A pergola defines an outdoor space without closing it in. It gives a patio or a wide deck somewhere that reads as a room, it takes the edge off direct sun, and it gives you something to hang lighting from other than the house.
It is also the piece most often built too small. A pergola that looks generous on a drawing can feel mean once a table and chairs are under it.
The usable area under a pergola is smaller than its footprint, because the posts sit inside the corners and the shade moves through the day. We work back from what is going under it, a dining set or a lounge group, plus room to push chairs back and walk around them.
Rafter spacing sets how much sun gets through. Wider spacing is airier and gives less shade. Tighter spacing, or a slatted top layer, gives real relief at midday and costs more in material.
Attached pergolas take a ledger on the house and use fewer posts, which keeps the space more open. Freestanding pergolas can go anywhere, including out in the yard away from the building, and they do not involve cutting into the house.
Either way the posts need proper footings. A pergola is a large sail in a storm and uplift is a real load, not a theoretical one. Bolting posts to the surface of an existing patio is not a substitute for footings below frost depth.
String lights are the usual first ask, and the frame should be built with somewhere to fix them rather than having them stapled on afterwards. Wiring can be run inside the posts and beams so nothing is visible.
Where a pergola is also being used for privacy, slatted side panels or a run of privacy screening on one or two sides is far more effective than making the roof denser.
Every photograph on this page is a Prime Home Improvements project, taken after the work was done.
Flexible financing options available through Hearth. Spread the cost of your deck or outdoor space over monthly payments instead of paying for the whole project up front.
It depends entirely on the rafter spacing and which way the pergola runs relative to the sun. Widely spaced rafters give dappled light rather than shade. If you want real relief at midday, that has to be designed in, and we will tell you what spacing gets you there.
Usually, but the posts need footings below frost depth, which normally means lifting pavers or cutting the deck surface to get down to them. Surface mounting to an existing slab is not adequate for wind uplift here.
We build in treated timber, cedar and aluminium. Aluminium costs more up front and never needs refinishing. Cedar looks the best of the three and wants attention every few years to stay that way.
It depends on the size and whether it is attached to the house, and the rules differ between jurisdictions here. We check for your address and handle it where one is needed.
Call, email, or send the form and tell us where the project is. Quotes are free.
