A Garden Pergola: Where It Goes and What It Stands On
A freestanding garden pergola needs three things settled before the type: where the sun is, what it stands on, and how much garden it leaves. Timber kits start at €428 and aluminium louvred kits at €1,886. The base is extra, and it is what keeps the pergola in the garden in a gale.
Position, base, boundaries and the price.
Free, no obligation. One local company prices it, not five.
- €428where timber kits start
- 4 padsone under each post
- 25 m²of garden to leave
Position
- Sun: stand where you'd put it at six on a June evening. That's when you'll use it.
- Wind: the south-west is where the weather comes from. A fence, a hedge or a screen on that side is worth more than a bigger roof.
- The view from the kitchen: you'll look at it more than you sit under it.
- Trees: shade and leaves. Fine for timber, a nuisance on louvres and glass.
The base
| What's there | Will it hold a pergola? | What's done |
|---|---|---|
| A concrete slab | Yes | Posts anchored straight to it |
| Paving on a concrete bed | Usually | Anchors through the slab into the concrete |
| Paving or gravel on sand | No | A concrete pad under each post |
| Lawn | No | Pads dug and poured, the grass made good |
| Decking | Not the boards | Posts to the frame or to pads below |
Boundaries and neighbours
There's no set distance from a boundary in the exemption, but a 3 m structure on a boundary wall changes a neighbour's light. Keep it a metre in if you can, and put any solid screen on your own side.
How much garden it uses
- Behind the house. Not in front of the front wall.
- 30 m² in total. The pergola plus every shed, garage, greenhouse and garden structure already there.
- 25 m² of garden left to the back or side of the house.
- 3 m high, or 4 m with a tiled or slated pitched roof.
Those are the Class 3 limits for garden structures, as amended by S.I. No. 338 of 2026. A protected structure or a house in a conservation area is a question for the council. The full rules are on our sister site, pergolabuilders.ie.
What a garden pergola costs
| Job | Typical cost | What moves the price |
|---|---|---|
| Timber pergola kit, 2.4 m square to a 3.4 m corner | €428 to €733 | Size and timber. Fitting and a base are extra |
| Steel louvred pergola kit, 3 × 3 m to 3 × 6 m | €1,075 to €2,155 | Length. Side screens are extra |
| Aluminium louvred pergola kit, 3 × 3 m to 4 × 3 m | €1,886 to €2,998 | Size and maker |
| Made-to-measure aluminium pergola, supplied and fitted | from €2,500 | Size, roof, sides, base and fixings |
Kit prices are delivered, not fitted. Ask for the base, fixings, electrics and VAT in the written price.
Every guide, calculator and county page
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More on pergolas
Types, kits, prices and ideas.
Pergola with a roofSix roofs, and which ones keep Irish rain out.
Wooden pergolasKits from €428. What timber, and how long it lasts.
Aluminium pergolasKits €1,886 to €2,998. Fitted from €2,500.
Pergola kitsWhat's in the box, and what isn't.
Pergola ideasTwelve that suit an Irish back garden.
Pergola pricesFrom a €428 timber kit to a €7,420 motorised roof.Pergolas in every county
- Carlow330 mm of rain, May to September
- Cavan402 mm of rain, May to September
- Clare450 mm of rain, May to September
- Cork384 mm of rain, May to September
- Donegal445 mm of rain, May to September
- Dublin306 mm of rain, May to September
- Galway475 mm of rain, May to September
- Kerry445 mm of rain, May to September
- Kildare345 mm of rain, May to September
- Kilkenny333 mm of rain, May to September
- Laois360 mm of rain, May to September
- Leitrim414 mm of rain, May to September
- Limerick387 mm of rain, May to September
- Longford389 mm of rain, May to September
- Louth333 mm of rain, May to September
- Mayo488 mm of rain, May to September
- Meath347 mm of rain, May to September
- Monaghan374 mm of rain, May to September
- Offaly354 mm of rain, May to September
- Roscommon401 mm of rain, May to September
- Sligo481 mm of rain, May to September
- Tipperary372 mm of rain, May to September
- Waterford374 mm of rain, May to September
- Westmeath357 mm of rain, May to September
- Wexford365 mm of rain, May to September
- Wicklow319 mm of rain, May to September
Pick your pergola
Four taps: the type, where it's going, the size and the help you want. You see our price guide for it. Your number is only asked for at the end, if you want one pergola company that covers your county to ring you.
Questions people ask
Does a garden pergola need foundations?
Each post needs a concrete pad or a sound slab. A roofed pergola catches wind like a sail.
How close to the fence can it go?
As close as you like under the exemption. A metre in keeps the peace and lets you maintain it.
What's the best size for a small garden?
2.4 to 3 m square. Leave 25 m² of garden.
Get a price for a pergola in your garden
One pergola company that covers your county. Free, no obligation. Nothing is ordered until you accept a written price.