Gazebos/pergolas/awnings... knowledge me up, please
Discussion
The wife (joking) says I'm having patio envy, but after a couple of recent trips to friends' houses I've realised that a roofed structure of some sort over our garden furniture would make it much more useable when the weather is less than perfect (we live in Wales, btw...) and after taking the mick, SWMBO actually agrees a bit.
She says she was thinking about having an awning/sail mounted to the house... I'm not sure where she's fixing the outside edges to in her head, but anyway, that sort of thing would need to be put up-and-downable very easily due to the changeable weather we get. Maybe something that extends from the wall? Our house is not the easiest to mount stuff to as it's stone - bits are either (literally) rock hard, or quite soft old mortar which doesn't take loads well.
I was thinking something more stand-alone and semi- or completely permanent, but there are a frankly bewildering array of choices available, at all price points from about £80 upwards well into the thousands... I'm also leaning towards a polycarb roof to give a little sun/rain protection, without being super dark under it... but I may be overthinking.
Keeping things at maybe a grand would see an easy pass for the purse strings; over 2 grand likely to be rejected by SWMBO.
The area we use is just over 3m wide, and could extend up to 7m from the house, although a 3x3 near the middle of that would likely be sufficient.
So I'd appreciate any comments and experiences on any of the above - what to avoid at all costs, at the very least - and how things like the louvred rooves, curtain walls etc and so on work out in the real world.
She says she was thinking about having an awning/sail mounted to the house... I'm not sure where she's fixing the outside edges to in her head, but anyway, that sort of thing would need to be put up-and-downable very easily due to the changeable weather we get. Maybe something that extends from the wall? Our house is not the easiest to mount stuff to as it's stone - bits are either (literally) rock hard, or quite soft old mortar which doesn't take loads well.
I was thinking something more stand-alone and semi- or completely permanent, but there are a frankly bewildering array of choices available, at all price points from about £80 upwards well into the thousands... I'm also leaning towards a polycarb roof to give a little sun/rain protection, without being super dark under it... but I may be overthinking.
Keeping things at maybe a grand would see an easy pass for the purse strings; over 2 grand likely to be rejected by SWMBO.
The area we use is just over 3m wide, and could extend up to 7m from the house, although a 3x3 near the middle of that would likely be sufficient.
So I'd appreciate any comments and experiences on any of the above - what to avoid at all costs, at the very least - and how things like the louvred rooves, curtain walls etc and so on work out in the real world.
We bought an electrically operated awning from Primrose. It seemed pretty cheap for what it was (about £500 I recall). We primarily use it to keep the sun off the patio and reduce solar gain in the house during hot weather, but it does provide some weather protection. Doesn’t like strong winds though.
For ideas Ai is really useful. We’re thinking about something similar, I really wasn’t sure how a Pergola would look stuck on the back side of the house extending out from the sliding doors in the kitchen. But actually, Ai shows it wouldn’t half as bad as I feared……..£££££ is a separate issue 
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.this is my username said:
We bought an electrically operated awning from Primrose. It seemed pretty cheap for what it was (about £500 I recall). We primarily use it to keep the sun off the patio and reduce solar gain in the house during hot weather, but it does provide some weather protection. Doesn t like strong winds though.
I saw those earlier, quite like the idea of the 4m extending one, and easy enough to tuck it back away.On an old stone house, something a bit more rustic out of chunky timber would probably look more fitting?
If you can, position it so that you can access it directly from the house and make it permanent - you'll get so much more use out of it if the furniture stays dry and clean all the time and you can get out there without getting wet.
We built a covered porch a few years back and we spend more time out there than we do in the living room, even up here in Aberdeenshire.
If you can, position it so that you can access it directly from the house and make it permanent - you'll get so much more use out of it if the furniture stays dry and clean all the time and you can get out there without getting wet.
We built a covered porch a few years back and we spend more time out there than we do in the living room, even up here in Aberdeenshire.
Hurcules Gazibos are excellent. We’ve had one for years, up for around 6-8 months. Usually get a new canopy every year. Ours is 4m x 3m
Handy as you can get all the spares if you do break it (ours has been fine in virtually storm conditions.
If I brought again, I would pay extra for the aluminium version - lighter and won’t rust.
Handy as you can get all the spares if you do break it (ours has been fine in virtually storm conditions.
If I brought again, I would pay extra for the aluminium version - lighter and won’t rust.
Polycarb roof would be an absolute pain to keep clean! With a slight price creep you can get this..................
Watertight, dead easy to open/close the slatted roof (and of course practical) includes a 3kw heater and some cool 'council' lighting
You could add their sliding screens at a later date.
I and a few others on PH have one and love it - many others have similar by other companies but from what I've seen they are all made from fairly generic parts.
https://hyggepergola.co.uk/product/hygge-aluminium...
PS their 3m x 3m is just under £2k
Watertight, dead easy to open/close the slatted roof (and of course practical) includes a 3kw heater and some cool 'council' lighting
You could add their sliding screens at a later date.
I and a few others on PH have one and love it - many others have similar by other companies but from what I've seen they are all made from fairly generic parts.
https://hyggepergola.co.uk/product/hygge-aluminium...
PS their 3m x 3m is just under £2k
Some sort of covered outdoor space is great to have.
Both to keep you and your stuff out of the rain, and to provide some shade.
A 3m wide structure isn't much shelter if the sides are open, if the sun or rain are coming at an angle.
Awning to keep the sun off patio doors is great, but wind can be a problem.
We do get sunny, windy days when our electric awning would decide to retract itself.
As well as being prime space for eating outdoors etc, covered space outside is very useful for drying things, doing odd jobs like working on pushbikes which can be awkward when your garage is full of tat.
It also reduces the exposure of plants under there to frost and some plants will grow well if the roof is not too opaque or they get enough light from the sides.
If you're using it as a multi-purpose space, you maybe don't want it bang outside the lounge window.
Both to keep you and your stuff out of the rain, and to provide some shade.
A 3m wide structure isn't much shelter if the sides are open, if the sun or rain are coming at an angle.
Awning to keep the sun off patio doors is great, but wind can be a problem.
We do get sunny, windy days when our electric awning would decide to retract itself.
As well as being prime space for eating outdoors etc, covered space outside is very useful for drying things, doing odd jobs like working on pushbikes which can be awkward when your garage is full of tat.
It also reduces the exposure of plants under there to frost and some plants will grow well if the roof is not too opaque or they get enough light from the sides.
If you're using it as a multi-purpose space, you maybe don't want it bang outside the lounge window.
Threw this up about 5 years ago for just over £700. I guess materials will cost a bit more right now. Easy to build and has made it through some storms without issue. We live on a hill with open countryside all around so the wind can have its moments. Its 3.6m square. We still find the need for side screens when the sun is low. It creates much needed shade in summer and shelter from the rain if needed.
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