We love that this pergola is maintenance-free.  The aluminum has a nice wood tone and black finish and screwed together easily.  We love the attached shade for diffusing the dinnertime sun on the West side.  The only negative about this is that the top bar is less than 7 ft clearance and we need to duck under the shade to enter our seating area.  Trying to find a way to raise the pergola another foot.  Overall we are happy with the purchase.