HOW TO HIRE · GARDEN & OUTDOOR · CHECKED OCTOBER 2026
How to hire a pergola builder in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.
No register covers pergola builders. Check the height near the boundary, the post fixings and who wires any lights.
- Search and compare — no account needed
- Nearest to you first
- One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews
THE 60-SECOND VERSION
Hiring a pergola builder in five steps
- Measure height and boundary distance2.5 metres within 2 metres of a boundary in England.
- Choose the materialTimber, aluminium or steel, open or roofed.
- Ask how posts are fixedConcreted in, bolted to a patio, or on post shoes.
- Plan lights or heatersWiring by an electrician who certifies.
- Get it in writingSize, height, material, fixings and VAT.
BEFORE YOU BOOK
Check before you book
No register applies
Anyone may trade as one of the pergola builders in any UK nation; no statutory register exists, and TrustMark registration is voluntary. The rules sit on the job instead: the structure's height and position under the planning rules.
Look at two or three jobs they finished a year ago, and check any TrustMark claim on its website. trustmark.org.uk →
Planning limits for garden buildings (England)
Class E of the General Permitted Development (England) Order 2015 lets a garden building go up without planning permission if it is behind the front of the house, single storey, eaves no higher than 2.5 metres, no more than 2.5 metres high within 2 metres of a boundary (otherwise 4 metres with a dual-pitched roof, 3 metres for any other), covers no more than half the garden, and is not at a listed building.
Ask the pergola builder for the ridge and eaves heights and plan the position against the boundary. legislation.gov.uk →
Electrics
Wiring lights or a heater on the pergola is electrical installation work. In England and Wales it must meet the Building Regulations, and Wales treats outdoor work as notifiable; an electrician on the Registered Competent Person Electrical register can certify it.
Ask who does the wiring and which certificate you will get. electricalcompetentperson.co.uk →
Public liability insurance
Insurance is not a legal requirement for a pergola builder. Public liability insurance matters anyway: a post hole can hit a pipe and a heavy beam can damage paving.
Ask to see the current insurance certificate, with its limit.
VAT
Building a pergola or gazebo is standard-rated at 20%. A pergola builder whose turnover passes £90,000 a year has to register, charge it on materials and labour, and show the 20% on its own line.
Ask the pergola builder for the VAT number and check the 20% is listed below the structure price. gov.uk →
A good answer: A height against the limit near your boundary.
A good answer: Concreted, bolted or on shoes, suited to the ground.
A good answer: Named treatment.
A good answer: Specified, with how rain drains.
A good answer: A registered electrician.
A good answer: Fixing and design for exposed gardens.
A good answer: Workmanship plus the maker's.
Getting the quote right
- Size, height and material
- Post fixing method
- Roof or louvres, if any
- Electrics and the certificate
- Who actually attends to set the posts and build the frame, and whether they are employed or subcontracted
- The VAT number, with 20% VAT shown apart from the structure and any electrics
Walk away if
- A raised deck under it with no planning question
- Posts not fixed down
- Wiring with no certificate
- Payment in full before work
What a pergola builder costs: £300–£6,000 per structure
Pergolas and gazebos are priced per structure; size, material, roofing and fixings set the price. Pergola & Gazebo price guide →
Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.
KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE
Pergola builders near you, with the badges that matter shown
ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.
Or post the job free and let them come to you.
- Set outPosition and height checked.
- PostsPosts set and plumbed.
- BeamsBeams and rafters fixed.
- Roof or finishAny roof or louvres fitted.
- Power and tidyElectrics by an electrician, site cleared.
- Pergola
- An open framework of posts and beams.
- Gazebo
- A roofed garden structure, often open-sided.
- Louvres
- Adjustable roof slats.
- Post shoe
- A metal bracket that holds a post.
- Rafter
- A cross timber on top of the beams.
- Class E
- The planning rights for garden buildings in England.
AFTER
When the job is done
Hiring a pergola builder: questions people ask
In England, usually not within the Class E limits: behind the house, 2.5 metres within 2 metres of a boundary, not at a listed building.
There is no licence for pergola builders and no register to check.
Most pay around £1,750 out of a range of £300–£6,000 a structure. For what moves the figure, see the pergola & gazebo price guide; for local pergola builders, search above.
Yes, bolted down with suitable fixings.
An open garden structure usually does not; ask if it is enclosed or large.
One to two days for most.
MORE GUIDES
More hiring guides in garden & outdoor
Pergola builders near you
Sources — checked October 2026
- Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, Schedule 2 Part 1 — outbuildings and hard surfaces
- Registered Competent Person Electrical register
- gov.wales — building regulations: electrics
- TrustMark — the Government Endorsed Quality Scheme
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — what you can ask for when a service falls short
- Civil Procedure Rules Part 26 — the small claims track (England and Wales)
- mygov.scot — make a court claim for money (simple procedure)
- nidirect — the small claims process (Northern Ireland)
- Buildings and construction (VAT Notice 708) — 2.1 Construction services: work to an existing building is normally standard-rated
- GOV.UK — VAT rates
- GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register