Pergola and Shade Structure Questions Checklist

Decide whether you mainly want relief from the sun or somewhere that stays usable in rain, and write down which of the two matters more.

Shade and shelter lead to quite different structures, and a design chasing both without a stated priority usually disappoints on each.

Note whether the structure is partly about being overlooked from an upper window nearby, since that changes what the cover has to do.

Overlooking is a common unstated reason for wanting a pergola, and naming it stops a slatted cover being chosen when it may not solve the problem.

Consider whether the structure is really there to give a large open terrace some edges, and record that as an aim in its own right.

A sense of enclosure can be the true objective, in which case planting or screening might achieve it with far fewer questions attached.

Write down whether the structure is meant to carry climbers, and note that a plant-covered structure behaves very differently in wind and rain.

Growing something over a structure changes what the structure has to cope with, so the intention belongs in the brief from the beginning.

What a structure carrying mature planting must be designed to withstand is a matter for a qualified professional to determine.

Consider whether you want shade only in the warm season or a structure that is present in every season, and note how it would look in deep winter.

A bare frame is present through the dullest part of the year, and owners who only pictured it in summer often find it heavier than expected.

Consider putting something temporary in the position for a season, such as a large parasol or a sail, and record what you learn from living with it.

A trial exposes the wind, the shadow and the sense of enclosure in a way that no drawing can, and it can be undone at no consequence.

Watch where existing shadows fall across the terrace from morning to evening, and note the hours at which the spot you care about is actually in shade.

Shade at the hours you use the space is the only shade that counts, and the sun is rarely overhead when a household actually sits down.

Record that the sun sits lower at the ends of the season, and note whether an overhead cover would still shade the table when it does.

A cover that works at midsummer can be useless in early and late season, when low sun comes in under it from the side instead.

Note which side the low sun arrives from at the hours that matter, and consider whether a side panel would do more than a roof.

Low sun is blocked by something vertical, so a stated preference for evening use may change the whole shape of what gets designed.

Consider what the new shadow would fall on beyond the terrace, including lawn, planting, a greenhouse or a vegetable bed.

Structures shade more than the area under them, and the loss of light to a growing area is easy to overlook until it shows in the plants.

Note which rooms look onto the proposed structure and how much daylight they currently receive from that direction.

A structure close to the house reduces light indoors in every season, and this is the effect owners regret most once the weather turns dull.

Consider whether the shadow would fall onto a neighbouring garden or window at any time of day, and note it before a position is fixed.

Whether a structure affects a neighbour in ways that matter locally is to be confirmed with your local authority before designs are progressed.

Ask whether the structure would be attached to the house or stand independently, and record the reasons given for the answer.

Whether and how anything may be fixed to a building is a structural question for a qualified professional to determine on site.

Note what the wall is made of where a structure might be fixed, including any render, cladding, insulation or previous alterations you know about.

The wall build-up governs what is possible, and an owner can usefully record what they know rather than leaving it to be discovered on site.

Record whether any part of the structure would sit above a room, garage, store or basement light well, however small that overlap seems.

Anything standing over habitable or enclosed space is a building matter for qualified professionals, including support and water questions.

Photograph the wall where a structure might meet it, including gutters, downpipes, vents, flues, alarm boxes and any external pipework.

These fix where a structure can and cannot meet a wall, and photographs let a professional rule out positions without a second visit.

Note the windows and doors above and beside the proposed line, and whether any of them would open into or over the structure.

An upstairs window that opens outwards over a new roof is a constraint that only shows up when somebody thinks to look upwards.

Record how close the structure would sit to a boundary and whether any part of it would overhang or need reaching from a neighbour side.

Requirements for structures near a boundary vary, so confirm what applies with your local authority before a position is settled.

Consider whether you would want the structure to be removable later, and raise that with a professional as a question about how it is put together.

A structure designed to come down leaves different traces on a wall and a surface, and stating the preference early can change the approach.

Note what is currently under each proposed post position, including existing paving, a deck, soft ground, a raised bed or made-up ground.

What foundation or fixing each post needs is for a qualified professional to determine from the actual ground conditions on site.

Ask what happens where a post has to pass through paving or decking that is already down, and record the answer before the surface is chosen.

Retrofitting posts through a finished surface is far more disruptive than allowing for them at the outset, and it affects the order of the work.

Write down any drain, cable, pipe or cover you know of near the proposed post positions, and ask how that would be established properly.

Establishing what runs beneath the ground is for a qualified professional and the relevant service providers before anything is excavated.

Mark the post positions on the ground and live with them in place, checking whether any of them lands where a chair, a door or a route needs to be.

Posts tend to land in someone's way once furniture arrives, and marking them out is the simplest test available before anything is committed.

Note any tree whose roots may sit near the proposed bases, including trees standing in a neighbouring plot.

Excavation near trees may be subject to local protections, so confirm with your local authority and a qualified arboricultural professional.

Record whether water stands anywhere near the proposed post positions after heavy rain, and photograph it while the conditions are there to see.

Standing water at a base is exactly the sort of evidence a professional wants, and it is invisible by the time a dry-weather site visit happens.

Decide how much light you want coming through the cover, and describe it in terms of the effect you want rather than by naming a product.

Describing the effect leaves a professional free to suggest options, whereas naming a product too early narrows the conversation prematurely.

Note that an open or slatted structure typically gives shade rather than dependable shelter, and confirm whether you would accept the table being wet after a shower.

Owners frequently expect an open pergola to keep rain off, and correcting that expectation early prevents a disappointment nobody can undo later.

If a solid or fabric cover is wanted, ask where water leaving it would go and what it would land on.

Directing and discharging water from any roof or cover is a drainage matter for a qualified professional to design.

Consider whether an adjustable or retractable cover suits how you use the space, and be honest about whether anyone would operate it each time.

Adjustable covers only help where somebody actually adjusts them, and in practice many are left in one position for entire seasons.

Note how a cover would sound in heavy rain, since some materials make conversation underneath them difficult exactly when you are sheltering.

Noise under a hard cover is rarely mentioned in the showroom and is one of the first things noticed once the structure is in use.

Consider what would collect on top of the cover, and ask how anyone would reach it to clear leaves, moss or debris safely.

Working at height to clean or maintain a structure should be discussed with a qualified professional rather than attempted informally.

Describe how exposed the position is, including whether the plot is open on one side, on a hill, near the coast or funnelled between buildings.

Exposure is site-specific and an owner living there knows it better than anyone visiting once, so the description is genuinely useful evidence.

Note anything wind has already moved or damaged on the plot, such as a fence panel, a parasol, a trampoline or a shed roof.

Past damage is the clearest indicator of how the wind behaves here, and it is far more convincing than a general impression of exposure.

Ask what the structure would have to cope with when snow or standing water sits on the cover, and record the answer without interpreting it.

What loading a structure and its cover must be designed for is entirely a matter for a qualified professional to determine.

Consider whether a fabric cover would need taking down out of season, and who would do that and where it would be stored dry.

Fabric left up through winter is the usual cause of failure, and the storage question decides whether it will actually be taken down.

Note that a structure covered in climbers behaves quite differently in wind from a bare frame, and raise that with whoever designs it.

The effect of mature planting on a structure in wind must be considered by a qualified professional at the design stage.

Record any tree or large limb overhanging the proposed position, and note that this is a question for an arboricultural professional.

The condition of trees and limbs above a structure is for a qualified arboricultural professional to assess, not for an owner to judge.

If planting is intended, ask a professional which climbers suit the aspect and how much cutting back each would need every season.

Vigour is the deciding factor, and a plant chosen for its flowers can turn the structure into an annual pruning commitment nobody agreed to.

Consider how anybody would reach the top of the structure to prune, clean or treat it, and whether that is realistic from a stable footing.

Any work at height should be discussed with a qualified professional, including whether it can be carried out safely at all.

Ask what treatment or recoating each material needs to stay as it looks when new, and what happens if that is never done.

Knowing the appearance of a neglected finish matters, because that is the state most structures reach after a few seasons of ordinary life.

Note whether the structure, its finish or its planting could stain the paving or decking beneath it, and ask what that would look like.

Berries, sap, bird droppings and run-off from a finish can all mark the surface below, and the marks tend to land in the same places season after season.

Ask what the fixings and connections are made of and how they behave in your conditions, particularly near the coast or in constant damp.

Whether fixings suit your exposure is for the manufacturer and a qualified professional to confirm rather than to assume from a catalogue.

Ask what should be looked at periodically once the structure is up, and who is qualified to do it, then record that at handover.

Any periodic checking of a structure and its fixings should be carried out by a suitably qualified professional.