Pergola designs
Pergola Designs in Kenya
We help you build the pergola you have been picturing: the shaded corner of the compound you keep meaning to do something with, designed properly and built to last. That means timber or steel chosen for the span, a roof that holds off the midday sun and the long rains, and a finish that suits the house rather than fighting it. Hauzisha Interiors has designed and built interiors across Kenya since 2019, and a pergola is joinery and structure, which is exactly what we do. Every project starts with a site visit.
A pergola we built in Nairobi: mahogany rafters and a tinted laminated glass roof carried on stone piers, with an open-slat walkway pergola running down the garden.
Designed around your compound, not a catalogue
There is no showroom range for pergolas, because almost nobody wants the same one. What decides the design is your space: where the sun sits at midday, which way the rain blows, how the structure meets the house, and what you actually want to do underneath it. We visit, measure, and draw something that works there.
If you already have a design in mind, bring it. We will tell you honestly whether the structure holds at the span you need, what it costs to build in Kenyan materials, and what we would change so it survives a Nairobi rainy season. Sometimes the answer is that a design built elsewhere uses timber sections that would sag over your terrace, and we will say so rather than take the deposit. Then we draw it, agree a fixed price, and build it.
Pergola types we build
| Type | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Attached to the house | Entrances, patios, doors onto the garden | Fixed to the wall or fascia, so it reads as part of the building |
| Freestanding | Gardens, poolside, dining areas | Four or more posts, sits anywhere in the compound |
| Walkway or colonnade | Paths between buildings, driveways | Priced by the metre, repeating bays down the run |
| Lean-to | Narrow strips against a wall | Single slope, lower cost, sheds water away from the house |
| Carport pergola | Parking, service yards | Wider spans and heavier beams, usually a solid roof |
| Rooftop or balcony | Townhouses, apartments with terraces | Load limits and the fixing method drive the design |
Roof options, and which one you actually need
This is the decision that changes how much you use the space. An open-slat pergola is the classic look and the cheapest to build, but it is a shade structure: rain goes straight through it. A solid roof turns the same structure into a room you can sit under in April. The pergola in the photographs above uses tinted laminated glass, which sheds water and cuts glare while still letting daylight reach the wall behind, so the space does not go dark. Polycarbonate does a similar job for less money with a slightly less solid feel up close.
| Roof | Rain cover | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Open slat / rafters | No | Shade and shadow pattern. Cheapest, and the traditional look for climbing plants |
| Tinted laminated glass | Yes | Rain cover with light through, cuts glare. The most premium finish |
| Clear glass | Yes | Maximum light, warmer underneath at midday |
| Polycarbonate | Yes | Clear, opal or bronze. Lighter and cheaper than glass |
| Adjustable louvre | Yes, when closed | Aluminium blades that rotate. Most control, highest cost |
| Shade net or canvas | No | Lowest cost, shortest life |
The rafters and glass close up. The timber is finished for outdoor exposure and the glass sits on the beams rather than in a separate frame.
Timber, steel or aluminium
Most pergolas in Kenya are built in timber, and we mainly use cypress and mahogany, treated and finished for the weather. Cypress is the more economical of the two and takes a stain well. Mahogany is denser and darker and holds its finish longer, which is what you see in the photographs on this page. Where a design needs thinner sections or a longer span than timber allows, we build in powder-coated steel, or aluminium where the roof is a louvre system. Timber carried on masonry piers, as above, is the most substantial-looking option and the one that sits best against a stone-clad house.
What decides the price
We do not publish a rate per square metre, because it would be misleading. Two pergolas of the same footprint can differ by a large multiple depending on how they are built. Six things move the number:
- The span between posts. Wider spans need deeper beams. This is the biggest single factor and the one clients least expect.
- The roof. Open slat to laminated glass is a large jump.
- The foundations. Fixing to an existing slab is straightforward. New footings mean excavation and concrete.
- Timber grade and treatment. A different price and a different lifespan.
- Height and access. Two-storey fixings or a tight compound mean scaffolding and slower work.
- Finish and extras. Lighting, side screens, guttering and the ground treatment underneath.
Because those six things vary so much, we do not publish a fixed rate. Send us the space and we will measure it and give you one fixed price, with nothing added later. Get a free pergola quote.
Lighting, screens and the things people forget
A pergola is used most in the evening, which is why lighting is worth planning at the drawing stage rather than adding later. LED strip concealed along the underside of the beams lights the space without a single visible fitting, and the cable runs inside the timber instead of being clipped on afterwards. The other commonly forgotten items are guttering on any solid roof, side screens or planting for low afternoon sun, and the ground treatment beneath, whether that is paving, decking or stamped concrete.
A visualisation of the same pergola with integrated LED lighting along the beams, an option we plan at the drawing stage.
How the job runs
Send the design and a photo of the space, and we arrange a site visit to measure and look at the fixings and ground conditions. You get a drawing and a fixed KES quote. Fabrication happens off site, so the disruption at your home is limited to the installation days, and most pergolas take two to three weeks from approved design to handover. Design, build and installation are one team from our Westlands studio, so you deal with a single point of contact throughout. A pergola often goes in alongside other work, so if you are already planning a wider home project it is worth doing both at once.
Areas we serve
We build pergolas across Nairobi and the surrounding counties, and most of our work is in the garden suburbs where there is room for one: Karen, Runda, Muthaiga, Kitisuru, Lavington, Loresho, Spring Valley, Gigiri, Nyari and Lower Kabete, plus Kiambu Road and Ruaka. See all the areas we serve.
Pergola FAQ
I already have a design in mind. Can you build it?
Usually yes. Send us the image or describe what you want, and we will tell you what it takes to build here: the timber or steel, the roof, the span, and whether anything needs adjusting for Nairobi rain and sun. Where a design will not hold at the span you need, we say so and show you what we would change. You get a drawing and a fixed price before anything is cut.
How much does a pergola cost in Kenya?
There is no single rate, because a small open-slat timber pergola and a glass-roofed structure spanning a terrace are different builds. Six things set the price: the span between posts, the roof material, whether we can fix to an existing slab or need new footings, the timber grade, the height and access, and the finish and extras. We measure the space and give you one fixed KES price with nothing added later.
Will a pergola keep the rain off?
Only if it has a solid roof. An open-slat pergola gives shade and shadow but rain passes straight through. For a space you can use through the rainy season, we fit tinted laminated glass or polycarbonate, which sheds water while still letting light through so the area beneath does not go dark. Any solid roof also needs guttering, which cheap quotes often leave out.
What timber do you use for pergolas in Kenya?
Mainly cypress and mahogany, treated and finished for outdoor exposure. Cypress is the more economical option and takes a stain well. Mahogany is denser, darker and holds its finish longer. We can also build in powder-coated steel or aluminium where the design calls for thinner sections or longer spans than timber allows.
How long does a pergola take to build?
Most pergolas take two to three weeks from approved design to handover, depending on the size, the roof and whether new foundations are needed. Fabrication happens off site, so the disruption at your home is limited to the installation days.
Do I need approval to build a pergola?
For a standard garden or patio pergola on your own property, usually not. Gated communities and estates often have their own architectural rules, so if you are in a managed estate it is worth checking with the association before we start. We can supply drawings for that submission.
Consultation
Seen a pergola you like?
Send us the design and a photo of the space. We'll tell you what it takes to build it here and give you a fixed price. Free, and no obligation.