See Your Pergolas & Patios Design
Looks Before you build

Open Rafter Timber Pergola

The original and still the most common pergola: posts, beams and evenly spaced rafters over a paved patio, sized to cover the dining setting plus 600mm all round. The cheapest way to give a flat backyard vertical structure.

Materials & finish

Treated pine, hardwood or cedar with galvanised post anchors set in concrete. Oil every two years for colour, or let it silver naturally.

Shade & weather result

Dappled shade only, roughly 40 to 50 percent cover depending on rafter spacing. No rain protection, so it suits a dining area you use in fine weather.

Architecture & character

Rhythm. The repeating shadow lines across paving are the whole point, and they make a plain courtyard look designed for very little money.

Louvred Opening Roof Pergola

Motorised or crank operated blades rotate from fully open to fully closed, so one structure gives sun in winter, shade in summer and cover in rain. The most flexible pergola available and the one people regret not buying.

Materials & finish

Extruded powder coated aluminium blades and frame with concealed gutters, rain sensors and integrated lighting. Effectively maintenance free.

Shade & weather result

Anything from full sun to sealed weatherproof cover, adjustable within seconds. Closed blades also stop wind driven rain reaching cushions.

Architecture & character

Sharp, modern and architectural. Slim posts and long spans read as an extension of a contemporary house rather than an add on.

Attached Insulated Panel Patio

A solid insulated sandwich panel roof attached to the house, with a flat ceiling ready for downlights, fans and speakers. This is the structure that turns an alfresco area into a genuine second living room.

Materials & finish

Colourbond skinned insulated panel on steel beams, with box gutters plumbed into the house stormwater and a lined ceiling.

Shade & weather result

Complete shade and full rain cover, and the insulation core keeps the space many degrees cooler than plain steel sheeting in summer.

Architecture & character

Reads as part of the house. Match the roof pitch and fascia and the extension looks original rather than bolted on.

Freestanding Hip Roof Gazebo

A roofed garden building set out in the lawn, away from the house, for a lounge setting, a spa or a quiet reading corner. It gives a destination at the end of the garden and a reason to walk there.

Materials & finish

Hardwood posts and braces with shingle, tile or Colourbond hip roof, on a raised timber or paved platform.

Shade & weather result

Full shade and rain cover under a solid roof, with open sides for breeze. Add drop blinds on the weather side for winter use.

Architecture & character

Classic and romantic. A hip or gable roof and decorative bracing read as a pavilion, and the structure becomes the focal point the garden is designed around.

Tensioned Shade Sail Structure

Overlapping triangular sails on steel posts cover large areas — a play space, a pool deck, a carport — for a fraction of the cost of a roof, and can be dropped in winter to let sun back in.

Materials & finish

UV stabilised knitted HDPE or waterproof PVC on stainless turnbuckles and galvanised posts footed in substantial concrete.

Shade & weather result

Up to 95 percent UV block with knitted fabric while still letting heat escape. Standard sails shed light rain only; PVC sails are waterproof but need more fall.

Architecture & character

Sculptural and light. Twisted hypar shapes throw curved shadows and give a resort feel with no visual bulk at all.

Steel Frame Polycarbonate Pergola

A steel frame with translucent polycarbonate sheeting keeps rain off while letting daylight through, so the rooms behind the patio do not go dark. The practical choice for a south facing or narrow courtyard.

Materials & finish

Powder coated steel or aluminium frame with multiwall or corrugated polycarbonate, sealed with proper profile closures and gutters.

Shade & weather result

Full rain cover with filtered light. Choose a heat reducing tint, because clear sheeting over paving can create a glasshouse effect in summer.

Architecture & character

Industrial and bright. Slim black steel with a glowing roof looks contemporary and keeps a small courtyard feeling open rather than roofed in.

Vine Covered Arbour Walkway

A long run of posts and beams over a path, planted with wisteria, ornamental grape or roses, so you walk through shade rather than sit under it. The oldest garden structure there is and still the most atmospheric.

Materials & finish

Timber posts or rendered piers with light rafters and stainless wire training lines, over gravel, stone or lawn paving.

Shade & weather result

Heavy summer shade from a deciduous canopy that drops in autumn to let winter sun onto the path — the best passive shading strategy in any garden.

Architecture & character

Scent, dappled light and perspective. An arbour compresses the view and pulls the eye down the garden, making a small block feel far longer.

Poolside Cabana Pergola

A freestanding roofed cabana with daybeds and curtains at the deep end of the pool, giving swimmers shade, towel storage and somewhere to lie down that is not baking in the sun.

Materials & finish

Hardwood or aluminium frame with a solid or slatted roof, outdoor rated curtain track and marine grade cushion fabrics.

Shade & weather result

Full overhead shade with curtains to cut low afternoon glare, which a roof alone can never fix on a west facing pool.

Architecture & character

Pure resort. A cabana signals holiday more strongly than any other single backyard structure and gives the pool a designed focal point.

Balinese Thatch Tiki Pergola

Heavy timber posts under an alang alang thatch or synthetic thatch roof beside the pool, for a tropical bar, lounge or spa shelter. Best with lush planting that finishes the illusion.

Materials & finish

Recycled hardwood or merbau posts, exposed rafters and natural or synthetic thatch. Synthetic thatch lasts 20 years; natural needs replacing in eight to ten.

Shade & weather result

Deep, cool shade — thatch insulates better than metal — with good air movement through the open sides and light rain protection.

Architecture & character

Textural and holiday driven. The thick roof edge and rough timber make a suburban pool feel like a Seminyak villa.

Mediterranean Stone Column Pergola

Rendered or stone clad columns carrying heavy stained beams and grapevines over a courtyard dining table, usually paired with a wood fired oven and a stone bench.

Materials & finish

Rendered blockwork or stone piers with oversized stained hardwood beams, over terracotta, travertine or cobble paving.

Shade & weather result

Dappled to heavy shade once the vine matures, with winter sun once the leaves drop. Grapes give shade and fruit from the same plant.

Architecture & character

Mass and permanence. Wide columns read as architecture, and they make a new house feel like it has always been there.

Retractable Canopy Pergola

A motorised fabric canopy that slides along tracks between beams, so a terrace can be open one hour and covered the next. Cheaper than louvres with a softer look.

Materials & finish

Aluminium frame with solution dyed acrylic or PVC canopy fabric on a motorised carriage, with wind sensors that retract automatically.

Shade & weather result

Full shade when extended and full sun when stacked back. Waterproof fabrics with adequate fall handle rain; mesh fabrics do not.

Architecture & character

Soft and hotel like. The gentle folds of the canopy relieve the hard geometry of a rendered modern house.

Pergola Over an Outdoor Kitchen

A structure built specifically to shelter a BBQ, benchtop, sink and bar seating, so cooking outdoors works in any weather and appliances are not exposed to rain and sun.

Materials & finish

Solid roof over a steel or heavy timber frame, with a lined ceiling, task lighting, an extraction hood over the grill and stone benchtops.

Shade & weather result

Full cover is essential — stainless steel, fridges and cabinetry all fail quickly under UV and rain, and cooks need shade at 6pm in summer.

Architecture & character

Social gravity. Once the kitchen and bar seating are under cover, the backyard becomes where everyone stands at every gathering.

Curved Arch Pergola

Curved rafters forming a barrel vault over a seating circle or a firepit, used where a flat roof would feel heavy and where the structure needs to feel deliberate and custom.

Materials & finish

Roll formed aluminium or steel arches with polycarbonate or laminated glass sheeting, and slim tapered columns.

Shade & weather result

Full rain cover with high light transmission, and the arch shape sheds water fast and resists wind uplift better than a flat plane.

Architecture & character

Elegance through geometry. A curve immediately reads as designed rather than assembled from a kit, and it draws the eye upward.

Rooftop Screened Pergola

A rooftop or podium deck pergola with vertical batten screens and planters, giving shade, wind shelter and privacy from neighbouring buildings all in one structure.

Materials & finish

Lightweight aluminium frame with timber look batten screens and self watering planter boxes, ballasted or fixed to structural points.

Shade & weather result

Overhead shade plus critical side screening, since rooftop sun comes in low from the west and wind is the real problem at height.

Architecture & character

Urban and warm. Vertical battens against a skyline give a hard rooftop the feeling of a room with walls.

Pergola Outdoor Room with Fireplace

A fully roofed structure with a masonry fireplace, sofas, a rug and a ceiling fan — an outdoor living room used year round, which is the highest value structure you can build in a backyard.

Materials & finish

Timber lined ceiling on heavy posts, stone or brick fireplace with a flue above the roofline, and outdoor rated upholstery and rugs.

Shade & weather result

Full weather protection, with the fireplace extending use into winter and drop blinds sealing the cold side on the worst nights.

Architecture & character

The strongest focal point in a garden. A lit fire under a timber ceiling gives a backyard the atmosphere of a lodge.

Solar Panel Eco Pergola

A pergola roofed in solar panels or bifacial solar glass, generating power for the pool pump and house while shading the terrace. It makes shade pay for itself.

Materials & finish

Black anodised aluminium frame engineered for panel loads, with waterproof panel gutters, inverters and cabling concealed in the posts.

Shade & weather result

Deep shade under standard panels, or filtered light with bifacial glass, plus full rain cover when the panel joins are sealed.

Architecture & character

Precise and technical. The dark grid of panels overhead reads as a deliberate modern statement rather than as equipment.

Size and height set everything

Cover the furniture plus 600mm on every side, so a ten seat table needs a structure about 5m x 4m, and a modular lounge about 4m x 4m. Keep a 2.4m clear underside as the minimum and aim for 2.7 to 3m, which feels generous and lets hot air escape rather than trapping it over the table. Post size drives the look as much as the roof: 90mm posts read light and domestic, while 150 to 200mm posts read architectural and substantial.

Orientation and roof choice decide comfort

Run rafters or louvres north to south to block high midday sun, then deal with afternoon glare separately with a western screen, blind or curtain, because no overhead roof stops low sun. Open rafters give dappled shade at the lowest cost, louvred roofs give total control, insulated panel and polycarbonate give full rain cover, and shade sails give the most area for the least money. Match the roof to when you use the space, not to a photograph.

Materials, finish and long term upkeep

Hardwood and cedar age beautifully but want oiling every two years to hold their colour, and galvanised post anchors keep the ends out of wet ground. Powder coated steel and aluminium give thinner posts, longer spans and almost no maintenance, which matters on coastal sites. Rendered masonry or stone clad columns cost more but bring mass and permanence, and they are what make a new structure look like it has always belonged to the house.

Planting a pergola for living shade

Deciduous climbers such as wisteria and ornamental grape are the smartest shading strategy in any garden: heavy canopy through summer, bare rafters letting winter sun onto the paving. Evergreen star jasmine gives year round cover and scent where you want privacy instead. Train everything on stainless wires, keep growth off structural joints, and never let a vine into a roof cavity or gutter where it will cause real damage.

Character, focal point and approvals

A pergola is usually the tallest built element in a backyard, so treat it as the focal point the rest of the garden is designed around: put it on an axis from the main living room, light the ceiling rather than the ground, and let paving, planting and furniture all point to it. Before building, check approvals — many councils exempt small freestanding pergolas but regulate anything attached to the house, over a set area, or close to a boundary.