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General contractors typically manage home renovation or build projects that last more than a week and involve various skilled tradespeople. Some examples include building a new home or barn, adding an extension or garage, or carrying out major room remodels involving extensive plumbing, electrical, and structural changes.

It depends on how you’ll use it. Both awnings and pergolas create shelter in outdoor areas, but pergolas have grid-style roofs, which are more open than awnings and not as effective at blocking out UV rays and precipitation. Also, pergolas are permanent structures, so you can’t put them away when you aren’t using them (unlike retractable awnings).

Turnbuckle weight loads vary depending on their size. Smaller 1/4-inch turnbuckles have a weight capacity of about 500 pounds. A 3/8-inch diameter turnbuckle, which is strong enough to handle most residential fence gates, can handle a working load of 1,200 pounds. Larger 1/2-inch diameter models have a limit of 4,000 pounds.

Wooden pergolas can last five and 12 years as long as you maintain your pergola. Make sure to clean, stain, and seal wood pergolas every two to three years to protect the wood from insect damage, rot, and decay. 

Vinyl or aluminum pergolas can last a lifetime. The only problems you may encounter with these pergola materials are weather-related—heavy rain storms or snowfalls. Check the stability of your pergola every season. You may need to add new supports or replace broken beams on an as-needed basis.