How to attach pergola to steel fascia?

Anh0878

I want to build a pergola, (my second big DIY project for the house), appx 3.5m x6m. I have a steel fascia. How can I attach wailing plates to it? I have watched Bunnings video how to build, however it doesn’t show steel fascia but timber. What’s my options?Please suggest as much detail as possible (single Mum here)

  

MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Anh0878. It's splendid to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about attaching a pergola.

Attaching a pergola to a house is always one of those projects that looks simple in videos, but the moment you are dealing with the roof line, things change completely. A fascia, whether steel or timber, is only a finishing piece. It is not structural, and it is not designed to carry any weight. If you tried to bolt a pergola beam to the fascia itself, the load of the pergola would pull the fascia straight off the house.

The only correct way to attach a pergola to a house is to connect directly to the structural roof timbers behind it. That means you first need clear access to those timbers. To achieve that, you remove a section of the fascia and the eave lining so you can see the rafters or truss. Once exposed, you install purpose-made pergola brackets that fix directly into those structural members. These brackets are engineered to take the load of a pergola. After they are bolted into the roof timbers, the fascia is then cut neatly around the brackets so it can be refitted, and your pergola beam is mounted to the exposed bracket faces. Alternatively, you can use Roof Extenda MKII Bracket With Black Weather Seal Package through the roof sheets, depending on whether you'd like the pergola above or in line with the roof.

Given the project's structural nature, I would suggest enlisting a professional for installation.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell