Guides
Pergola or Patio? What the Difference Actually Is
Most people searching for a pergola kit are picturing a patio. Here is how to tell which one you want before you spend anything.
The short answer
A pergola has an open roof of battens or slats: it filters light and lets rain through. A patio has a sealed roof, usually Colorbond, so the space underneath stays dry. In Australia most people who say pergola mean the second one. We supply patio and carport kits, not open-batten pergolas.
- Pergola roof
- Open battens, rain gets through
- Patio roof
- Sealed sheet, stays dry
- Most people mean
- A patio
- We supply
- Patio and carport kits
01
The difference is the roof, and nothing else
Both are a frame on posts attached to or beside the house. The only real difference is what goes on top.
A pergola is roofed with spaced battens. Light comes through in stripes and so does the rain. A patio is roofed with sheeting, so the space under it is usable in a downpour.
Everything else people argue about — attached or freestanding, steel or timber, flat or gable — applies equally to both.
| Pergola | Patio | |
|---|---|---|
| Roof | Open battens or slats | Sealed Colorbond sheet |
| In the rain | You get wet | You stay dry |
| Light underneath | Striped, changes through the day | Even shade |
| Usual reason for it | Shade and a plant frame | An outdoor room you can use |
| Gutter and downpipe | Not usually | Yes |
| We supply a kit | No | Yes |
If you want to sit outside while it rains, you want a patio. That single question settles it more often than anything else.
02
Why the words got tangled in Australia
In the original sense a pergola is a garden walkway with an open frame, often grown over with a vine. That is still what the word means in a landscaping catalogue.
In everyday Australian use it drifted. Ask around a Perth street for a pergola quote and most of what comes back is a roofed structure with Colorbond over it — a patio by any other name.
That is why searching for a pergola kit turns up sealed-roof patios: the market answers the word people use, not the word in the dictionary.
- Strict sense — open battens, filters light, lets rain through
- Everyday sense — anything roofed off the back of the house
- Council and engineering treat them by what the roof does, not by the name on the quote
03
Which one do you actually want?
Work through these before you get a price for either. They take a minute and they change the answer.
Tick as you go
0 of 6
Mostly yes on the first two means a patio. Mostly yes on the last two means a pergola, and we are not the right supplier for it.
04
If a patio is what you are after
The flat-roof patio is the closest thing to what most people picture when they say pergola: a low single fall, clean lines, no ridge.
A gable gives more height and airflow and a more traditional roofline. An insulated roof adds a thicker panel that takes the sting out of afternoon sun.
All of them come cut to your span, flat-packed, with the engineer-rated plans and every fixing.
- Flat roof — one low fall, the fewest parts, the closest match to an open-frame look
- Gable — a ridge down the middle, more headroom and airflow
- Raised flat — lifted at the house where a flat roof will not clear the eave
- Insulated — a thicker roofing panel rather than a thicker frame
05
What council makes of either one
Councils in WA look at what the structure does, not what it is called. A roof that sheds water, its size and its distance from the boundary are what matter.
A sealed roof is more likely to need approval than an open frame, because it changes where stormwater goes. It is not a rule you can assume either way.
Whichever you build, get the answer from your own council before you order anything.
Calling it a pergola on the form does not make an approval question go away. The roof decides it.
Pergola and patio questions
Do you sell pergola kits?
No. We supply patio and carport kits with sealed Colorbond roofs. If you want a true open-batten pergola, we are not the right supplier and you are better off with a landscaping or timber specialist.
What is the difference between a pergola and a patio?
The roof. A pergola has open battens that filter light and let rain through. A patio has a sealed roof, so the space underneath stays dry and usable in the rain.
Is a pergola cheaper than a patio?
Usually, because there is less material on top and no gutter. Whether that is worth it depends entirely on whether you can use the space when it rains.
Can you put a roof on an existing pergola?
Sometimes, but the frame has to be rated for it. A sealed roof carries wind load an open frame never had to, so it is an engineering question, not a sheeting question. Have it checked before you buy sheets.
What do most people mean when they say pergola?
In Australia, usually a roofed structure off the back of the house — which is a patio. The word drifted from its strict meaning and the market followed the way people speak.
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Next step
Not sure which one you are describing?
Send the span and a photo of the spot and we will tell you plainly whether a patio kit does what you want — including when it does not.