Pergolas & Gazebos…

The perfect cover and surround

A pergola or gazebo is a great way to add dappled shade to a particular part of your garden. Often they are perfect in a seating, dining/entertaining area.  They provide the ideal framework to grow climbing plants that provide colour and scent. You can also use the structure to augment shade during hot summers and add hanging baskets, bird feeders, wind chimbs, flycatchers, or anything else you desire.   A pergola or gazebo will often be used to ‘frame’ part of your garden and break up the vertical space to make the whole thing more appealing.  It’s also a great structure to transition between your open garden and your property.

We have been building pergolas and gazebos for over 25 years.  We use high-quality C24-treated timber for the main posts set in concrete foundations with main beams and rafters set overhead.

Items to think about:

• When it comes to pergolas and gazebos, you have lots of choices regarding finish and colour. Stained weatherproofed wood or painted to match your garden colour scheme. There are some very durable outdoor wood paints now available. Exterior garden paint requires proper application and we have it covered with decent primer and the right brand of paint to last.
• As with any wooden structure, there are considerations on what you can/should hang. If you have a massive swing seat, then we will need to advise on the best methods, although that kind of seat ideally needs a separate A-frame otherwise you could damage the wooden structure. Similar consideration should be given to hammocks and hammock fixings. Adding two separate sturdy pieces of wide-diameter green oak would be a recommended way to secure something like a hammock so its movement doesn’t damage your pergola/gazebo. If you simply want to hang baskets and grow beautiful climbing plants, then we can advise on trellis, fixings, and planting.
• Pergolas and Gazebos are perfect for lighting too.  You can keep it simple with string lights plugged into a properly rated exterior socket or have impressive brushed chrome or matt black down-lighters on your support posts to add ambience to the whole area.

Pergola/Gazebo maintenance…
The surface of any wood will slowly deteriorate over a long period of time, even when properly treated. Sun, wind, and rain take their toll. However, with our trusted methods of treatment/staining or painting, your pergola/gazebo should last a very long time. Note that fading is a natural phenomenon with any outside treated surface. But you will find that colour change is very gradual, and will only enhance the blend between structure and garden/plants.