What is the point of having a pergola?

Before you upgrade your outdoor living, it’s important to understand the difference between a pergola and a gazebo, among other common outdoor structures—and it’s a minor but important one that will greatly affect your design ideas for your outdoor living space.

A gazebo is a freestanding structure that has a full roof. They’re typically octagonal, often screened and with their own decks—though none of those elements are actually requirements for a gazebo.

An awning is a shade cover that juts out over an area. They’re often attached to the wall of a home, and they don’t include walls—they’re basically small, extendable roofs.

A privacy screen, on the other hand, is all wall, a visual barrier that’s often used to block the view your neighbors have into your yard—and you’re not going to get much shade from a privacy screen unless you’re sitting right next to it. The same goes for a trellis, which is a latticework or framework used to support and train the growth of climbing plants. A trellis could be freestanding or built on to an existing structure, like the side of a home—or a pergola.

So what is a pergola, then? Like a gazebo, it’s a structure that provides shelter and some shade from the elements, but unlike a gazebo, it doesn’t have a full roof and is designed to let some sun in at least part of the time. It can be freestanding or built onto an existing structure. (Narrow pergolas built onto the sides of homes are sometimes called “eyebrow pergolas,” as they kind of make your home look like Groucho Marx.) But a pergola can also incorporate elements of the other outdoor structures we’ve discussed, too, like a retractable awning as an optional pergola roof to complete sun coverage, or having a wall or trellis that acts as a privacy screen. Beyond the practical, there’s also the landscape design aspect: The best pergola can provide a perfect focal point for your outdoor space, and they will take any deck ideas you’re considering to the next level.