Oak Pergolas

Usually not. A pergola normally counts as permitted development because it is an open structure with no roof or walls. The main rules to watch are height, keep it under 2.5 metres if it sits within 2 metres of a boundary, and location, as listed buildings and conservation areas have extra restrictions. If you are unsure, a quick check with your local planning authority settles it, and we are happy to advise on sizing before you order.

A pergola has an open framework of posts and rafters with no solid roof, so light comes through and climbing plants can grow over it. A gazebo is a fully roofed garden building, usually with a closed top and sometimes sides. If you want dappled shade, planting and a frame that shows off the garden rather than enclosing it, a pergola is the one, and in solid oak it becomes a real feature.

Our solid oak pergola is £1,850, made to order at our Grantham workshop with every post a full 150 x 150 section of oak. The design in the pictures is exactly what we build, and slight variations can be quoted quickly, just message us with what you need. Cheaper softwood pergolas are available on the high street, but they rarely last, and oak costs less over its lifetime than replacing softwood every few years.

Solid oak. It is naturally strong, rich in tannins that resist rot, and it copes with British weather without yearly staining or treatment. Left alone it slowly silvers to a handsome grey, or it can be oiled to keep its golden colour. Softwood pergolas need constant upkeep and still twist and rot in time. We work with oak because it simply outlasts everything else in the garden.

Ours arrive made to order from our Lincolnshire workshop, with the joints cut so the frame goes together properly on site rather than being improvised from scratch. We recommend installation by a tradesman so the posts are set straight and solid, and we can provide an installation price if you would like it handled for you. Message us before you order and we will talk through what your garden needs.

Our standard oak pergola is freestanding, as seen in the pictures, but slight variations are no problem at all. If you are after a lean-to style fixed to the house wall, message us with your measurements and a photo and we will quote for the alteration. Fixing to a wall does need doing properly, so we would always recommend a tradesman handles the installation.

A pergola is designed to stay open, that is what makes it a pergola rather than a gazebo, and the open rafters are what climbing plants love. That said, our pergolas are made to order and slight variations can be made, so if you are thinking about closer rafter spacing for more shade, message us and we will advise what works. An open oak frame also avoids most planning permission questions that a roofed structure can raise.

A pergola frames part of the garden, a seating area, a path or a patio, and gives climbing plants something beautiful to grow over. It provides dappled shade in summer without blocking light the rest of the year, and it adds height and structure to a flat garden. In solid oak it also becomes a permanent feature that gains character as it weathers.

We think so, and not just because we make them. A softwood pergola from a shed retailer often needs replacing within a few years, while a solid oak frame with 150 x 150 posts will stand for decades with no yearly treatment. At £1,850 made to order, the cost spread over the life of the frame is small, and a handsome oak structure lifts the whole garden in a way flat-pack timber never quite does.

In oak, decades. Oak has been used for outdoor structures in Britain for centuries because it is dense, high in tannin and naturally resistant to rot. It needs no staining or treating, left alone it simply weathers to a soft silver grey. We have been crafting oak joinery in Lincolnshire since 2013 and build every pergola to outlast the plants growing up it.

As a rule of thumb, posts are set around 600mm into the ground in concrete, deeper on soft ground, so the frame stands rigid in wind. Because our posts are a full 150 x 150 section of solid oak, a properly set frame is extremely stable. This is one of the reasons we recommend installation by a tradesman, and we can provide an installation price if you would like us to arrange it.

Classics like wisteria, honeysuckle, climbing roses, clematis and grape vines all love a pergola, and an oak frame is strong enough to carry mature wisteria, which gets surprisingly heavy. Because oak needs no yearly staining, you can let plants establish permanently without ever needing to strip them back for maintenance. That is a real advantage over softwood, which needs regular treating.