Sketchup for Beginners: How to Build A Pergola

Seven-part SketchUp tutorial with 17 videos covering ground zero (gravel) to final finish. Design on 'paper'—before making sawdust.
June 1, 2023
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In this series, master carpenter (and SketchUp pro) Matt Jackson uses a pergola as an excuse to teach the building blocks of SketchUp, highlighting critical 3D modeling skills along the way.

There are 17 videos in this seven-part Sketchup modeling tutorial.

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Four video sequences: The Layout Rectangle, Making Posts, Notching Posts, and Making a Post Base
July 9, 2015
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Three videos: Making the Beams, Shaping the Beams, and Making 'Ceiling Joists' from the Beams
July 17, 2015
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Three videos: Using the Geopositioning Tool to Optimize Shade, Spacing Multiple Pieces of Lattice without Math, and some Advanced Lattice Modeling Tips
July 23, 2015
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Two videos showing how to convert the layout rectangle into a concrete patio with a paver border, and adding concrete piers as a foundation
Aug. 17, 2015
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Not satisfied with a simple pergola post, The Timber Tailor adds lamb's tongue chamfers to each corner
Sept. 16, 2015
Manipulating Wood Grain on a Sketchup Pergola
Three videos: How to add Grass and Paver Textures, How to Manipulate Wood Grain, and Adding Furniture (and friends) From the Digital Big Box.
Nov. 12, 2025
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The final video in the series: Did you model the pergola to be too tall? How to Lower the Joists and Narrow the Width of the Pergola
Oct. 2, 2015

About the Author

Matt Jackson

Mat Jackson, aka, The Timber Tailor, is a master carpenter living and working in Rapid City, South Dakota. His Next Level, Carpentry YouTube channel, is well worth stalking

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