Pergola?

[HelloHellebore]

We’re considering a new build house. The living -dining room windows face south and we’re looking at ways of providing a bit of shade. The builders have suggested a pergola, along the full width of the room. Has anyone experience with a pergola? Good? Bad? Ugly? Thanks for any insight!

Some friends did this in their house and it's lovely. They have wisteria and star jasmine growing on it.

My parents had one to shade their kitchen and it was lovely. They had clematis on it so when it died back in winter plenty of light could come in and then in summer it was full of flowers. They put a table and chairs under it and used to have lunch out there.

You can get metal bits that go into the ground upon which you fit the timbers now so that you don't get posts rotting in the ground.

It’s beautiful! But you need to put a lot of effort in the upkeep of the plants. If you are into gardening, it will be very rewarding.
Otherwise, it will be a very sad looking wood structure (my grandmother had one in her garden but could not be bothered…)

I house sit, and I used to regularly sit in a house with a gorgeous pergola with a vine growing over it. Lovely.
I've also sat in a house with a retractable awning. Lovely also, provided shade and shelter, and was very practical and good to be able to make it disappear on dull days. Not AS lovely as a pergola but perfectly nice.

So, if loveliness is the main thing and you're happy with the extra gardening, have a pergola.
If you want the shade and shelter on demand and the practicality is more important than overall loveliness have a retractable awning.

We're moving into a house soon that's going to need something. The garden is beautiful already and will need upkeep. We're planning on an awning.

These are really helpful comments, thank you all very much! I am into gardening, although have heard that Wisteria upkeep is not for the faint hearted.
I did wonder whether the structure would dominate the garden in Winter and look unattractive but I guess any sun shade solution has its downside at times.

You can get pergola structures that you can add to, to suit your needs. They aren’t wooden and you need to mount them on blocks, I think. They come in dark grey and a beige type colour. Titan is one company, but I’m sure there are others.

They wouldn’t need the upkeep of wood and you could still put tubs around if you wanted. We’ve seen them in a local garden centre and they come in various sizes.

You can also buy retractable canopies- like ice cream shops use but more modern! I was looking at some on blinds to go the other day.

Wisteria upkeep isn’t that bad. Prune twice a year and train it to where you want jt to go and it’s fine.

The thing with a pergola is it’s there all the time even on gloomy days and you might find it makes your room to dark. I have a catio outside my kitchen with a clear Perspex roof and it’s an amazing how much darker it’s made the kitchen. I’d look at retractable canopies.

Thanks @heldinadream and @NigelPonsonbySmallpiece, that’s a good point about it always being there, even when it’s not sunny. I guess if the pergola is covered with beautiful thick wistera, that will be quite a shade, and not great when it‘s a dull day.
I haven’t seen many around, so maybe on balance there’s more of a drawback than benefit.

Hi @HelloHellebore , did you end up buying a pergola?
If you did, how's it looking now?
I'm getting quotes for a lean-to pergola to go on my south facing patio.

I love pergolas!

May i ask if you mean metal posts with polycarbonate roof or a wooden one ?

I have been looking at different ones for a year but only just updating garden and have still not decided as ive gained a lot of info but also some doubts and i think theres pros and cons

I think i posted about it a while ago .

@Oxo01 I'm looking at a wooden one, to grow a climbing plant on - possibly a vine as I've got a climbing rose and star jasmine already growing up the fence that would be on either side.

Our neighbours have a wooden pergola and it gives their patio so much shade. They've got climbers and some clear plastic sheets on the top. I gathered quotes for an awning but this was too expensive so now I'm getting investgating a pergola.

I've looked at some build your own kits but because we need to work around the waste pipe and drain pipe on the back of the house, I think I'd end up having to customise a kit quite a lot so might as well have something made to measure and fitted.

My plan is to use a roll of bamboo screening to give some shade before the plants grow to reach the top of the pergola and then take that off to get the leaf cover in summer and then open sky in winter.

Similar to me, I wanted alluminum type that I could fix flush to the wall and opens close at the top but looking into it I have my doubts as I have a small pipe coming from the loft to the outside taps so that will be a bit tricky with the metal unless we move the pipe to the side more.

So i thought about a wall mounted metal one but with a fixed polycarbonate roof ( my neighbour has one) .

Also my landscaper can build me a wood one with or without roof but I really wanted a metal one.

I have an aluminium one to shade my south facing garden/living room. It has a slatted roof that I can open and close as appropriate so can keep dry when it's raining and have shade when it's really hot. It's absolutely brilliant and has been money really well spent. It also has lighting and a heater and sides you can pull down. It's a lovely natural cream/latte colour and really does look attractive. I definitely recommend getting one. Only trouble with this type is that you can't grow stuff all over the top as it would interfere with the slats, but it is really flexible and I like being able to have the slats open when the shade isn't needed so everything isn't too dark. I got mine from Harbour Lifestyle.

We have one we built ourselves. Looked it up in the internet. We have a wood yard near us and was fairly cheap. We also put decking in. We have two wisterias growing up ours. My husband is in charge of the whippy growth and the says they taunt him🤣

we have had some issues with rain on the cushions below. And now have a complicated series of sails going on to keep the shade and the rain off. Mine isn’t against the house though.

@Tryingtomoveisdrivingmecrazy
Thanks
That's what i have been looking at from loads of suppliers including H/life and that colur.
A lot do not do my length so i go round in circles.

Is yours fitted onto tiles and to the wall, or very near or away from it

Do you know how much space do you leave for the posts or do I buy exact size.

Example If I want 5x3 do I need to have my patio tiles a bit deeper say just over 3 or even 4mtrs for posts overhang and better look or get exact size
Hope i am making sence
Driving me mad.

Sounds nice very cleaver to build it
We are not Handy Andys here.

So what roof have you got that let rains in.

I replied to Tryingtomoveisdrivingmecrazy and ask some questions maybe you could help also.

Do i just buy exact size as my patio or do i need extra space around sides ?
And make it 4 metres deep instead of 3 ( from house to front.)

We have a fixed awning with a removable fabric cover and a vine trained up it. In summer we put the fabric on for shade and to keep rain off the outdoor sofa. The vine is on its third year and already fruiting prolifically. Planning to train it all the way up the awning.
In Autumn we take the cover off when we put the sofa cushions indoors, so we can get lots of light in the house for the winter. The vine gives summer shading but loses leaves in autumn to let light in.
Pics are view right now, and one from winter.

My husband built ours himself. It has a polycarbonate roof and he puts sunsails up for shade in the summer. We are not gardeners so haven't bothered with climbers over it, but my Mum has lovely climbing rose that i bought on hers.

Mine is 3m x 3m and it is fitted as close to the wall as we could get it - the fitters actually trimmed a bit of the post footing so we could get it pretty much against the wall. I would say our patio slabs extend about a foot further than the pergola at the front - aesthetically it looks better I think. I will try and attach a picture of mine so that you can see.

Thank you
I initially said to my builder i want 3m deep.
But hes now saying I told him 4 (where my previous decking came out to ) which i didnt otherwise i wouldnt have spent months looking for that depth.
He said he can do 3m or a bit more if i want but anyways ive thought about it more and I think i should go out a bit further due portion of posts and have a better look.

But my ndigbours one stops at 3mtr but its wood and got polycarbonate roof with a little bit on the sides so if I do 4mtrs orvj7st under and it is like yours it could impact on his light ? I really dont know what im thinking lol
So your photo is good to see
Thank you so much

I would just concentrate on what would look best and work best for you - I can't see it making much difference to the neighbours and as long as you keep within permitted development rules for size/height you are fine.