Our services
Timber Pergolas & Canopiesin Newton Abbot, Exeter& South Devon
Bespoke pergolas designed around your garden, creating a welcoming place to relax, dine and enjoy the outdoors.
Carpentry-qualified · 30 years' experience · Fully insured
30 years
Hands-on experience in Devon
5.0 rating
Average score on Google reviews
Fixed prices
Agreed in writing before we start
Fully insured
Self-employed team covered
Timber pergolas, canopies and covered seating areas, sized against the house and set on proper foundations.
What we build
Bespoke timber pergolas, canopies and covered seating areas: free-standing structures over a patio or deck, lean-to frames attached to the house, and covered walkways between parts of a garden.
Everything is made to the garden rather than bought as a kit. Post positions, beam spans, rafter spacing and overhangs are set out on site so the structure lines up with the paving below and the building behind it.
Who a pergola suits
A pergola earns its place where a patio or deck feels exposed, a large terrace with nothing to define it, a seating area overlooked by neighbours, or a hot south-facing corner nobody uses at midday.
It's also the welcome middle option between an open terrace and a garden room: structure, shade and a sense of enclosure without a building, planning questions or the cost of an insulated envelope.
Why the carpentry shows
A pergola is skeleton, not cladding: every joint is on display. It's a structure where careful carpentry is genuinely worth having, because consistent overhangs, shaped rafter ends and posts that are plumb and square all stay visible from the first day.
Our carpentry qualification is what makes the difference here: cut joints where the design allows, consistent overhangs, shaped rafter ends and posts that are genuinely plumb and square to the house.
What's included
- Bespoke timber pergolas, canopies and covered seating
- Posts set on concrete foundations or engineered bases
- Cut carpentry joints rather than visible brackets
- Built to coordinate with new paving or decking below
Doing it right from the start
Well-set posts keep the frame steady
Posts concreted below ground and set plumb from the start give a pergola that stays straight and square for the long term.
Correctly sized timber holds its line
Beams sized for their span stay straight and true, so the structure keeps its good looks rather than starting to sag.
Built for the wind it will face
Add a canopy, a climbing plant in full leaf or side screens and a pergola takes on real wind load. Exposed Torbay and Dartmoor-edge gardens get a frame and fixings specified for that from the outset.
Steps often get squeezed in at the end of a patio job
A pergola deserves its own setting out and its own foundation, not a kit bolted onto existing paving, so it's proportioned properly and built to carry the loads it will face.
How your project comes together
- Step 1
Site visit and proportions
We look at the space, the house, the sun path and how you want to use the area, then work out scale: too small looks like an afterthought, too large dominates a garden.
- Step 2
Design, timber and fixed price
Timber section and species, post positions, roof treatment and any screening or planting wires are agreed, then you get one fixed price based on the measured area and labour.
- Step 3
Foundations and posts
Posts are concreted into the ground or fixed to engineered bases where they land on existing paving, set plumb and square before anything sits on them.
- Step 4
Beams, rafters and finish
Beams and rafters are cut, jointed and fixed with the overhangs and rafter-end detail worked out on site, then the timber is treated or stained.
- Step 5
Handover
We clear the site, walk the finished work with you and explain any aftercare. We want you to enjoy your new space from day one.
What you'll enjoy
Shade where you sit
Rafter spacing and orientation set for the sun your garden actually gets, so the seating area is usable through the middle of the day.
Definition without enclosure
An outdoor room that still feels like a garden: structure and shelter without walls or a planning conversation.
Carpenter-cut joints
Joints cut rather than bracketed wherever the design allows, because on a pergola every joint is in plain sight.
Foundations that hold
Posts concreted or set on engineered bases, specified for wind and for whatever will eventually grow up them.
Coordinated with the ground below
Built to line up with new or existing paving and decking, rather than dropped on top of it.
Styles and options
A pergola can be almost anything between a shade frame and a covered outdoor room.
- Free-standing pergola: over a patio, deck or seating area, defining the space from all four sides.
- Lean-to and attached frames, fixed to the house wall, giving a sheltered transition from the back door to the garden.
- Covered canopies, a solid or sheeted roof where you want genuine rain cover rather than dappled shade.
- Screened and slatted sides: privacy from a neighbouring window without closing the structure in.
- Planting-ready detailing: wires and supports for wisteria, grape vine, climbing rose or clematis, fitted at build stage.
Timber, foundations and finish
Pressure-treated softwood is the practical choice for most pergolas and takes stain well. Oak and other hardwoods cost more, move as they season and look wonderful doing it, a lovely choice when the structure is the focal point of the garden.
On open ground, posts are concreted below the depth of seasonal movement. Where a pergola lands on an existing patio, we use engineered post bases or core through to a new pad, giving a frame that's properly anchored rather than simply resting on the slab.
Timber is finished with a treatment or stain at the end of the build, and the structure is designed so rain runs off end grain rather than sitting in it, a small detail that keeps the frame looking good.
Examples of our work
Slide through photos of finished projects across South Devon.
Where we do this work
Related services
Back to the PC Landscaping homepage, see all services or get in touch with Phil.
Pergolas: common questions
How much does a timber pergola cost?
It depends on size, timber species and section, foundations, and whether you want a roof covering or screening. We measure and design on site, then give one fixed price.
Do I need planning permission for a pergola?
Usually not, but height and position relative to boundaries can matter, and a structure attached to the house needs more thought. We'll flag anything worth checking before work is agreed.
Can a pergola be built over an existing patio?
Yes. We use engineered post bases or core down to new pads so the frame is properly anchored rather than surface-fixed to slabs.
Will it give rain cover or just shade?
An open rafter pergola gives shade and structure. If you want to sit out in Devon rain, we build it as a canopy with a solid or sheeted roof and a discharge point for the water.
Oak or softwood?
Treated softwood for value and a stained finish; oak or hardwood where the pergola is the feature of the garden and you want the timber on show. We're happy to price both if you're undecided.
Can you build it with the decking or patio?
That's the ideal. Doing both together means post positions, levels and paving cuts are coordinated from the start.
Which areas do you build in?
Teignbridge, Torbay, Exeter and the South Hams, from our base near Newton Abbot.
Client feedback
Recent words from South Devon gardens
“Phil finished the remainder of my featherboard fence. Started the job promptly, arrived on time and finished the job professionally.”
Big Steve
Featherboard fencing · Google review
“Fitted our hardwood deck and it looks great! Decent price and took just a couple of days plus they cleaned up after themselves.”
Steve Marson
Hardwood decking · Google review
“Phil and Nigel did a complete redesign of our garden, did a very professional job from start to finish… this is the second job they have done for us and we have another project for later in the year.”
Robert Down
Full garden redesign · repeat client · Google review
“Fab job for my pathway around my house and patio… Phil's suggestion and explanation of the construction work was the most solid.”
Hung Alice
Pathway & patio · Google review
Talk through your pergola with the team
A site visit covers position, proportions and timber, then one fixed price for the structure.
30 years' experience · Fully insured · 8am–6pm, Monday to Friday