Twelve Pergola Ideas for an Irish Back Garden

The pergolas that get used in Ireland are the ones close to the back door with a roof that shuts. Start from what you'll do under it: eat, sit, soak, or grow something. Then pick where the sun is at the time of day you'll be there. Here are twelve that work in an ordinary Irish garden.

Six in photos, six more in a line each.

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12ideas
3 × 4 ma table for six
West-facingthe best evening sun

Six to look at

A dark metal pergola frame running off a house over a timber deck with a dining table — **Over the back door.** A lean-to that makes the first three metres of patio usable in a shower.

A dining table on a deck under a dark pergola frame attached to a house — **A dining pergola.** 3 × 4 m over a table for six, with a roof that shuts.

A freestanding timber pergola with slatted roof over a paved seating area in a garden — **At the bottom of the garden.** A timber pergola that catches the evening sun the house shades.

A timber pergola lit with string lights over a seating area at dusk — **Lit for the evening.** Warm LED strips in the beams, or plain festoon lights.

Built-in timber benches around a stone fire pit under a pergola — **Around a fire pit.** Built-in benches on three sides. Keep the roof open over a fire.

A pergola on brick piers with a slatted roof over garden chairs — **On brick piers.** A heavier look for an older house.

Six more

Over a hot tub: a louvred roof, a screen on the neighbours' side.
A climber frame: open timber with wisteria, a rose or a vine. Shade by the third summer.
Along a path: a run of arches from the house to the gate.
A corner pergola: three posts in the angle of two walls.
Over decking: posts through the deck to the frame below.
A carport pergola: a flat roof on posts beside the house, counted with the garden structures for planning.

Where the sun is

Your garden faces	Put it	Because
South	Against the house	Sun all day. You'll want a roof that shades
North	Down the garden	The house shades the patio. The far end gets the evening
East	Where the afternoon sun lands	The patio is in shade by lunch
West	Against the house	The best evening sun in the country

What these cost

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
Aluminium louvred pergola kit, 3 × 3 m to 4 × 3 m	€1,886 to €2,998	Size and maker
Motorised louvred or retractable roof, about 3 × 4 m	€3,395 to €7,420	Motor, rain sensor, lights. Needs an electrician

Kit prices are delivered, not fitted. Ask for the base, fixings, electrics and VAT in the written price.