Build

How to tell whether your patio can take a pergola's bolts, and what to do if it cannot.

Patio slab, concrete pads or ground screws: what a pergola stands on, how it is anchored, and what to ask the maker.

Fixing or standing a pergola on an existing deck. Why the frame under the boards matters more than the boards, and when to call in a competent installer.

How to read a maker's wind and snow rating, why the conditions matter, opening louvres, anchoring, and exposed UK gardens.

Where rain goes on a louvred or fixed pergola roof, how the gutter and posts carry it away, and why the outlet still needs somewhere to go.

How to spot rot at the base of a timber pergola post, when a carpenter or a replacement post is the honest answer, and why paint is not a repair.

Keeping a timber pergola kit sound in a UK climate: treatment, post bases, fixings, plants and annual checks.