Pergolas

A pergola is an open frame of posts and cross beams that defines a space without enclosing it. It turns a patio into an outdoor room, frames a path or a view, gives climbing plants something to grow over and, with a cover or dense planting, throws welcome shade across a south facing terrace.

Unlike a gazebo, which is a roofed shelter, a pergola is mostly open to the sky. That is the point: it feels architectural and permanent, but it keeps the garden light. Our comparison of pergolas and gazebos covers that choice in more detail if you are still deciding.

The right size comes from how you will use it. Over a dining table it needs to clear chairs being pushed back and people standing up. Over a path it needs to feel generous rather than tunnel like. Against the house it has to sit comfortably below windows and gutters.

We look at where the sun falls through the day, where you actually sit, the levels of the ground and what is already there, such as a patio, decking or a lawn. Then we suggest a footprint, height and beam spacing that suits the garden rather than a standard kit size.

An open pergola gives dappled shade on its own, and more once climbers such as wisteria, clematis or roses take hold. Where you want shade sooner, closer beam spacing or a fitted cover can be planned into the frame from the start, rather than added later to a structure that was never designed to carry it.

Lighting and planting beds at the foot of each post finish the look. If you want power for lights, it is far easier to run the cable while footings and paving are being built than to chase it in afterwards.

Most pergola problems come from the bottom up. Posts pushed into soil or bolted to a thin patio loosen, lean and let the frame go out of square. We set posts on solid concrete footings, or fix them to a sound existing base where the construction allows, so the structure stays upright for years.

Where a pergola is fixed to the house on one side, the wall fixings need to suit the brickwork and stay clear of damp proof courses and services. It is the same care we take with every garden structure, from raised beds to retaining walls.

A pergola is often the finishing piece of a bigger job. We regularly build them alongside new patios, composite decking, raised beds and planting, which means the footings, levels and paving are all planned together instead of the pergola being squeezed in afterwards.

We have carried out hard and soft landscaping across Essex since 2007 as a family run team based in Southend-on-Sea. Every quote follows a free site visit and is fixed and written, and our ten year guarantee applies to all our work.