Pergolas in Manhattan, KS, in PVC and Custom Cedar
PVC needs no staining or sealing, and custom cedar is built to your space with a natural grain PVC doesn't have. Both go freestanding in the open yard or over an existing deck.
- Licensed and insured
- Family and locally owned
- Established 2015
- Free estimates
You want shade over the patio, and you want the review committee to say yes the first time.
Your patio or deck catches the afternoon sun straight on, and by midday it isn't a place you actually want to sit. You're looking for shade, and something that gives the space a sense of definition, not just an empty slab or a bare stretch of decking.
If you live in a neighborhood with an architectural review committee, the first question on your mind probably isn't the price or how long the build takes. It's whether the committee will approve what you put up, and whether you'll be asked to take it down after it's already built. A real share of the housing around Manhattan is governed this way, so the question is a common one.
The second question is what it takes to keep the structure looking right five years from now. This page walks through both: what a committee tends to look for, and what each material asks of you after it's built.
What we build
Heartland Pergolas: low-maintenance PVC
Heartland Pergolas is the brand we install for a low-maintenance build: nothing to stain, nothing to seal, and a clean, neutral look that holds up on its own. We're a Heartland Pergolas dealer, and it's fair to wonder whether PVC ends up looking like plastic. Judge it in person, not in a photo. We'll show you finished ones at your estimate.
Custom cedar pergolas
A cedar pergola is built to your space rather than assembled from a kit, with a natural grain and warmth PVC doesn't have. It's also a wood product: cedar weathers over time, and keeping it looking new takes upkeep PVC doesn't ask for. Neither material is the better one. It's a genuine choice between low upkeep and natural character.
Freestanding, or built over your deck
A freestanding pergola gets its own footings and can go anywhere the space works, no deck required. Over an existing deck, the posts have to land where the framing and footings can carry them, and we look at that before we quote anything. If the deck underneath isn't up to it, the honest answer is a rebuild, which we cover on our decks page below.
Built to clear architectural review
Architectural review committees generally look at the same handful of things: materials, color, height, footprint and setbacks, and whether a structure attaches to the house or stands on its own. Most also ask homeowners to include drawings and product information with the request. Heartland PVC pergolas are the line we recommend for these neighborhoods, because the neutral color and clean lines clear review well and there's no stain or paint color to raise a question. Once your request is submitted, we build to the specifications you've been approved for. Our post on getting a pergola approved by your HOA walks through the process in full.
Why our pergolas are PVC or cedar
We build in two materials, Heartland PVC and custom cedar, because both hold up to the sun and weather a pergola sits in year round. Treated lumber doesn't hold up the same way over time, which is why it isn't one of our two lines. If you've seen the composite decking brand we build with on our decks, that's a decking product, not a pergola line. Our two pergola materials are PVC and cedar, full stop.
How it works
Free estimate
We come out, look at your patio or deck, and talk through material, placement, and how the space actually gets used.
Permits and approvals
We handle the full permitting process, which covers the city or county building permit. If your neighborhood also has an architectural review committee, that request goes in from you, and we build to the specifications you submit. Requirements vary by jurisdiction.
Build
Footings first, then the structure goes up. One crew handles it from start to finish.
Walkthrough
We walk the finished pergola with you before we call it done.
Why Tallgrass for this service
We know what a review committee wants to see
We build the Heartland line often enough to know how it goes together and how it tends to sit with what review committees look for. That's knowledge we bring to the estimate, not a service we perform on your behalf.
We build both materials, so the recommendation isn't fixed
We build both PVC and cedar, so the material conversation can go either way depending on your situation, not just the one line we happen to carry. Pergolas are a core part of what we build, freestanding or over a deck.
Licensed, insured, and local since 2015
We're family and locally owned, with over two decades of combined trade experience among our crews.
Recent pergola projects
A look at Heartland PVC and custom cedar pergolas we've built around Manhattan, freestanding and over a deck.
Common questions about pergolas
Committees generally look at materials, color, height, footprint and setbacks, and how the structure attaches. They usually ask you to send drawings and product information with the request. Heartland PVC clears review well in governed neighborhoods, and we build to the specifications you submit.
Committees can require changes or removal at the owner's expense, so getting approval before you build is far cheaper than getting it afterward. This is general guidance, not a legal opinion. Check your community's own governing documents for what applies to your property.
It depends on size, footings, and your jurisdiction, so requirements vary from one city or county to the next. We handle the full permitting process for the building permit itself, separate from any architectural review your neighborhood may require.
Choose PVC if you don't want to stain or seal anything, and you like a clean, neutral look. Choose cedar for natural grain and a structure built to your space, knowing wood weathers and needs upkeep. Our two lines are PVC and cedar, not composite decking.
Both. Over a deck, the posts have to land where the framing and footings can carry them, which we check before quoting anything. If your deck can't take it, we'll talk about a rebuild, covered on our decks page.
No, and that's the point: a pergola isn't a cover. It filters sun and defines the space, but an open rafter roof won't keep rain off and can't be screened in. For that, see our deck covers and screened porches page.
The main drivers are overall size and the span between posts, material, whether it's freestanding or over a deck, the number and size of posts and beams, footing work, and any lighting or shade added. Bring these to your free estimate.
Request a free estimate on your pergola
Giving us a budget range lets us bring the right options, PVC and cedar both, to your first visit instead of quoting blind. There's no cost for the estimate itself. Tell us about your patio or deck and we'll take it from there.