Harrisburg & the Sioux Empire
Pergola builders for yards that see prairie wind
Owner-led pergola and deck builds across the Sioux Empire from a licensed, insured contractor rated 5.0 across 19 Google reviews.
- 5.0 · 19 Google reviews
- Licensed & insured
- BBB rating A
A pergola in eastern South Dakota has a different job than the ones in the catalog photos. It shades a deck through hard summer sun, and then it stands through prairie wind and carries snow on its rafters for a few months. That changes how it has to be built: posts anchored to real footings rather than sitting on patio blocks, rafters sized for load rather than looks, and every connection made with hardware that holds when the structure racks in a gust.
Most of the pergolas we build go up with the deck they shade, because sharing the footings and the frame makes both structures better and the combined job cheaper than doing them apart. Adding one over an existing deck or patio works too, once the walkthrough confirms what's underneath can take the posts.
Get an estimate
Tell us what you're building.
Two required fields. Jace follows up directly to set a walkthrough — or call or text (605) 679-5223.
Rather not wait for a callback?
Pick a time for your estimateAttached or freestanding: what your house decides
An attached pergola ties into the house on one side and picks up the roofline, which keeps the structure stiff and the shade close to the door people actually use. A freestanding pergola can go anywhere in the yard, but every bit of its stiffness has to come from its own posts and bracing, so the footings and connections matter even more. Which one fits is usually settled by where you sit outside now, where the sun is worst, and what the wall you'd attach to is made of. That's the first thing the walkthrough looks at.
A kit pergola versus a built one, honestly
Box-store pergola kits exist, they cost less, and for a sheltered patio in a mild climate some of them are fine. Where they struggle here is the same place cheap decks do: anchoring and span. A kit engineered as a display model tips its hand in a straight-line wind, and aluminum or thin steel members sized for the national market aren't sized for a Sioux Falls snow load sitting on them in January. If a kit genuinely fits your spot, we'll say so during the walkthrough. When it doesn't, we build in cedar or timber, sized for this climate, on footings poured below the frost line.
Built with the deck it shades
Pergola and deck as one project is the sweet spot: the posts land on shared footings, the frame gets designed once, and the finished structure reads as one build instead of an add-on. Because Hols & Co is a general contractor and not just a deck crew, the same job can pick up whatever else the backyard needs.
Recent work
Looking out from under the cedar pergola — rafters overhead, railing posts and black metal balusters at the deck edge.
Photographs of Hols & Co projects
In their words
Nineteen reviews. Every one of them five stars.
Highly recommend Hols & Co. if you are looking for someone to build your deck. The whole team was excellent to work with. They were professional, respectful and communicative. They were very efficient when they were on site and kept out property clean while they worked. Solid craftmanship and the finished product is exactly what we were envisioning. We would definitely hire this crew again for future projects.
The team was great. The quality of work is fantastic. I saw their ad on social media and took a chance and contacted them. So glad I did! Wanted my back deck replaced and they did a beautiful job. Even worked Saturday because the wood for the deck didn't show up on time. Looking forward to having them back for my next project!
Hols and Co. replaced our deck with a covered and screened in deck. We are extremely pleased with the workmanship and attention to detail they put into the deck. They were a pleasure to work with and would definitely recommend them for your home construction needs. Myron H.
FAQ
Fair questions, straight answers.
What does a pergola cost?
It depends on size, material, whether it attaches to the house, and what it stands on — a pergola sharing footings with a new deck prices differently than one retrofitted over an existing patio. Rather than quote a range that won't survive contact with your yard, Hols & Co does an in-person walkthrough and gives you a written estimate you keep. Call or text (605) 679-5223.
Can you add a pergola to my existing deck?
Often, yes. The deciding factor is the frame underneath: pergola posts concentrate load, so the walkthrough checks the joists, beams, and footings before anything gets bolted down. If the existing structure can take it, the posts tie in directly. If it can't, you'll hear that plainly, along with what reinforcing it would take.
Wood, steel, or aluminum?
We build in cedar and timber. Wood handles the freeze-thaw swings here well, can be sized up for snow load, and repairs locally instead of needing replacement parts from a kit manufacturer. Steel and aluminum pergolas are mostly factory kit systems — if that's the direction you want, a kit dealer is the right vendor, and we'd rather tell you that than sell you the wrong structure.
Ready when you are.
Jace walks the site, writes the quote, and runs the build. Free written estimate, no obligation.