Teesside pergola FAQs

Timber from around £1,500 installed, aluminium £2,500 to £6,000, and louvered roof systems £4,000 to £10,000. A typical 3 by 3 metre aluminium pergola lands near £3,500 supplied and fitted.

Yes. The garden gets measured, the price comes back in writing with the structure and fixings spelled out, and you take as long as you like over it. No charge and no pressure.

Nearly always because it is specifying less: a lighter frame, no stated wind rating, legs clipped to paving instead of fixed to concrete, or the electrics left out. Compare those lines rather than the totals.

A materials deposit is normal because the structure is ordered in for your job. Handing over most of the total before anything arrives on site is not. Stage payments against progress suit both sides.

It should be itemised. Concrete footings, lifting and relaying patio slabs where posts land, and making good afterwards are real work, so a quote that never mentions them is a quote worth querying.

Aluminium costs more, needs almost no maintenance and suits modern houses. Timber costs less, asks for a coat of stain every few years and suits older properties and planted gardens. The comparison guide sets both sides out in full.

On an exposed or coastal garden, look for a tested rating of 100 kilometres per hour or better, with fixings to match. A rated frame clipped to loose patio slabs is not a rated structure.

A good one is. The blades interlock on edge seals and the water runs into gutters hidden in the frame, then down a leg. Persistent drips usually mean uncalibrated blades or a frame installed out of square.

Quality aluminium systems carry manufacturer guarantees of five to ten years on the frame and coating. The installation itself should carry a separate workmanship guarantee, stated in the quote.

A straightforward aluminium or timber pergola is usually one to two days. Louvered roof systems with electrics run two to three days, and new groundwork adds to that.

Usually, if the patio is sound. Posts can be fixed through to concrete pads beneath, or engineered plates used on a solid base. A tired patio on a poor base is worth sorting first, because the structure is only as good as what it stands on.

Yes, but the posts should land on the deck's structural frame or on footings beneath it, not on the deck boards. The fixing detail belongs in the quote.

A qualified electrician, with the work certified. Outdoor circuits need proper protection and rated fittings, and that should be included in the quote rather than left for you to arrange.

Usually not. Up to 2.5 metres high within 2 metres of a boundary, or up to 4 metres elsewhere, a pergola normally falls within permitted development. Listed properties, flats and some estates carry extra conditions.

A solid roof placed against the house will shade the windows it sits over. Louvred roofs opened during the day give most of the light back, which is one of the strongest arguments for them on a south or west wall.

Aluminium: a wash once or twice a year and a check that fixings stay tight. Timber: a fresh coat of stain or oil every two to three years. Louvred roofs: gutters cleared of leaves each autumn.

With sides and heating, yes. Screens stop the wind, infra-red heaters take the chill off, and a louvered roof keeps the rain out. Without them, a Teesside pergola is realistically an April to October space.