With the increase of outdoor living in the UK, and globally, lean to pergolas have become an essential consideration and dream for every garden and homeowner!
Pergolas are great affordable projects as they can be built to suit a wide range of budgets and can be used in so many ways. Popular pergola uses include hot tub pergola roofs, patio pergola roofs and decking pergola roofs.
However, there a lot of factors to consider when installing a pergola so here are the top 7 things to consider when building a lean to pergola with a roof.
Top 7 things to consider when building a Lean To Pergola
1. Are you creating a flat roof pergola or a pitched roof pergola?
When thinking of the pitch, or slope, of a pergola most people tend to envision either flat or a medium pitch, however, every pergola most have a slight pitch to allow for water drainage. Pergolas can actually be created to any angle; however, the pergola style tends to be low pitch roof and a minimum 5 degree pitch is considered to be normal best practise
Did you know that the steeper the slope of your pergola the more self cleaning it will naturally be? The steeper the pitch the better the rain and water run off will be which in turn cleans your roof better and reduces the chance of direct/leaves settling on top
Slope roof pergolas or slanted roof pergolas are 10 degrees plus which creates a distinctive silhouette and can be great in complementing the angle on your house. This means pitched roof pergolas tend to be popular for lean to pergolas that are against a house wall or on a back door patio.
In comparison, flat roof pergolas are between 5 to 10 degrees so are the typical choice when you are creating a freestanding pergola in your garden. This is because the flatter slope can look more natural on top of a decking or patio area and be a more subtle natural shape in your garden!
2. Is it a timber pergola or self supporting Pergola?
The next key question to address is what your structure is going to be made of and there are two options here; wooden or aluminium.
Timber Pergola
Self Supporting aluminium Pergola
3. What colour of glazing bars will be used?
When building a pergola with roof and sides there are three colour options, which are White, Brown and any Bespoke RAL colour.
4. What roof glazing type will be used?
There are three main glazing options for Pergolas which are Axiome® Multiwall Polycarbonate Sheets, Axgard® Solid Glazing Sheets or Glass. With each there are pros and cons, for example, a pergola glass roof can be quite expensive so we have created a handy guide below to help!
Lean To Pergola Roof Glazing Guide
| Roof Sheet / Glazing Type | Glazing Colour Options | Compatible Glazing Bar Options | Pros & Cons |
| Axiome Multiwall Polycarbonate Sheets |
Clear Opal Bronze |
⭐⭐⭐- Snapa Snap Fix Glazing Bar ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Alukap-XR Rafter Glazing Bar |
Pro: Most Cost Effective Con: Not as visually Clear as Axgard |
| Axgard Solid Glazing Sheets |
Clear Opal Bronze Patterned |
⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Alukap-XR Rafter Glazing Bar |
Pro: Virtually unbreakable, shatterproof High clarity and light transmission Wide range of colours |
| Glass | Clear |
⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Alukap-XR Rafter Glazing Bar |
Pro: Unrivalled Clarity Con: Quite Costly Limited colour options Shatter Risk |
What glazing bars are used for glass?
The best glass glazing bars are our Alukap-XR and Alukap-SS glazing bar ranges. These glazing bars for glass have designed specifically for use with glass with strong seals and a full top caps to maximise your roof lifespan.
5. What Roof Glazing Colour?
In essence the colour of the sheets that your use on your lean to pergola roof are determined on the type of glazing you go for. However, with Axiome Multiwall Polycarbonate Sheets and Axgard Solid Glazing Sheets there are three main colour options that you can have on your pergola
- Clear Pergola Roof (most popular) - High light transmission and maximum sunshine!
- Opal Pergola Roof - Reduces heat build-up, nice cool glow, and bright overall appearance
- Bronze Pergola Roof - Reduces Sun Glare, retains heat and nice aesthetic when creating a wooden pergola
An alternative glazing option when creating pergola with a polycarbonate roof is our Axgard® Patterned Sheets which have a high light transmission but create privacy and a glass like effect.
6. A pergola with roof and sides or without sides?
With sides or without? It's personal opinion on this but the majority say with! Bamboo or slatted sides are an option top add some style to a pitched or flat roof pergola. However, when you are building a pergola with a roof and sides the best option is to use our Alukap-XR Glazing Bars to simply clamp Axgard sheets vertically to the sides of your pergola. This is easily done and adds an extra level of waterproofing and security.
We found by cladding the side of a pergola with Axgard sheets on two sides it massively reduced gusts and was a great windbreak! What's more the Axgard patterned or tinted options provide privacy for your outdoor living area!
7. What base/flooring to use under my Lean To Pergola?
There are three options for flooring options below your pergola, which are decking, outdoor ceramic tiles and slabs.
Slabs are very durable and functional but carry a more rugged and basic look compared to ceramic Tiles. Outdoor ceramic tiles are growing in popularity due to the range of styles ang colours available now so prove popular for Hot Tub Pergolas and dining areas pergolas.
A favourite for all pergolas, whether a patio pergola roof or flat roof pergola, is using decking. Decking is super easy to install especially our Alupave® Aluminium decking which simply locks together and does all the hard work of protecting the sub frame and drainage for you!
In summary, pergolas are not only an affordable additional to your garden but are easy to install and stylise. Simply follow the Top 7 Key Pergola point for cover the main project points!
Have any other questions about how to build a pergola with a polycarbonate or glass roof? Simply Live Chat to our team below!
Other Common Lean to Pergola Questions
Here is a summary of some other Pergola questions DIYers also often have:
How to cover a louvered roof pergola?
A Pergola with a louvre roof, or sometimes called a slatted roof pergola, can look great, however, with a with a bit of British Weather can limit your pergolas roof massively! Best to make sure your pergola is usable in rain, hail or shine with a full waterproof roof to get maximum usability at all times of year!
What do I use on a solid roof pergola?
To best roof a solid roof pergola you would use either our Awnapol Premium Bitumen Roof Sheets or our Corrapol-BT Bitumen Roof Sheets. Colour options include Black, Green, Brown and Red, with Black and green being the most used!
How to create a Rooflight or Clear panel in a Solid Roof Pergola?
If you are building a solid roof pergola then save it being shady or dark you are best to create a rooflight or clear vision panel in one part of the roof to bring in the light. The easiest way to do this is with our Alukap-XR Glazing bars and either Axgard or Axiome Polycarbonate Sheets.
What glazing bars do i use for a pergola with a glass roof?
When creating a pergola glass roof you can our use Alukap glazing Bar Ranges
If it’s a wooden pergola with glass roof that you are building then Alukap-XR Glazing Bars will suit or self supporting then our Alukap-SS is the range for you!
Remember the Pergola glass roof effect can also be created using Axgard Glazing Panels which are virtually unbreakable, more cost effective and easy to install.
What lean to pergola with pvc corrugated roof?
Creating a lean to pergola with a pvc roof and using Corrapol® corrugated sheets requires a different structure and set up to a standard pergola. Simply visit our Corrapol® Installation Guides here to see how this is done.
2 comments
Anonymous
Great questions Tim, thank you!
There are two main options when choosing a wind break for a Lean To Pergola Roof: Multiwall Polycarbonate or Solid Polycarbonate. Solid Glazing sheets, like Axgard, are one of the best options as they are very robust and there are different tint options for different styles. Axgard 5mm or 6mm is our most popular thickness for this kind of application.
Then there is our Axiome Multiwall Polycarbonate which is a more budget option but visually doesn’t look as quality. If using multiwall polycarbonate as a wind break we would suggest a minimum of 16mm thick. How much support you have is also a key factor as with the right amount of support you would also use a clear corrugated plastic sheet like the Corrapol Stormproof.
This all depends on how windy your location is so bear in mind site specifics when deciding!
Please find links below to these products:
https://clearambershop.com/collections/axiome-multiwall-polycarbonate-roofing-sheets
https://clearambershop.com/collections/axgard-virtually-unbreakable-glazing-sheets
Tim
What’s the best wind break solution for strong winds