Engineering brief
How a Your Door pergola is engineered.
Wind code, foundation, blade geometry, motor, drainage, and the documentation set that turns a backyard cover into a permitted, insured, code-compliant piece of architecture.
Eight engineering pillars
What we engineer on every project, in order.
Wind code & engineering
Every Houston project ships with a Texas PE-stamped structural drawing set engineered to ASCE 7-16 for the specific site conditions across the Houston metro. Heavy-duty aluminum construction engineered for Gulf Coast conditions — ask us about engineering documentation for your specific address. The PE stamp is what the municipal inspector signs the permit against; kit pergolas without one will not clear submittal.
- Site-specific load calculation, not generic kit spec
- Texas PE stamp on every drawing set
- Permit submittal handled in-house
Foundations · drilled concrete piers
Houston expansive clay soils make surface-bolted base plates a failure mode under sustained wind. Real Houston pergolas are drilled concrete piers, 18 to 24 inches in diameter, 24 to 48 inches deep, rebar-caged, with engineered base plates and epoxy anchors — pier depth sized off the actual geotechnical or soils report for your lot.
- 18–24″ diameter, 24–48″ deep drilled piers
- Rebar-caged + epoxy-set anchors
- Sized off site-specific soils data
Heat performance · dual-wall blade
Single-skin aluminum louvers radiate the Texas sun — under-cover air sits within 2–3°F of ambient. The Atrium's 220×53 mm blade is a dual-wall extrusion with a foam core sealed between the two skins. Result: 15–20°F under-cover reduction, and a patio that stays usable through August.
- Dual-wall foam-insulated 220×53 mm blade
- 15–20°F under-cover temperature drop
- Sealed gasket louvers · 100% rainproof when closed
Coastal — Gulf Coast construction
East of Highway 146 the state runs a coastal windstorm inspection program (WPI-8), and some insurance carriers require documentation on anchored backyard structures. Our coastal builds use T-316 marine-grade fastener hardware on every connection, and we provide the engineering documentation homeowners need — ask us about documentation for your specific address.
- Coastal (WPI-8) inspection documentation on request
- T-316 stainless steel fasteners + base plates
- AkzoNobel marine-rated powder-coat finish
Extrusion geometry
6063 aluminum, T5 temper on Lumen and Meridian, T6 premium temper on Atrium. Post diameters step from 135 mm (Lumen) to 150 mm (Meridian / Atrium); post wall thickness from 2.0 mm (entry) to 3.0 mm (Atrium heavy). Beam doubles as the integrated rainwater gutter — no exposed downspouts.
- 6063-T5 / T6 architectural aluminum
- Dual-cavity post separates wiring from rainwater
- Integrated beam-and-gutter drainage system
Motor & control
Every motorized pergola ships with a 24V low-voltage IP67-rated motor driving the louvers, plus optional motorized zip screens on the same Tuya smart-app control. Voice integration with Alexa and Google Home is included; Crestron, Lutron, and Control4 integrations are available on Atrium projects.
- 24V low-voltage, IP67 sealed motor
- Tuya smart-app · voice · wall switch · remote
- Wind & rain auto-close sensor (Meridian / Atrium)
Rainwater drainage
Co-extruded rubber gaskets compress when the louvers close, and the beam-and-gutter system drains internally through the post to a concealed ground outlet. There are no exposed downspouts and no backflow. On Atrium the louver seal is rated for sustained Gulf Coast cloudbursts.
- Sealed louver gaskets (Meridian + Atrium)
- Internal beam-to-post drainage path
- Concealed ground-level outlet, no downspouts
Documentation package
Every project is handed over with the full documentation set: PE-stamped structural drawings, site plan, finish sample card, manufacturer structural data, Tuya control credentials, motor warranty registration, and (coastal) the WPI-8 documentation the homeowner can share with their insurance carrier.
- PE-stamped structural set + as-built site plan
- Manufacturer wind-load and product data
- WPI-8 documentation package (coastal projects)
Series geometry
Extrusion spec, side by side.
| Lumen | Meridianpopular | Atrium | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Post | 135 × 135 mm · 2.0 mm wall | 150 × 150 mm · 2.0–2.8 mm wall | 150 × 150 mm · 3.0 mm wall (heavy) |
| Blade | 175 × 40 mm · 1.6 mm wall | 200 × 40 mm · 1.8 mm wall | 220 × 53 mm · 2.0 mm dual-wall |
| Louver rotation | 0–90° | 0–110° | 0–120° |
| Wind class | Inland — Gulf Coast engineered | Metro — Gulf Coast engineered | Coastal — Gulf Coast engineered |
| Warranty | 10-yr structural · 3-yr motor | 15-yr structural · 5-yr motor | 15-yr structural · 5-yr motor |
Foundation detail
Drilled pier · base plate · post.
The load path runs from the louver blade through the beam, into the post, through the engineered base plate, into the epoxy-set anchors, and finally into the rebar-caged concrete pier embedded below the active clay soil layer. Each transition is engineered, stamped, and inspected.
- Aluminum post — 150 mm sq, up to 3.0 mm wall (Atrium)
- Engineered base plate — coastal galvanized or stainless
- Epoxy-set anchor bolts — embedded into pier cage
- Drilled concrete pier — 18–24″ diameter, 24–48″ deep
- Rebar cage — sized off geotechnical soils report
Take the next step
From engineering to a scoped quote.
Engineering FAQ