Custom Pergola Construction & Design in Point Pleasant, NJ

Pergola construction is a great way to define your outdoor living space while cutting the glare of the summer sun. At Gambrick Construction, we’ve spent over 3 decades building custom decks and shade structures in Ocean & Monmouth County.

A well-built pergola provides stylish “dappled shade,” roughly reducing direct sunlight by 60–70% without blocking the coastal breeze. It acts as a functional focal point, creating a dedicated area for dining, lounging, or entertaining poolside.

Whether you want a custom Cedar structure to support climbing vines or a modern low-maintenance aluminum system, a pergola anchors your backyard design and turns a hot, open platform into a comfortable outdoor living space. It’s the perfect framework for adding privacy curtains, string lights, or ceiling fans, creating a retreat you can use all day and night.

Custom Wood Pergolas (Old School Craftsmanship)

We cut every rafter tail, beam, and post on-site. This allows us to customize the size, the spacing of the shade slats, and the style of the cuts to match your home’s architecture. Whether you want a massive timber-frame look with 8×8 posts or a refined design with detailed scrollwork, we build it by hand.

The Best Wood for the Jersey Shore

Wood is beautiful, but the salt air is tough on it. We only use species that can handle the humidity, salt air, sun, and bugs that are common at the Shore.

• Western Red Cedar: The gold standard. It naturally resists rot and insects, smells great, and stays straight. It handles the moisture better than pine.
• Mahogany & Ipe: If you want a high-end, furniture-grade look, we use hardwoods. They’re incredibly dense and durable, but they’re heavy and harder to work with (and cost more).
• Pressure Treated Pine: The budget-friendly workhorse. It’s strong and rot-resistant. We often use this for the structural frame and then wrap it in PVC Azek trim for a clean, white look.

Engineered for Wind (Simpson Strong-Tie Hardware)

We engineer every connection for wind uplift. We use Simpson Strong-Tie ZMAX hurricane hardware and Simpson Strong-Tie SDWC Truss Screws to anchor the posts to the footings (or deck frame) and the beams to the posts.

Your pergola is built to stay put, even when the wind gusts over 100 mph.

Paint vs. Stain: The Finishing Touch

When finishing your custom wood pergola, you have two main choices: cover it with paint or seal it with stain. We handle the entire finishing process for you.

• Custom Painting: We use Sherwin-Williams Duration, a high-quality 100% acrylic latex that acts as “armor” against the salt air. While this offers maximum protection, keep in mind that even the best paint will eventually need a fresh coat after 3-5 years in the Shore sun.
• Natural Staining: If you prefer the natural look of Cedar or Mahogany, we use Cabot Australian Timber Oil, Messmer’s, and Penofin. Each is a high-quality, oil-based semi-transparent stain that offers long-lasting UV protection and enhance natural wood grain. Note that stain requires more frequent re-application (every 1-2 years) to stop the wood from turning silver-gray.

Designing Your Custom Pergola

A pergola does more than just block the sun; it defines the space. It turns a wide-open deck into a dedicated “Outdoor Living Room” for dining, lounging, or entertaining.

Because we build from scratch, we don’t force you into standard 10×10 or 12×12 box sizes. We build L-shapes to wrap around corners, long rectangular runs for dining tables, curves, and custom heights to clear your sliding doors.

Freestanding vs. Attached

The first design choice is structural: Do you want it bolted to the house or standing on its own?

• Attached: We bolt a ledger board directly to your home’s framing (properly flashed to prevent rot). This acts like an extension of your indoor living space, perfect for covering the back door or patio sliders.
• Freestanding: If you have a pool deck or a fire pit area further out in the yard, we build a standalone structure on 4 (or more) posts. This creates a separate “destination” in your backyard.

Matching Your Home (Columns & Style)

A pergola should look like it was built with the house. We match the architectural style of your home using different column and beam designs.

• The “Timber” Look: For a rustic or modern farmhouse style, we use rough-sawn 8×8 Cedar posts with exposed hardware and square cuts.
• The “Traditional” Look: For classic Shore colonials, we often use round fiberglass columns (like PermaCast) or wrap the wood posts in white PVC trim to match your home’s porch railings.

Controlling the Sun (Lath & Shades)

Not all shade is created equal. We customize the amount of sunlight that hits your deck in two ways:

• Lath Spacing: We adjust the top slats (purlins). For Heavy Shade (south-facing decks), we space 2×2 cedar slats just 1.5 inches apart to block 80% of the sun. For Light Shade, we space them 3-4 inches apart for an open, airy feel.
• Retractable Shades: For the low evening sun that shines under the roof, we can install manual or motorized pull-down solar shades. These fabric screens cut the glare without blocking the breeze.

Privacy Walls & Wind Blocks

In towns like Point Pleasant Beach and Manasquan, the houses are built close together. To deal with this, we can build custom privacy walls on one or two sides of the pergola. We often use horizontal louvered slats that let air flow through but block the view.

These walls double as a wind block, knocking high winds down to a gentle breeze.

Lighting & Ceiling Fans

The best outdoor spaces are used day and night. We don’t just tack lights on at the end; we plan the electrical layout before we cut the first post.

• Hidden Wiring: We drill through the center of the wood posts to run wires invisibly. No ugly conduit pipes on the outside of your beautiful cedar.
• Ceiling Fans: On dead calm days in August, the air can get stagnant. A wet-rated outdoor ceiling fan keeps the air moving and helps keep the mosquitoes away.
• Ambiance: We install dimmable string lights, chandelier mounts, or post-cap lights to give the space a soft glow for evening entertaining.

Fiberglass, Vinyl & Metal Kits (We Assemble, You Enjoy)

If you love the look of a pergola but hate the idea of staining wood every year, a synthetic kit is the answer. To be clear: We do not fabricate these parts in our shop. These are high-end, pre-engineered systems that we order from top manufacturers and assemble for you.

We offer professional installation for Fiberglass, Cellular PVC (Vinyl), and Aluminum pergola kits from premium brands like Trex, StruXure, and Walpole.

Did you already buy a kit? We also assemble structures purchased from Costco, Home Depot, or Amazon. However, we don’t just “pop them up” on the grass. We treat them like real construction projects, making sure they’re anchored correctly so they don’t end up in your neighbor’s pool during the next storm.

Why Choose a Kit? (The “Hose-and-Go” Solution)

The biggest advantages of a kit are maintenance and speed. A custom timber frame can take weeks to design and cut. A kit can be delivered and assembled in days.

• Fiberglass: Extremely strong and light. It can span long distances (20+ feet) without sagging.
• Cellular PVC (Vinyl): Looks exactly like a white painted wood pergola but is 100% plastic. It will never rot, crack, or turn yellow.
• Aluminum (Louvered): The modern choice. These often come with motorized louvers that let you close the roof when it rains. They are powder-coated to resist rust and look sleek.

Professional Assembly vs. DIY (The “IKEA Nightmare”)

A lot of people ask, “If it comes in a box, can’t I just build it myself?”

You can try, but these aren’t bookshelves. They usually arrive in a dozen heavy boxes with a 100-page manual.

We handle the heavy lifting: We dig the footings, pour the concrete, flash the ledger board to your house, and ensure the structure is wind-rated for local codes.

Wood vs. Fiberglass vs. Aluminum: Quick Comparison

Not sure which material is right for your yard? Here is how they stack up against the Jersey Shore elements.

Feature	Custom Wood (Cedar)	Fiberglass / Vinyl Kits	Aluminum (Louvered)
Look	Classic, Rustic, Natural	Clean, White, Traditional	Modern, Sleek, Industrial
Speed	Slower (Weeks to design & build)	Fast	Fast
Versatility	Unlimited (Any size, shape, or angle)	Limited (Standard box sizes only)	Limited (Standard box sizes only)
Wind Rating	Excellent (Engineered)	Good (If anchored properly)	Very Good
Maintenance	High (Stain every 1-2 yrs)	Low (Wash with soap)	Low (Wash with soap)
Heat	Cool to the touch	Stays relatively cool	Can get hot in direct sun
Cost	$$ – $$$$$	$$$	$$$

What Our Clients Are Saying

Here is what local homeowners are saying about working with Gambrick.

★★★★★ “We couldn’t use our backyard in Brielle until 5 PM because of the sun. Gambrick designed a custom Cedar pergola for our deck that looks amazing. The shade difference is instant. The crew was meticulous and left the job site spotless every day.”
— Sarah J., Brielle, NJ

★★★★★ “I bought a StruXure louvered pergola online but didn’t trust myself to install it. I called John at Gambrick, and I’m so glad I did. They dug concrete footings and anchored it down solid. We had 60 mph gusts last month, and the thing didn’t budge. Worth every penny for the peace of mind.”
— Mike R., Point Pleasant Beach, NJ

★★★★★ “Gambrick built us a beautiful freestanding pergola near our pool. It looks great and makes sitting in the backyard much niocer on hot days because it blocks just the right amount of sun.”
— Dave & Linda T., Manasquan, NJ

Common Questions About Shore Pergolas

We get asked the same questions every day. Here are the honest answers about building shade structures at the Jersey Shore.

Does a pergola block the rain?

Sometimes. A standard pergola is designed to block the sun, not the rain. The roof is made of open slats (lath) that let air and water pass through. If you want a 100% waterproof roof, you need a Pavilion (solid roof) or a modern Louvered Pergola where the slats close tight like blinds.

Can you attach it to my house?

Yes, we have to cut away the siding, flash the connection with copper or vinyl membrane to prevent rot, and bolt into the house framing (rim joist). If your house has a cantilever (overhang) or brick veneer, we might recommend a freestanding design instead to avoid water issues.

How long does it take to build?

The actual construction for a custom wood pergola depends on how large it is, the complexity, and it’s shape some take a few days while others can take weeks. We recommend starting the design in the winter so you’re ready to enjoy the shade by Memorial Day.

What’s the difference between a Pergola, a Gazebo, and a Pavilion?

• Pergola: Open roof with slats. Blocks sun, lets rain through.
• Pavilion: Solid roof (shingles or metal). Blocks sun and rain. Open sides.
• Gazebo: Usually round or octagonal with a solid roof and a built-in floor.

Service Areas

Gambrick Construction is proudly based in Point Pleasant, NJ (08742). To maintain the highest level of quality control, we focus exclusively on the coastal communities of Ocean and Monmouth County:

• Point Pleasant Beach & Borough
• Bay Head & Mantoloking
• Manasquan & Brielle
• Spring Lake & Sea Girt
• Brick Township (Shore Acres, Metedeconk)
• Wall Township
• Lavallette & Ortley Beach

Ready to Get Started?

Ready to Get Started? Let’s talk about how we can help.
Call 732-892-1386 or contact us online today.