The addition of a modern pergola to your backyard, deck, or outdoor space can really define a specific area for entertaining, relaxing, and gathering. Unfortunately, hiring a contractor to build a completely finished pergola for you can be costly. For this reason, DIY pergola kits are a great cost-effective option.
Toja Grid, Linx, and Bjorn Woodworks are three of the top companies that offer pergola kits, providing their customers with the ability to build their very own pergola from a kit (almost from complete scratch!).
Below, we will compare and contrast the pergola kits offered by these three companies so you can determine which one is best for you.
Summary Table
| Category | Winner | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Modularity | Toja Grid | Toja Grid has the most bracket options |
| Material Quality | Slight Edge to Toja Grid | Toja Grid offers thickest steel |
| Wood Size Fit | Tie | All DIY kits fit 4x4 or 6x6 wood |
| Installation Components | Tie | All DIY pergola kits and brackets come with the needed screws and bolts (except anchoring hardware) |
| Accessories | Slight Edge to Toja Grid | Toja Grid has more accessory options |
| Warranty | Toja Grid | Toja Grid has a 5-year warranty on its brackets |
| Price | Toja Grid | Our review found that Toja Grid offers the lowest-priced, standard pergola kit |
Summary:
All three of these brands offer excellent DIY pergola kits to make a perfect pergola for your backyard.
However, Toja Grid comes out on top in several key categories like modularity (more brackets enable you to have more design and size options), warranty (the 5-year warranty surpasses competitors), and price (lower price compared to Bjorn and Linx)
What is a DIY Pergola Kit?
A DIY (Do-It-Yourself) pergola kit is exactly what it sounds like – a kit that you buy for you to build a pergola by yourself. A complete pergola kit will include all of the necessary lag bolts, brackets, and other hardware to assemble a totally modular pergola. Assembly and installation instructions are included.
However, these kits do not come with lumber. Purchasing the needed lumber for the kit is your responsibility, and pressure-treated wood is typically recommended.
While this may sound like a headache to some people, DIY pergola kits tend to be cheaper and offer more customized options than if you were to purchase a finished pergola. These kits also offer an easy and intuitive installation fully enclosed in the kit with custom options available.
If you are on the hunt for a DIY pergola kit, you may have found there are some brands that stand out amongst the rest. Below we compare and contrast the features of three of the popular pergola kit brands: Toja Grid, Linx (Wild Hog Products), and Bjorn Woodworks (Bjorn).
Toja Grid Overview
Based in Oakville, Ontario, Toja Grid launched in 2018 in Canadian hardware stores that sold lumber. Since then, the company has grown and now offers numerous patent-pending pergola systems that state they can be built in less than an hour. Aside from DIY pergola kits, Toja Grid also offers DIY furniture and accessories.
Linx Overview
Headquartered in Healdsburg, California, Linx (aka Wild Hog Products) has been in business since 2013. Over this time, the company has established a nationwide network of trusted distributors and partners.
Bjorn Woodworks Overview
With a Danish background, but headquartered in Utah, Bjorn Woodworks (or simply Bjorn for this post) is inspired by their families, and family always comes first for them. With a combined 60 years of metal work on the team, the company believes that creating complete DIY pergola kits is a way to make dreams come true for others.
DIY Pergola Kit Feature Comparison
For this review, we compare and contrast each popular DIY pergola kit brands on the following features:
Modularity (Bracket Options)
Material Quality
Wood Size Fit
Installation Components
Accessories
Warranty
Price
Modularity (Bracket Options)
Winner: Toja Grid
Reason: Toja Grid is the clear winner because the company offers many more bracket options than Linx or Bjorn. Although you might not need all of the bracket options that Toja offers, your creativity and style will not be limited because you couldn’t find the right bracket from Toja.
Bracket options are the key to making the pergola fit your backyard needs. Ultimately, the more options available, the more you are able to customize the pergola to its surroundings. More bracket options also equate to more modularity.
For this comparison, we only focused on bracket options for DIY Pergola kits with 4×4 wood.
In all, these companies offer the minimum required brackets, which include base mounting brackets and 3-,4-, and 5- Arm Brackets. However, Toja comes out as a clear winner because they offer many more bracket options, which can help create a uniquely styled pergola and add many features to your pergola, like walls, rafters, and hammocks.
In the table below, we summarize the availability of different brackets for each pergola brand:
| Bracket | Toja Grid | Linx | Bjorn |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Bracket | |||
| 3-Arm Bracket | |||
| 4-Arm Bracket | |||
| 5-Arm Bracket | |||
| L-Bracket | |||
| T-Bracket | |||
| 45-Degree Bracket | |||
| 30-Degree Bracket | |||
| 3-Arm + 30-Degree Bracket | |||
| 4-Arm + 30-Degree Bracket | |||
| 30-Degree 3-Arm Bracket | |||
| 30-Degree 4-Arm Bracket | |||
| Wall / Railing Bracket | |||
| Hanger Bracket | |||
| Roof Rafter Bracket | |||
| Side Bracket |
Material Quality
Winner: Slight Edge to Toja Grid
Reason: Toja Grid offers the thickest steel with a weather-protective coating. Therefore, it is likely to last the longest and offer the most durability.
The type and quality of the material used in the construction of a pergola are directly associated with its longevity and the amount of maintenance that will be involved. The higher the quality of material used, the sturdier your pergola will be and the longer it will last.
Toja Grid: Toja Grid uses high-quality 14-gauge and 12-gauge steel covered in a protective coating for optimal weather resistance.
Linx: Linx uses high-grade steel that is 50% thicker than many other products, and the brackets feature a flat black powder coating to last longer. Special Note: Although Linx reports they use 50% thicker steel than other products, it was unclear what exact gauge of steel Linx uses.
Bjorn: Bjorn uses 16-gauge powder-coated steel.
Wood Size Fit
Winner: Tie
Reason: All of these companies offer pergola kits for two different wood sizes: 4×4 and 6×6.
The wood size will determine the amount of support that is provided for the overhead lumber. Smaller wood can be used for smaller pergolas, but larger pergolas require a larger-sized wood for proper support.
For this category, we simply reviewed if a company offered options for 4×4 and 6×6 wood pergolas.
Special Note: Lumber is not provided by any of the three companies in the pergola kits.
Toja Grid: Toja Grid offers pergola kits for 4×4 and 6×6 lumber.
Linx: Linx offers kits for both 4×4 and 6×6 wood posts.
Bjorn: Bjorn offers kits for 4×4 lumber and 6×6 wood sizes.
Installation Components
Winner: Tie
Reason: Since they all come with the necessary screws and lag bolts for assembly, it is a tie between all three brands.
The more components needed for installation that a company includes in its building kit, the less trouble you have to go through during the assembly process. You don’t have to worry about spending hours trying to find the right size screw or buying the wrong size and having to return to the store.
Special note: neither kit comes with anchoring hardware because the right anchoring hardware depends on the mounting surface (e.g., concrete, deck, pavers, etc.)
Toja Grid: Toja Grid includes grid hangers, screws, and turnbuckles. Anchoring hardware is not included.
Linx: Linx includes fasteners in its pergola kits. Anchoring hardware is not included.
Bjorn: Bjorn includes screws with the pergola kit. Anchoring hardware is not included.
Accessories
Winner: Slight Edge to Toja over Linx
Reason: Although Linx offers sunshades and hammocks (which are the main pergola accessories people shop for), Toja Grid offers privacy wall kits, planters, mosquito nets, and umbrella tops for pergolas as well.
Accessories have the ability to define your outdoor space and make it your style. Depending on the particular type of accessory, they may improve heat and sun protection, enhance privacy, and offer additional weather protection.
Toja Grid: Toja Grid offers a shade sail made of high-density polyethylene, hammocks made with Challenge Sailcloth, privacy wall kits, planters, mosquito nets, and umbrella tops.
Linx: Linx offers a sunshade made out of HDPE fabric and a hammock made from marine-grade Dacron Sailcloth. Both include a UV inhibitor to improve durability.
Bjorn: Bjorn does not offer accessories for pergolas at this time.
Warranty
Winner: Toja Grid
Reason: Toja Grid wins on warranty easily because the company offers the best and longest warranty for its products.
Company-offered warranties can provide homeowners with the peace of mind that if something goes wrong within a certain period of time that the company will take care of it.
Toja Grid: Toja Grid offers a 5-year warranty on brackets, a 2-year warranty on shade sails, and 1-year warranty on hammocks.
Linx: From our review, Linx pergola kits are sold “as-is” with no available warranty.
Bjorn: Bjorn products come with a 90-day warranty for manufacturing defects and product failures.
Price
Winner: Toja Grid
Reason: For a standard 4×4 wood pergola kit with four base brackets and 4 3-arm brackets, Toja Grid has the lowest total cost. However, Linx and Bjorn’s prices are not overly expensive compared to Toja Grid.
To make this fair and simple between the three companies, we simply compare the prices for a standard pergola that has:
4x pergola base brackets
4x 3-arm pergola bracket shoulders
Wood size: 4×4
Using these dimensions and bracket options creates a simple, standard pergola kit that is available from all 3 companies. (The prices below have been rounded up to the nearest dollar)
Toja Grid: Single Pergola Kit ( includes 4x 3-arm brackets and 4x base brackets): Total – $395
Linx: 4x 3-arm brackets ($99 each) and 4 base brackets ($39 each) (Home Depot Pricing): Total – $552
Bjorn: Pergola Kit (includes 4 base brackets and 4x 3-arm brackets): Total – $425
Special Note: Prices vary based on location and vendor. You may be able to buy pergola kits and brackets directly from the pergola brand’s website or from a vendor like Amazon, Home Depot, Lowes, or various home improvement and outdoor stores.
Conclusion
Winner: Toja Grid
By looking at the winners of each category, Toja Grid is the one brand with a pergola kit that stands out with the most accessories, best warranty, material quality, and best price.
However, Bjorn and Linx pergolas are still great options if you are looking for a DIY pergola kit. They have great materials, and the prices for their pergola kits represent great value.
In the end, the brand you choose to shop with will likely come down to some or all of the following: the quality of the materials, styles of kits, kit pricing, pergola shape, and availability of nearby stocking dealers. With the DIY pergola kits, the possibilities of transforming your outdoor space and house as a whole are virtually endless, and we think picking from one of these three brands will help you create an excellent pergola for your backyard!
