If you love spending time in your garden or you’re the go-to host for parties, a pergola is exactly what you need. Kitting out your outdoor space with a pergola is a stylish way to add some much-needed shelter and shade in your garden – and as a bonus it’ll serve as a modish space to spice up your summer soirees. Whether it be allowing you to enjoy the outdoors whilst you work from home in the summer or being used for decoration for barbecues, the uses that a pergola offers you are endless (and they look amazing too).
As with anything, it’s important to do your research, so that you can find the perfect pergola that’s not only aesthetically pleasing but functional too – our guide will help you make the right choice. Before you know it, you’ll be summer ready, enjoying those brighter and warmer days with a comfortable and stylish space that gives you the best of both worlds.
Pergolas are outdoor structures that are made up of columns which support a roofing grid of beams and rafters. These roofing grids may be left open so you can soak up the sunrays, or they can be covered to create a sheltered area. Either way, they provide a focal point in gardens. Pergolas can also either be freestanding or attached to a property – the choice is yours!
Enhancing your landscape with a pergola will help create ambiance and personality for your home, extending your family’s warmth and hospitality.
If you love your outdoor space but wish there was more you could do with it on those days where the sun is beating down, a pergola is the way forward. It further extends your living space and means you can spend more time outside, as it’ll cast enough light shade to make even the warmest of afternoons enjoyable. Or if you still require extra protection, you can opt for a retractable shade cover. In fact, some shade covers will even protect you from light rain – perfect for our unpredictable British weather.
A pergola can provide support for everything from chandeliers and ceiling fans to small speakers, fairy lights, and even fabric. Anything is possible!
If you have a deck, you may not want to cover it completely, and a solution that fits most desk designs and is budget friendly is to add a pergola. Fit a custom pergola on your deck that’s lightweight, strong and covers specific areas for specific uses. And if your deck is big, you could even create a spot for a swing, barbeque grill, or lounge area.
Whilst they can look somewhat incomplete to the untrained eye, pergolas do offer shade. The size of the beams and their spacing determines exactly how much shade is provided but remember that a pergola on its own will never create a fully shaded space. There’s both advantages and disadvantages to this. For instance, even though you aren’t getting full shade, you’re still able to see the sky and observe the stars at night. But if you’d like the designated space to be entirely shaded, just add a fabric cover to the beams and you’re good to go. Or for that extra visual appeal, why not get creative and add shade to your pergola with a climbing plant that has thick, luscious leaves and blossoms.
A lean-to pergola is one that’s affixed to a structure on one or more sides. This means that instead of the structure being freestanding with access from all four sides, it’s levied against another structure for support. And this is most commonly against one side of your home, which allows the pergola to essentially act like another part of your pad, as you can position it around entrances – nifty right?
One of the most popular areas for a lean-to pergola is above French doors at the back of your home. Not only will you have a gorgeous outdoor seating or dining area, but it’ll also mean you have close access to the kitchen – perfect in summer for those relaxing dinners or BBQs.
Another fantastic feature that comes with lean-to pergolas is that they offer a little more privacy than an entirely freestanding pergola. For instance, some people will place a pergola in the corner of their garden or patio with one side against a wall or fence and the other attached to their property, which provides two fully covered areas and two open ones. If you can have the best of both worlds – why not?
Here are the most common and popular types of wood used when it comes to pergolas:
Metal pergolas are normally made from either steel or aluminium. And if you didn’t know already, they’re incredibly easy on the eye too. Plus, metal can be super easy to work with, as it requires much less maintenance than a wooden pergola – music to any homeowners’ ears!
And if that wasn’t enough, metal can also be modified to create elaborate and impressive designs for those looking for something a little more unique than the standard wooden pergola. But if you’re more into minimalism, metal pergolas can also be very simplistic in their design, installed to provide the foundations for other décor such as white canvas ceilings or walls to the pergola. And if you live in a new build home, metal lean-to pergolas look extremely modern, which makes them a popular choice.
Budget-friendly, easy to install, and with virtually no maintenance needed – vinyl pergolas are a shining choice for many homeowners. If you’re wondering what vinyl pergolas are, they go by the name of UPVC or PVC pergolas too. For the design-conscious homeowner – you’re in luck! Vinyl can be designed to imitate almost any other design, whether it be a wooden effect or stone effect. So, if you’ve got a specific design or colour in mind, a vinyl pergola is the way forward.
Corner pergolas can transform your garden into a stylish outdoor living space that will most certainly be the envy of all. Instead of having four flat sides, they have a three-sided corner design, which means you can fit this type of pergola just about anywhere in your garden. These types of pergolas are a top-notch addition for smaller or more eclectic outdoor spaces. They’ll give you a panoramic view of you garden, and at the same time, a sense of enclosure. This creates the perfect recipe for relaxing, entertaining, catching the sun, or a shaded sanctuary if you prefer.
If you’re on the lookout for a trendy way to add shade and shelter in your garden, but also want something that doesn’t require any manual labour – welcome electric pergolas into your life or motorise an existing one. If you’re on the hunt for a stylish way to add shade, privacy and definition to your outdoor living space – this is the one. More resistant than a motorised patio awning, an electric pergola in your garden will be the picture-perfect addition that you’ve been longing for, so that you can enjoy more time in the fresh air and sun.
Set the scene at your summer BBQ with just a voice command or a tap on your smart device, and before you know it, the pergola slats will close, lights switch on and music will begin to play. Plus, now that we’re all accustomed to the WFH lifestyle, if it happens to be a nice, sunny day, the built-in sun sensor will trigger the pergola’s slats to tilt and close the roof, so your comfort is always guaranteed. It also works the other way round, because when the sun comes out in winter, the sun sensor triggers the pergola’s slats to open. And we all know in the UK, we need to make the most of the extra warmth during the colder months!
A pergola cover adds more shade, privacy and character to your outdoor living space. And it could be anything from a simple canvas sail to a full metal roof. Below are some pergola cover ideas – all you need to do is pick the one that takes your fancy the most!
There are a number of ways to control your Pergola:
In short – you’ll adjust the partitions of the pergola manually (if they have them). But who wants the extra work? Instead, consider an electric pergola, and then you won’t ever have to worry about all that hard labour! Manual pergolas are more ideal if you’re wanting something a little smaller.
If the ever-fashionable motorised pergola sounds like your cup of tea, a hand-held remote has been one of the most popular ways to control it. Many allow you to control up to a certain number or groups of pergolas with simple directional control – just like the clever little thing that is the Situo 5 io Pure II. Hand-held remotes have simple commands such as up, down and my (preset favourite position). And some even offer that extra touch of practicality to program wind and sun sensors – don’t say we don’t spoil you!
Imagine climate sensors doing all the work for you. Well, now you don’t need to imagine as it can now be made a reality. Not only do sensors help you to reduce your energy consumption, but a wind, rain and/or sun sensor also ensures that you enjoy protection at all times, whatever the weather condition may be. Your needs are our number one priority, and the sensors work in pre-set scenarios that are always tailored to your requirements. Your pergola then responds automatically and effortlessly adjusts to the weather – even when you’re not at home! Clever right?
A pergola can take your outdoor living space from nought to one hundred, as well as offering practical benefits for you, your family and guests. Sounds like a dream, right? Well don’t waste anymore time and invest in a pergola. Trust us – you’ll never look back!
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