Every pergola in our range comes in two versions: freestanding on four posts, or wall-mounted, where one side attaches to the house and two posts carry the outer edge. Same roof, same louvers, same wind and snow ratings — but the two placements create very different outdoor spaces, and they suit different houses, gardens and habits. This guide walks through both in depth: how each lives day to day, what each demands technically, and a decision checklist that resolves nearly every case.
Wall-mounted: the room that extends the house
A wall-mounted pergola turns the space directly outside your door into a covered extension of the living area. You step from the kitchen straight under the roof — no gap where rain catches you, no threshold between inside and outside life. Breakfast migrates outdoors in March; the barbecue stops depending on the forecast; the dog's spot moves two metres and improves dramatically.
Its practical strengths:
- Warmth by association. The house wall stores the day's heat and shelters one whole side, so the covered zone stays usable noticeably longer into the evening and the season than an exposed spot in the same garden.
- Space efficiency. With only two posts, the area under the roof stays open toward the garden — no corner posts interrupting the flow between terrace and lawn, easier furniture placement, easier hosting.
- Short services. For the electric models, the 230 V connection is usually right there in the house wall — the simplest possible wiring run for motor and LED.
- Weather logic. Rain approaching over the house hits the roof, not the seating; the transition zone by the doors stays dry, which is exactly where wet feet would otherwise enter the kitchen.
What the wall needs to provide
Two checks before committing. First, the facade must be structurally sound at mounting height: solid brick, concrete, or a properly anchored timber frame all work; crumbling joints, unreinforced cavity leaves or cladding-only surfaces need assessment first. The mounting profile spreads loads well, but it can only be as strong as what it bolts into.
Second, geometry: measure the available facade width between downpipes, windows, doors and outdoor units at the mounting height, and check what the pergola's depth means for light into the rooms behind. A louvered roof is kind here — open the slats and winter light pours back in, which fixed verandas can never offer — but sight lines from the kitchen window deserve a moment's thought.
One model-specific note: on our flat-louver models (Piano) the roof attaches with the louvers running parallel to the wall. The curved-louver Equa can attach from two sides — genuinely useful on L-shaped facades, corner situations and renovations where the obvious mounting side isn't available.
Freestanding: the destination in the garden
A freestanding pergola creates a separate place — a dining island under the trees, a lounge at the quiet end of the garden, a poolside pavilion. Instead of extending the house, it gives the garden its own centre of gravity, and pulls life deeper into the plot than a terrace by the doors ever does.
Its practical strengths:
- Total placement freedom. Follow the evening sun, the view, the quiet corner — the pergola goes where the living is best, not where the house happens to end. Rotate it so the louvers cut the low western sun at exactly the angle your dinner hour needs.
- The easy case for rules and rentals. Because it touches nothing, a freestanding pergola is usually the simplest classification for permit purposes — see our permit guide — and the natural answer when the facade is off-limits.
- Garden architecture. A frame standing in planting, with a path leading to it, makes the whole garden read as larger and more designed. It is the difference between a garden with furniture and a garden with rooms.
What the ground needs to provide
Four posts need a stable, level base — a concrete foundation, heavy natural-stone terrace tiles or a solid wooden deck — and each post is bolted down. That anchoring is not bureaucracy; it is where the 110 km/h wind rating comes from. Grass and loose gravel are not mounting surfaces: plan either a paved terrace under the pergola (which you'll want anyway for furniture) or discrete concrete foundation points under the posts. Dimensions and load details per size are in the installation guide.
For the electric models, remember the cable: a buried 230 V run from the house. Short and trivial for a pergola near the terrace; worth pricing honestly for one at the far end of the garden — or choose the manual Piano and skip the question entirely.
Living differences people only notice later
- Acoustics: against the wall, conversation reflects and feels intimate; freestanding in the open feels airier — closer to garden than room. Neither is better; they are different evenings.
- Rain sound: under a wall-mounted roof by the bedroom, closed louvers in night rain are audible (many people love it); a freestanding pergola keeps weather sounds in the garden.
- Screens strategy: the house wall already closes one side of a wall-mounted pergola — one or two side screens finish the room. A freestanding pergola in wind country may want screens on two sides from day one.
The decision checklist
- Terrace directly at the house, used daily for meals → wall-mounted
- Best sun or view is away from the house → freestanding, placed where the living is
- Facade unsuitable, rented home, or you'd rather not drill the house → freestanding, even if it stands close to the wall
- Pool, pond or garden room ambitions → freestanding
- Electric model, shortest wiring → wall-mounted has the edge
- Complicated facade with two usable sides → look at the Equa, which mounts from two sides
Both versions are selectable on every product page under "Mounting", at the same price logic and with the same accessory compatibility. If your situation doesn't fit the checklist — odd angles, split levels, a facade only a builder could love — send photos with a quote request and we'll advise, or explore a custom pergola planned around the space you actually have.