the kitchen table can't fit everyone and a second table outside under warm lighting feels like a proper occasion.
• Game day with a television, blankets and the grill a few steps away.
• A sheltered hot tub corner, where a closed roof and a wall on the windward side make getting in and out far more comfortable.
• A reading spot for slow weekend afternoons, with the garden in view and none of the wind.

Planning for spring? Here's how to time your pergola purchase

The simplest way to time a pergola purchase is to buy the season before you want to use it, and then let the quieter months take care of the details. If you have a particular date in mind, such as an Easter brunch, a graduation party or the Fourth of July, working backward from it with these steps keeps the whole project relaxed:

1. Measure the space and choose your size. Mark out the footprint on the patio, check the clearance from the house and walk through it with furniture in mind, using our size guide to compare the standard options.
2. Pick the model that suits how you'll use it. Think about whether you want the space mainly for spring through fall or for every month of the year, since that decides whether the Pro+ or the Horizon is the better fit.
3. Order during the early-bird window. Placing your order between mid-October and early December secures early-bird pricing and a confirmed spring delivery window, and since those windows are limited and go first come, first served, ordering earlier gives you more choice.
4. Sort out HOA approval and permits over the winter. Submitting your plans in the off-season gives the approval process time to run its course before you're ready to build, though the rules vary a great deal by town, so read our guide to pergola permits and check your local requirements early.
5. Schedule assembly for the first mild weeks. Hansø kits are designed for confident DIYers, and our guide on how to install a pergola walks you through the process, while anyone who prefers a professional can request a free white-glove installation quote well before the spring rush begins.

If you only plan to use the space from spring through early fall, the Pro+ manual louvered pergola, which you adjust by hand and which works with sidewalls, side sunshades and the electric heater, is a wonderful value and fits neatly into this plan.

Can you install a pergola in winter?

You can install a pergola in winter in most situations, and what decides the timing is the surface the pergola will stand on together with how cold your winters get.

Bolting the posts to a sound concrete patio you already have involves no digging, so it can happen on any dry day as long as the slab is thick and solid enough for the anchors, while new concrete footings depend on the ground, because concrete shouldn't be poured into frozen soil. Our guide to anchoring a pergola to concrete covers the slab method step by step.

If you live somewhere the ground freezes solid and you need new footings, ordering during the early-bird window still works in your favor, since you lock in the pricing now and your spring delivery can line up with the thaw.

When buying in the fall may not suit you

There are a few situations where it makes sense to hold off a little longer. If you haven't settled on where the pergola will go, or the patio or deck it will stand on is still being built, it's better to finish that work first so you can choose the size with confidence.

Spring promotions do exist too, so a homeowner who simply prefers to shop when the weather is warm can still find a fair price, although buyers who already know what they want usually come out ahead by ordering during the early-bird window and letting the off-season take care of the rest.

Which Hansø pergola should you buy this season?

The right Hansø pergola depends mostly on how many months of the year you want to spend outside and how demanding your weather is, and every model comes with a 10-year limited warranty on the aluminum frame and louvers.

Frequently asked questions