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The Eden Grove
blog.

Guides, ideas and expertise on pergolas, verandas and outdoor living, from planning your space to caring for it through the seasons.

Start with a guide

Each guide covers one topic end to end, with the deeper articles collected underneath it.

Louvred aluminium pergola over a dressed teak dining table, with a heater overhead and an outdoor kitchen against a slatted timber fence
Topic hub · Design & planning
The pergola design guide.
Pergola design in four decisions: size, position, roof and sides. See what we check on every site survey, and the one mistake most people make. Read the guide.
Read the guide →
Titan aluminium pergola with the louvred roof blades open to the sky
Topic hub · Roofs & weatherproofing
The pergola roof guide.
Retractable pergola roofs compared: louvred, folding fabric, glass and solid. How each one copes with British rain, what moves them, and what decides the cost.
Read the guide →

Every article

Open aluminium louvre blades above a dining table, throwing striped shadows across the wall and the tablecloth
Buying guide · 26 August 2026
Pergola shade.
Why a pergola roof stops shading you at about six in the evening, what to do about it, and the sizes that actually cover a dining table. With real numbers.
Read article →
Anthracite louvred pergola with timber slatted privacy screens on two sides, deep flower border in front
Buying guide · 20 August 2026
Corner pergolas.
What a corner pergola actually is, the 2.5 metre rule that decides the design, where the posts go, and fixing into two walls. Sizes that genuinely fit.
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Freestanding aluminium carport with a louvred roof and slatted side screen over a parked car
Explainer · 7 August 2026
What is a carport?
A carport is a roof on posts, open on two sides. What it actually protects, why the planning advice online is wrong, and what a garage is really costing you.
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Freestanding aluminium pergola over garden furniture, positioned well clear of the boundary
Explainer · 6 August 2026
Do you need planning permission for a pergola?
Do you need planning permission for a pergola? Usually not. The 2.5m and 3m height limits, the four exceptions, and the trap that catches almost everybody.
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Glass veranda with an anthracite aluminium frame over a dining table, attached to a house
Buying guide · 6 August 2026
Glass verandas.
What actually decides a glass veranda: glass or polycarbonate, how far to enclose it, the July greenhouse problem, and what moves the price. Read the guide.
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Louvred roof pergola with glass sides, louvred side panels and LED lighting over a dining area
Buying guide · 3 August 2026
Pergola with a roof and sides.
Every option for a pergola with a roof and sides in the UK: louvred roofs, glass sides, screens and the cost factors, compared honestly. Find your setup.
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Louvred aluminium pergola over rattan lounge seating, with a pool and lawn beyond
Inspiration · 2 August 2026
Pergola garden and patio ideas.
Fifteen pergola garden and patio ideas that work in the British climate: louvred roofs, lighting, heating, hot tubs and small patios. See what's possible.
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