A Pergola With a Roof: Six Ways to Cover It
A pergola can be roofed six ways: open rafters, a polycarbonate sheet, fixed slats, louvres you turn by hand, a motorised roof, or glass. Only four keep rain off. In Ireland the usual choice is turning louvres on an aluminium frame, €1,886 to €2,998 as a kit: open for sun, shut for a shower, with gutters in the frame taking the water down the posts.
Each roof, what it's good for, and what it costs.
Free, no obligation. One local company prices it, not five.
- 6ways to roof a pergola
- 4that keep rain off
- €1,886 to €2,998an aluminium louvred kit
The six roofs, side by side
| Roof | Keeps rain off? | Best for | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open rafters | No | Shade, climbers | Least |
| Polycarbonate sheet on rafters | Yes | A dry seat on a budget | A little more |
| Fixed louvres or slats | Partly | Shade with some shelter | More |
| Turning louvres, by hand | Yes, when shut | Sun and showers in the same hour | €1,886 to €2,998 as a kit |
| Motorised louvres or a sliding roof | Yes, when shut | Opening and shutting from a chair | €3,395 to €7,420 as a kit |
| Glass | Yes | Light all year, a room outside | Most. Priced on the job |
How a louvred roof stays dry
Each louvre is a shallow channel. Shut, they overlap, and rain runs along them into a gutter built into the frame, then down inside the posts. That is why a louvred pergola needs to be level and its posts need somewhere to drain to. Left a little open in heavy rain, it drips.
Roofing a timber pergola
A timber pergola is roofed with clear or tinted polycarbonate sheets screwed to the rafters, with a slight fall so water runs off one side. It is the dry roof that costs least. It is also noisy in rain and needs washing once a year, because algae shows on a clear sheet.
What a roofed 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 |
| Motorised louvred or retractable roof, about 3 × 4 m | €3,395 to €7,420 | Motor, rain sensor, lights. Needs an electrician |
| 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.
Does a roof change the planning rules?
- 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.
Every guide, calculator and county page
Jump straight to any specification guide, our interactive calculator, the technical glossary or your county page.
Price & Specification Guides
Calculator, FAQ & Glossary
More on pergolas
Types, kits, prices and ideas.
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
Is a pergola with a roof waterproof?
With shut louvres, polycarbonate or glass, yes from above. Rain still blows in from the side, so add a screen on the weather side.
Can I put a roof on a pergola I already have?
On timber, usually: polycarbonate sheets on the rafters. Check the posts and fixings will take the extra wind load first.
Does a roofed pergola need planning permission?
Not if it fits the limits: behind the house, 30 m² in total, 25 m² of garden left, 3 m high.
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.