Pergolas & Covered Structures

Pergola, pavilion, or roofed cover?

Getting the shade right

A pergola only shades when the sun is high. If the problem is late afternoon glare from the west, slats running the wrong way will not help much. Which direction the rafters run, how wide the slats are and how closely they are spaced all change how much sun actually lands on your table — and it is worth deciding that against the direction the sun actually comes from in your yard rather than picking a look from a photo.

Attached or freestanding

Attaching to the house gives you a seamless look and saves two posts, but it means tying into the existing roof and wall properly so water is directed away. Freestanding is simpler structurally and can go where the shade is actually wanted, which is not always against the building.

Matching the house

The thing that makes a structure look bolted-on is usually proportion, not colour. Post thickness, beam depth and how far the rafter tails overhang do more for whether it looks original to the house than the stain does. Heavier timbers generally read better than the minimum that would hold it up.

Common questions