Thread: Pergola - sizes and timber to use

Hi All, firstly i hope ive got this in the right forum!

In a couple of months i plan to start using some of my long service leave, after 10 years i think i need a break. Of course there isnt much point sitting on the couch for a couple of months so ive decided to make an outdoor room / pergola!

I want a 10m x 5m pergola attached to the existing house i then want to insulate the roof / ceiling and install a nice deck around it. Ive been doing a lot of research and thinking into how im going to do this. In its most basic form im thinking that i will install 190mm x 45mm beams around the entire top (1 side attached to the existing house) then use 145mm x 45mm rafters. The posts will be 90 x90 attached to the ground with post shoes. A couple of questions / recommendations i had around this

- will 190mm x 45mm be of adequate size for the beams? or will the weight off the room require something bigger, can i get away with a smaller size?

- how far should i space the rafters apart, 900 mm max?

- I live in Adelaide and we don't get a lot of rain, can i get away with putting the post directly into the ground without post shoes?

- How far can i space the posts at the front of the pergola (10m frontage) i was thinking 4 posts over 10 metres? (including the corners)

Any other suggestions or advice would be greatly accepted. thanks!
Marten