If you’ve been researching a new outdoor living area for your Brisbane home, you’ve probably noticed that some builders call these spaces patios, some pergolas and others verandahs. So, which is it? Are patios, pergolas and verandahs one and the same or completely different?
Brisbane patio, pergola or verandah – the strict interpretation
Strictly speaking, there are differences between patios, pergolas and verandahs. While the differences won’t concern you too greatly if you’re building an outdoor entertainment area for your Brisbane home, it is worth exploring them:
- Patios are almost always joined to the home and are generally reasonably large structures, although they can be small. A patio for your Brisbane home will usually have a roof or be partly roofed to keep the rain out and to provide protection from the hot sun.
- A pergola can also be joined to a home, but it’s not unusual for them to be freestanding structures. Like patios, they are generally quite large. Traditionally, a pergola would not have a roof. It would have beams across the top to provide structure and strength and may have a deciduous or other climber growing through it.
- A verandah will always be attached to a home and sometimes will wrap around two or more sides of a home. The traditional Queenslanders that are very popular in Brisbane are perfect examples. Verandahs are generally narrow and always feature a roof.
The casual interpretation
While there are, strictly speaking, differences between patios, pergolas and verandahs, at the end of the day, you can call your outdoor structure anything you want.
These days, the terms are virtually interchangeable. Most people will still call the structures that wrap around classic Queenslander verandahs. And a freestanding structure with four posts, beams across the top, no roof and a deciduous climber will generally be called a pergola. But otherwise, anything goes!
Call it what you like, just call us!
While you can call your new outdoor structure whatever you like, when it comes time to design and build your Brisbane patio, pergola or verandah, just make sure you call Outside Concepts.
One of the benefits of using Outside Concepts is that we can make the design and building process easy and stress-free. We can look after everything for you, from helping with the local planning permission, providing advice and a free design, undertaking the build and then cleaning up at the end.
If you live in the southern suburbs of Brisbane, Brody Glasby is the person who’ll look after you. He’s the branch manager for Outside Concepts South Brisbane.
Call us on 1800 601 674 and we’ll get Brody in touch to organise a free discussion, design and quote. From there you can relax… and think about what you’ll call your new outside area!
Life’s too short to compromise. Phone Outside Concepts on 1800 601 674 for a free quote.
Should you call your new Brisbane outside structure a patio, pergola or verandah?