Home Pergola Design Considerations: Attached Vs. Detached

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Attached Residential Pergola Pros & Cons

• Daily use
  Attached aluminum pergolas function as an extension of your living space, facilitating a seamless transition between indoors and out. 
• Weather protection
  With an attached louvered pergola, you can move from the interior of your home to the porch or patio without worrying about rain or snow exposure. Because attached pergolas share at least one side with your home, you can also take advantage of added shelter, as the side of your home will block sun and precipitation. For west or south facing patios, the protection of an attached pergola can also extend inside your home, providing a shield from harsh sunlight and reducing AC use and energy bills.
• Construction 
  Pergolas attached to a home (or other outdoor building) are more structurally secure than freestanding ones. They share the stability of the structure, which also provides added protection against the elements. For this reason, permitting is typically required for attached designs. However, because fewer posts are needed (compared to freestanding pergolas), this offsets the cost.
• Design considerations
  Attached pergolas become a part of your home, fitting its design seamlessly. Because fewer posts are required, less space is lost to structural components, and a less intrusive setup that does not block windows, doors or monopolize available space is possible.
• Accessories and options
  You can ensure added weather protection and comfort with an attached design, particularly when paired with adjustable pergola accessories like retractable motorized screens and curtains. Only a maximum of three sides need screen or curtain coverage for complete weather protection. Other pergolas accessories, such as heaters and outdoor TVs, are also easier to add to attached pergolas due to their proximity to utilities in your home.

Detached or Freestanding Residential Pergola Pros & Cons

• Daily use
  With a detached pergola system, you can build an add-on covered outdoor space anywhere in your yard, creating a unique focal point and transforming unusable space into something fun and functional for your family.
• Weather protection
  With a freestanding pergola design, weather exposure is unavoidable when traveling to and from your home to your outdoor space. Also, because the structure is open on all four sides, there will be added exposure to wind-driven rain and snow without the use of motorized curtains or screens for added protection.
• Construction
  Freestanding residential pergolas typically don’t require permitting; however, they require posts to be set in concrete to manage load, lift, and shear and ensure a secure, lasting pergola installation, incurring additional labor and materials costs.

 

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• Design considerations
  Freestanding pergolas offer far greater design flexibility. There’s no need to line up pergola components with your home’s structure, which is necessary with attached designs. You can also dress up freestanding pergolas any way you like, blending it with your home’s architecture or creating a distinctive look with faux wood wrap, custom pergola end cuts, or faux columns.
• Accessories and options
  Freestanding pergolas present additional challenges in incorporating pergola accessories, requiring electrical and other utilities depending on the design. Because all four sides are open, motorized screens and curtains are more challenging to use, requiring frequent adjustments for moving in and out of the space.

Make the most of your outdoor living space with help from the residential pergola design experts at Denver Pergola Systems. Schedule a design consultation and see how we can bring your yard to life with our digital rendering services today.

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