Glass Pergolas: A Glass Roof and Sliding Sides
A glass pergola is an aluminium frame with a toughened or laminated glass roof, often with sliding glass panels on the sides. It gives light all year and a dry, still place to sit. It is made to measure and priced on the job. It isn't a conservatory: it has no insulation and isn't meant to be heated like a room.
What it is, what it isn't, and what to ask.
Free, no obligation. One local company prices it, not five.
- All yearlight and a dry seat
- Made to measurepriced on the job
- Not a roomno insulation, by design
Glass roof, glass sides, or both
| What it does | Worth knowing | |
|---|---|---|
| Glass roof | Light and a dry seat all year | Needs a fall, and gets hot under it on a sunny day |
| Sliding glass sides | Stops wind and driven rain | Frameless panels slide and stack; they aren't sealed |
| Louvred roof with glass sides | Shade when you want it, shelter when you don't | The usual compromise in Ireland |
| Roof blinds | Shade under glass | Fitted under the glass, on wires |
Not a conservatory
A conservatory is a room: insulated glass, a sealed frame, a floor, often heating. A glass pergola is an outdoor shelter. Gaps between sliding panels let air through on purpose, so it doesn't mist up, and it stays near the outside temperature. That is also why it is treated as a garden structure.
Keeping it clean
A glass roof shows everything: leaves, algae, bird droppings. A slight fall and a hose twice a year keeps it clear. Under trees, think again, or choose louvres.
Planning
- 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.
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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
How much is a glass pergola?
It's made to measure and priced on the job. For scale, made-to-measure aluminium with a louvred roof starts from €2,500, and glass costs more.
Does a glass pergola get too hot?
Under a south-facing glass roof on a sunny day, yes. Roof blinds or an opening side fix it.
Can I heat it?
An infrared heater takes the chill off. It won't hold heat like a room.
Get a price for a pergola in your garden
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