Do you have a Pergola? Help me decide

[Ladyrattles]

We recently moved into a new build house. The living room has bifold doors along one wall that lead out onto a large patio area of the north facing garden.

DH and I love the idea of a pergola for the patio but I'm worried it might make the living room too dark if we have one. The bifold doors currently let in lovely light and the room is bright despite being north facing.

Tell me about your pergola. Any regrets? Loss of light? Or was it the best thing you did for your garden?

How big is the garden? Could you put a second seating area with a pergola further away from the house - might get more sun there too if the garden is N facing.

I do think it will block a lot of light if you put it right by the house, sorry.

The rest of the garden is much lower down. We have steps from the patio down to a turfed area, and the builders have put in lovely railway sleeper flower beds on the tiers. We can't decide on a pergola or just a row of potted trees & shrubs along the patio.

Thanks for your advice @minipie I was wondering if it would be too dark

I was thinking this exact same thing! I went to view some at a company in Oxfordshire at a new build house and the women said to just leave the louvres open and that will let lots of light in - she showed me her house on a cloudy day and actually with them open it was still light. I guess it depends on which way your garden faces too.

I think the company was called Cotswold Garden Pergolas, the pergola was a white aluminium but we prefered the grey.

We decided we liked it but wanted to save for the more premium version with blinds.

We have a pergola the length of the house and it does make the house on that side darker.

BUT we're in Aus and having that outside space that we use for at least 6 months of the year is well worth it.

I don’t really understand the point of pergolas. They provide minimal shade and don’t protect from rain. I’d put a gazebo in if I was putting one in.

You might get more responses in Gardening...

We've got big sliding doors in the kitchen that look out on to the garden. We've got a pergola fixed on the garage at the end of the garden facing that so we look out on it and it provides us with somewhere shady to sit and eat lunch. Lots of climbers on it so it looks lovely in summer. But trying to work out how to make it look better in winter.

I've also put some big plants in big pots next to the big sliding doors - bamboo and tress and tall grasses so you get a wafty look through them to the garden. Works in winter too.

boston ivy turns a lovely shade of red in the autumn/winter

What is the reason for wanting a pergola, is it for shade/shelter or just as a feature?
You can get pergolas with adjustable slats across the top as a pp mentioned, for shade or shelter from rain, but if it's just as a feature I would have potted plants to maximise the light in the house.

I've only ever seen pergolas with roofs so provide shade and protection from rain.

That’s a gazebo. A pergola has slots, a gazebo has a roof. See photos

Pergola

Sorry for some reason it won’t post but the roofed version is a gazebo.

This is my effort, built it myself and although it does take some light away from the sitting room it looks great and smells fabulous !

That's beautiful!

@Summersolargirl you can get modern pergolas with electronically controlled slats that you can open and shut to protect from rain. Can also get sides to them or just blinds that come down for added protection. A whole new booming industry since covid!

We have a pergola and I'm growing a wisteria which I hope will cover it before I'm too old to enjoy it.
We also hang our hammocks from it on sunny days

It doesn't block too much light.

In Aus they're called a pergola, with a roof, when attached to your house. A gazebo is a random structure in the middle of your backyard!

Apologies OP, I've added nothing to your thread, only confusion.