Pergola - sizes and timber to use

Hi All, firstly i hope ive got this in the right forum!

In a couple of months i plan to start using some of my long service leave, after 10 years i think i need a break. Of course there isnt much point sitting on the couch for a couple of months so ive decided to make an outdoor room / pergola!

I want a 10m x 5m pergola attached to the existing house i then want to insulate the roof / ceiling and install a nice deck around it. Ive been doing a lot of research and thinking into how im going to do this. In its most basic form im thinking that i will install 190mm x 45mm beams around the entire top (1 side attached to the existing house) then use 145mm x 45mm rafters. The posts will be 90 x90 attached to the ground with post shoes. A couple of questions / recommendations i had around this

- will 190mm x 45mm be of adequate size for the beams? or will the weight off the room require something bigger, can i get away with a smaller size?

- how far should i space the rafters apart, 900 mm max?

- I live in Adelaide and we don't get a lot of rain, can i get away with putting the post directly into the ground without post shoes?

- How far can i space the posts at the front of the pergola (10m frontage) i was thinking 4 posts over 10 metres? (including the corners)

Any other suggestions or advice would be greatly accepted. thanks!
Marten

Buy that book an you ll never look back Buy The Australian Decks & Pergolas Manual - edition 5 - BOOK-DPM by thats a like where to buy it from but you can get it at bunnings its an absoulte must have. I ve got the whole series I ve pointe out the decks an pergolas book an good luck with it. As for timber on ground ? silly question there isnt very many places you can do that go with the saddles do it once do it right

Better check local regulations for footing size too.

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Originally Posted by itsposs

Buy that book an you ll never look back Buy The Australian Decks & Pergolas Manual - edition 5 - BOOK-DPM by thats a like where to buy it from but you can get it at bunnings its an absoulte must have. I ve got the whole series I ve pointe out the decks an pergolas book an good luck with it. As for timber on ground ? silly question there isnt very many places you can do that go with the saddles do it once do it right

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couldn't agree more gotta go by regulations, larger rafter spacings means larger rafters and larger battens 450 is standard you may find the 140x45 a bit small over 5m especially if your going to insulate and line the roof all adds more weight! I like to go bigger just to be sure it lasts forever not just 10 years!

good luck sounds like a decent project!!

What are you putting on the roof? What pitch?