A pergola gives a patio or deck shape, shade and somewhere that feels like a room rather than a slab. Ben builds them to measure across South Wales — and the reason to use a builder rather than a kit is that they do not sag.
A flat-pack pergola is screwed together and stands on feet or spikes, which is why it starts to rack and lean after a couple of summers of Welsh weather. A built pergola sits on posts dug and concreted in like a fence, with joints cut and bolted so the frame stays square under wind load. That is the whole difference, and it shows within two years.
Made to measure also means it fits the space rather than the space accommodating it. The size is set by the patio or deck, the height by the doors and sightlines, and the rafter spacing by how much shade you actually want — a light slatted top for dappled shade reads very differently to a closer-spaced roof or one designed to take a sail or climbers.
Pergolas pair naturally with a decking or composite job, and a lot of people add one while Ben is already on site, which keeps it to one visit and one fixed price. Timber for warmth and lower cost, composite where the rest of the garden is already low-maintenance. Mention it on the free design visit and it goes into the same quote.
Usually no. A garden pergola is normally permitted development in Wales provided it is not forward of the principal elevation, is single-storey, and stays under 3 metres high — 2.5 metres if it is within 2 metres of a boundary. Listed buildings and conservation areas have stricter rules.
As a rough UK guide, a made-to-measure timber pergola runs from around £1,200 for a compact 3x3m up to £3,000 to £6,000 or more for a larger bespoke structure, with the UK average around £2,500. Those are 2025 trade-guide averages, not a quote — Ben prices yours free on site.
Usually yes. What matters is what the posts can be fixed into — the posts need a proper concreted foundation rather than sitting on the slabs, so the build works out how to get that without tearing up the existing surface. That is what the design visit is for.
More on our common questions page.
Timber and composite decking, built dead level, solid underfoot and squared off.
decking near me →See this service in your area.
composite decking near me →Raised and ground-level garden decking in timber and composite — built dead level and solid underfoot.
Garden decking →See all the areas we cover, or read our common questions.
No call-out fee, no obligation. Tell Ben what you are after and he will arrange a free site visit, then quote you a fixed price.