The lean-to pergola: also known as a patio pergola, attached pergola, carport or entranceway pergola, has become a very popular addition to the house and garden in recent years. And rightly so! It creates a wonderful outdoor room where we can relax and entertain, give our house more curb appeal or an attractive place to park our car. Happy days!
There are three ways of creating one of these fabulous outdoor rooms in your garden...
This style of pergola can be put to many uses as an entry pergola or pergola porch, a car port, patio pergola, log store, an outside porch, a utility area or garden seating area. It's a very versatile outdoor space, and is by far the most popular pergola built from the plans.
These metal lean-to pergolas come in several different shapes.
Buy a pergola kit if you'd like everything cut to size or you'd like one of the many unusual designs available - and some of them are truly stunning - or you may prefer a maintenance-free vinyl pergola design.
Choose a pergola plan, if you need your pergola to fit a particular space (as the plans can be made to any size), if you like the idea of building your own wonderful garden structure, or if you'd like to save a bit to spend on planting and furniture. If you feel you're not quite up to it, get someone to build it for you. Make a party out of it with friends and family (these really are the best of times).
It really is a great feeling to build a pergola of your own. For something that looks so good, it doesn't actually take that long, and gives such a sense of achievement.
Let's have a look at the plans first...
If you'd like to have a go at building your own attached lean-to pergola, you can find these step-by-step plans here.
These particular plans were originally created for someone who wanted to build a specific pergola design for their garden, so they form part of the 'Additional Pergola Plans Series'.
Of course, you can use the principles outlined in the free pergola plans to build any pergola or arbour.
But if you would prefer to have a step-by-step guide to building this particular pergola - which is a little more 'involved' - for the price of one of the rafters, you will have at hand detailed instructions on how to create an absolutely beautiful structure for your home and garden.
The attached lean-to pergola plans can be fully adapted to fit any situation and come with 18 free rafter tail templates to make your lean-to pergola a truly unique structure.
Even though the hexagonal and Asian pergola plans were written to be free standing, they can also be built as attached pergolas...
Here is the patio pergola with a swing seat attached.
People have made amazing pergolas from the plans. Here are a few.....
There are some wonderful attached lean-to pergola kits with which to transform a porch, house or garden wall, available in different styles to suit a range of purposes.
This one is very similar to the attached pergola featured in the plans only with a double side rafter. It comes in both light green and dark brown as well as in several different sizes.
For a traditional style patio pergola, we can create this attractive seating area.
Notice how this next pergola has rafters that run from front to back, rather than side to side like the one above. It just depends on which style you prefer.
Being made of treated and planed timber, these are good quality pergolas, available in twenty one sizes, and two different colours.
This pergola is useful in the fact that it comes in 21 different sizes, from around 6ft to 15ft - and any permutation of size within! They are certainly worth a look.
Another option is this attached pergola. Classed as a carport, it can be used for many different purposes and situations. Its long length makes it ideal for running along the side of a house or garden wall. It's ideal as an entranceway or carport, too.
Here's an attached pergola being used as a carport - very useful for this purpose, especially if you're without a garage.
Any lean-to pergola with or without a covered roof can be used as a carport. Choose one with a polycarbonate roof to keep the weather out or one without. Some have pitched roofs; some have sloping or flat roofs. There are a lot to choose from.
Having no rafter tails, this patio pergola looks very modern. Use dining sets, or hanging chairs and beanbags for a more relaxed feel.
Other beautiful wooden pergola kits are the Contemporary patio pergola and the Dragon patio pergola, which are ideal as an entranceway or porch, but are as big as most traditional-style rectangular or square pergola kits. Measuring 2.7m (8'10"), they are big enough to house a dining table and chairs, or a couple of loungers and coffee table, with planters and a fire pit, for instance.
Both styles would be fantastic as an seating area close to the house. And very attractive they look too, the Dragon design being an Asian-inspired pergola, with turreted pagoda style rafters.
Another pergola style that has been very popular this year is the pergola canopy, which are also called an attached pergola awning. It can make an outdoor area usable in a wider variety of weather conditions than a traditional pergola, whether that's protection from the sun whilst eating or relaxing or in less clement weather, for barbecues. We've all been there!
This is a lovely simple attached lean-to pergola with a canopy, which comes in either cream or grey. Beautiful!
These next two are similar: one in metal and the other in wood. Each is big enough for a dining table and chairs. Having a retractable canopy makes them an ideal place to sit in the garden, rain or shine.
Only recently available, we can see here an attached powder coated aluminium pergola with a strong, durable polycarbonate roof. Coming in a range of lengths, it is ideal as an attractive, maintenance-free solution.
Many people have asked me about this pergola style over the last few years. They've all wanted the maintenance-free aspect and the covered roof that this design offers.
All options are 3 metres from the house, and come in lengths between 3 metres and 9 metres - so big enough for everyone's needs!
Versatility is the name of the game here, especially as we're using our gardens even more for getting together with friends. There are many to choose from. Think about how the pergolas you have seen will fit into your garden design...and then just go for it!
Pergola awnings, being fully retractable, ensure that we can have more of the good times!
If you would like to make your own pergola canopy, find ideas and instructions here...
Not all attached pergolas are suitable for planting, but both climbing plants and pot plants can make a huge difference to some pergolas. Try arranging a few pots or planters either between the posts or next to them.
Creating a colourful display can be inexpensive and easy to achieve, yet can be simply stunning, especially with the choice of plants that are available.
Go 'cottage garden', with wispy climbers and hanging baskets, or ultra-modern by using simple, architectural planting in single colours with striking forms.
Even if the pergola is intended as a utility area, it can still, and should, be made to look like an attractive feature as possible.
Take a look at other pergola pictures and pergola ideas for inspiration. Make your garden a beautiful, useful and interesting place to relax.
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Pitched Roof Hexagonal Pergola
Free Simple Pergola Plans
Attached Lean-to Pergola
Free Raised Bed Plans
Corner Pergola
Hexagonal Pergola
Asian Pergola
Seated Arbour
"The plans were great, very concise, easy to follow and I couldn't have managed without them!" T.
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Love the templates for the Rafter Tails! Using Design #5. Thanks so much." Laura.
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Great service. Now all I have to do is build it! Martin.
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