Pergolas and Furniture

[Mirinjawbro]

Hello all

For once with luck the garden area is finished and now we are looking at a new pergola and sofa set

3 x 4m pergola

Sofa set maybe with a fire bit in the middle

I assume sales will be coming soon

what would everyone recommend?

Some are 300. Some 3000. Why?

It gets windy here so need protection aswell

Thanks

[595Heaven]

We went with Bramblecrest stuff for our patio.

Ours is a Portofino with the firepit table and two benches so we can comfortably seat 8 people round it if needed.



Very nicely made and the firepit is a lovely thing to finish an evening around - chucks out pretty good heat and is great to watch.

Looks like it is now called 'Geneva' and has a different cover for the gas bottle. https://www.bramblecrest.com/garden-furniture/alum...

Unless you've got some dry storage already, you will need to budget for a cushion storage box as well - this is the one we bought https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

We didn't bother with a pergola, but they can look really good.

Edited by 595Heaven on Thursday 20th August 08:50

[Ranger 6]

Mirinjawbro said:

....Some are 300. Some 3000. Why?

Simply - build quality.

We changed ours last year. The original set was very good, lasted well and we were able to sell it on. The key thing was that is had been a 'budget' set and if it had been rained on, would've soaked it up like a sponge and require careful drying.

Careful care and cushion storage when not in use meant that it didn't get rained on and wasn't exposed to winter. A bit of a pain in walking backwards and forwards to put all the cushions in the box after a late one, but it paid dividends in the long run.

The new set was bought at the end of the season and as with all these things we increased the budget. Got a second box due to the bigger set and more cushions. The new set has proved to be much better made with materials that are happy to be left out in light rain and barely absorb any water. Recent temperatures has meant we haven't put them away for a couple of months now.

We also bought a metal pergola at the same time and that has kept the worst of the weather off it anyway.

If it helps we bought from www.whitestores.co.uk and by the end of the sale got quite a good discount.

[Freakuk]

We've just bought 2 garden furniture sets..... coffee style table, sofa and chairs and a 6 seater table etc.. probably saved £2-3K across the two.

Sales are already on and we had to buy one from one store and the other from another as neither had both in stock, so you might struggle to find what you want if you are not quick.

Neither of us are fans of rattan so opted for something else, you do get what you pay for IMO.

[Mirinjawbro]

Thanks all

Someone has also mentioned return auctions. Might check them out aswell

[Harpoon]

We purchased a Hartman set last year after seeing their stand at the RHS show at Harlow Carr. Was a end-of-line range which claimed to be discounted. It's this set but with an extra side table:

https://www.gardenfurnitureworld.co.uk/gardenfurni...

We paid £999 direct from Hartman. I was sceptical about buying it but Mrs Harpoon convinced me. I have to say it's been great this summer with it being so warm. I've had a few Sunday afternoon snoozes on it when it's been too hot for doing jobs

Obviously hard to comment on longevity after a year but seems to be doing well. I got a generic cover from Amazon as, IIRC, the official cover was around £100 but the Amazon option was £30ish.

[gangzoom]

595Heaven said:

We didn't bother with a pergola, but they can look really good.

We had a 3x4m pergola put up this summer. It's fantastic, being sitting out in the garden nearly every day, having a roof and shade over your head really does change how you can use the same space/furniture!!

We normally put away all the garden furniture once autumn starts properly but this year I think I'll leave most of the stuff out under the pergola.

I might even get an outdoor heater as there is something just very relaxing about sitting out in garden after a long week at work. The pergola is something we wish we had bought earlier.

[Mirinjawbro]

gangzoom said:

We had a 3x4m pergola put up this summer. It's fantastic, being sitting out in the garden nearly every day, having a roof and shade over your head really does change how you can use the same space/furniture!!

We normally put away all the garden furniture once autumn starts properly but this year I think I'll leave most of the stuff out under the pergola.

I might even get an outdoor heater as there is something just very relaxing about sitting out in garden after a long week at work. The pergola is something we wish we had bought earlier.

[Img]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczMN_OjZxDh8LnKJhsRpKShc8qqyzJ8KJ07XGXV9Xz3s11P-JP4gCZ0l04qQ6QLXiArVjHh32Rj0gplroMgrecDaJT3kw1ZxVwJWoCxAwbTpSoTQZppXBgVV-4IeMPceQXaSZo9vmm0m-E6taiRGxCW7kw=w1080-h1433-s-no-gm?authuser=0[/thumb]

I agree. I like to just sit outside.

The range has a good one in the shop which you can add side blinds etc to.

I assume and hope this will drop in price very soon

[The Gauge]

gangzoom said:

We had a 3x4m pergola put up this summer.

Looks lovely. Can I ask where you purchased from please? Also, did you DIY assemble or did the retailer do this.

[gangzoom]

We got our from BlueDiamond as they were doing an offer that included 4 blinds (which really do help with tracking the sun). However I think they all probably come from the same factory.

For fitting we got the builders who did all the renovation works on the house to put up. It's not easy as it looks as the ground needs to be 100% level and there is little to no adjustments on the pergola it self. The builder got one guy to spend a day preparing the ground, leveling up foot posts, than 2 guys took another day to put up. Cost about £700 in labour to install on top of the pergola cost, the thing is absolutely solid, bolted to the ground and house.

Absolutely zero chance I could have DIYed it, paying a builder means it looks like something that’s a natural extension to the house rather one of my DIY efforts, well worth the cost overall.

Edited by gangzoom on Sunday 23 August 08:36

[covmutley]

Got our furniture from blue diamond, but it's still in boxes. Builder came 2 months late and is still doing our patio and timber pergola! There goes summer....

I went for a height adjustable table (one button) so that it can be in coffee or dining mode. Maybe once we find out how we use the space it will stay in 1 mode mostly, but I think it will be a genuinely useful feature.

[ShortShift811]

595Heaven said:

We went with Bramblecrest stuff for our patio.

Ours is a Portofino with the firepit table and two benches so we can comfortably seat 8 people round it if needed.



Very nicely made and the firepit is a lovely thing to finish an evening around - chucks out pretty good heat and is great to watch.

Looks like it is now called 'Geneva' and has a different cover for the gas bottle. https://www.bramblecrest.com/garden-furniture/alum...

Unless you've got some dry storage already, you will need to budget for a cushion storage box as well - this is the one we bought https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

We didn't bother with a pergola, but they can look really good.

Edited by 595Heaven on Thursday 20th August 08:50

Snap. Ours is the Tuscan I believe. Bought around March time with 20% off RRP I think. Great quality, very happy. Dog optional.

Read lots about how they don t need covering in winter, but we probably will anyway.

Edited by ShortShift811 on Sunday 23 August 12:19

Edited by ShortShift811 on Sunday 23 August 12:32

[SHutchinson]

Hygge pergola. Barker & Stonehouse furniture. Would recommend both.

[gangzoom]

Just come back from a week in Croatia where it was far too hot/humid to sit outside even at 11pm. Loving the cooler weather in the UK at the moment.

Sitting outside in garden, watching the rain with a nice drink is new experience for me thanks to the pergola. Absolutely amazing bit of garden kit, add an outdoor heater and I can see us using it all year round!!!

The side blinds are a must though, in rain they help to control water getting into the furniture under cover, and in sunny day they let you shade according to the sun's position.

[Mr E]

Teak is the answer.

[richhead]

The only pergola that doesnt belong on the council thread is made of wood, maybe with a nice ivy or other climbing plant growing up it.

[Mirinjawbro]

richhead said:

The only pergola that doesnt belong on the council thread is made of wood, maybe with a nice ivy or other climbing plant growing up it.

I prefer the look of wood but having covers etc for the side isn't possible is it ?

[gangzoom]

Mirinjawbro said:

I prefer the look of wood but having covers etc for the side isn't possible is it ?

A couple of friends have wooden ones in their garden, I don't think they use them any where near as much as we are using ours.

The ability to have a roof that opens/closes and side blinds that open/close easily makes the modern aluminium ones so much more useful. I think it comes down to having something that looks nicer like a traditional wooden one, but actually is pretty useless at providing cover/shade or one that doesn't look as nice but actually works and let's you enjoy our door space in a way that's isn't possible with any other shades/covers.

[Russet Grange]

Mr E said:

Teak is the answer.

Seconded.