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Porches & Decks

Pergola / Patio cover needs electrical and speakers

14 years ago

I am in the process of putting in a 10' X 12' patio cover off the front of my house. It will have pavers on the ground, and the vertical supports will be attached to a seat wall (20"). I would like to add lighting (both low voltage and a standard outlet) and some speakers and wanted to know how and what others have done. I am hiring someone to install the patio cover, but have always found the best ideas from people on this board.

Thanks for your help (and hopefully pictures if you got em)

Dave

Comments (4)

fnmroberts
14 years ago
Ours is complicated, photos do not show sufficient detail so I'll try explaining.

Electricity - I ran PVC under the pavers, daylighting adjacent to one of the pergola columns. The source is from the sub-panel which also feeds our hot tub but has space for additional breakers. Use wide-turn elbows to permit pulling the wires.

Our pergola has two perimeter 2 x 12's to support the roof. On the bottom edge of the outside one, I routed a groove and installed rope lighting. Also have made provisions to install a ceiling fan above the table.
All electrical is weather tight, grounded and on its own GFCI breaker.

Our speakers are located elsewhere. I wouldn't recommend speaker wires and 110 volt in the same conduit.

Our Pergola is about the same size as yours, but free-standing. If you offer more particulars about your build perhaps I can offer better suggestions.

Hope this helps.
klugfamily
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks for the response. I have conduit for electric and speakers ready to go, but don't know the best way to hide them. I am going to have a 6X6 post but thought I could somehow hide my wiring behind some additional siding. I can also run it on top of the patio cover and pull power from the house. I've attached some pictures, any thoughts/ideas are greatly appreciated.

http://picasaweb.google.com/Klug.Dave/Patio#

Here is a link that might be useful: pics
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Great ideas so far! Our smart pergola by Arcadia has really helped facilitate needs much like yours. We find a lot of our clients hesitant to give up one thing over another due to either the pergola itself, the space, or restrictions. One thing to keep in mind with a wooden pergola although beautiful and helpful is that in most cases it is wooden, and it requires some maintenance over time. You potentially risk the problem of an open flame for a bbq, grill, and fire pits. Another that we encountered was the overall maintenance during the course of seasonal change and climate changes. Rain, sun, heat, and cold weather all take its' toll on wood, even treated wood with oil or stain. We would love to help you create the perfect patio just the way you dream it to be! We invite you to take a look at our page, gather some ideas, and see what the Arcadia Louvered Roof could provide for your home. Our system is completely customizable in color and size, allowing you to keep every possibility available! Our built in gutter system keeps you dry and allows you to provide shade at any time of the day! Good luck and let us know how we can help with your Houzz project! -The Shade Team Shade: Outdoor Living Solutions
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fnmroberts
14 years ago
You have a very nice start. Is the Pergola going to set upon the stone where I see the conduit? Does it connect to the house on one side?

Have you considered structural columns? They're hollow and they would enable the wires to be contained inside. I considered them as an afterthought but my footings were not suited. Another option would be to route a dado on the side of your 6 x 6 to bury a conduit, then skin the 6 x 6 in effect making it an 8 x 8. Yes, bringing power through the roof of the Pergola would work - might even be able to "hide" it entirely out of sight on the top.

My electric is surface mounted but really not apparent. Of course it can be seen but isn't an eyesore. Hope I've offered some food for thought.
spat72
14 years ago
fnmroberts has given some good suggestions but hard to say without knowing the whole plan. You may also be able to tap into power from the adjacent room inside depending on load expectations. Most importantly be sure it is GFCI protected. It is important not to run speaker wires parallel to the electrical to avoid humming noise in speakers. If the adjacent room can handle the additional load you can splice into a receptacle on the wall inside with the wires running directly back to back to boxes as a starting point.

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