Mid Sussex · 6 min read
Luxury Pergolas and All-Season Outdoor Living in Mid Sussex
The pergola is what turns a terrace you use six weeks a year into a room you use eight months a year. Here is how to specify one properly.
The English climate does not reward optimism. A beautiful terrace with no cover is a terrace you use when the forecast agrees with you. A well-designed pergola removes the forecast from the decision, and that single change is what most clients say transformed how they use the garden.
Louvred aluminium
- Rotating blades close to a waterproof roof and open for full sun.
- Integrated LED lighting, heaters, side screens and rain sensors.
- Slim structural sections and a contemporary line - excellent against modern extensions.
- Effectively maintenance free.
Hand-cut timber
Green oak and sweet chestnut age into a garden in a way aluminium never will. Timber suits period Sussex properties, walled gardens and anywhere planting will be trained over the structure. It is not waterproof unless you add a roof, but paired with climbers it delivers shade, scent and structure through the year.
Getting the proportions right
Most pergolas are built too small. Measure the table, add a metre of chair pull-back on every side, then check the post positions do not land where somebody sits. Height matters too - a low pergola feels oppressive against a two-storey house; the structure should relate to the eaves line, not the door head.
The details that make it a room
- Lighting on a dimmer, not a floodlight.
- Heating positioned to warm people, not the roof.
- Side screens or planting on the prevailing wind side.
- A floor that drains and does not go green in November.
