16 Attached Pergola Ideas to Boost Shade and Style

patio seating area — Photo: Jason Donnelly

Consider these attached pergola ideas for an extension to your home, deck, entryway, or garage. This structure can offer coverage and shade for more comfortable outdoor living while helping connect indoor and outdoor spaces. Use these examples to help you find a style that fits your home and lifestyle.

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Pergola Attached to House

beige patio with rustic dinner table and modern black chairs — Edmund Barr

Pergolas typically stand on four posts, but look at attached pergola ideas to save space and materials by using your home for support. Securing a pergola directly to the house provides support for that side of the structure, which means only two posts are needed in most cases. However, heavy materials or large structures might call for additional posts for more reinforcement. It's also important to note that the outer posts transfer the weight of the overhead frame onto the deck, so they should be positioned directly above footings or beams.

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Attached Pergola Color Scheme

blue Colonial home exterior — Cameron Sadeghpour

Choose a complementary style and color scheme to integrate an attached pergola idea into an existing home's design. With stately columns and crisp white paint to match the house trim, this pergola caps a brick patio along the front of the home. Along with the surrounding trees, the attached pergola filters the sun streaming into the large windows.

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DIY Attached Pergola

A DIY attached pergola brings shade to a backyard deck that was previously completely exposed. Secured to the side of the house for support, the pergola features angled slats that shield the seating area during peak sunlight hours. The streamlined structure complements the deck's modern patio furniture and wood-paneled accent wall.

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Simple Deck Pergola

back of taupe house with upper deck and lower patio sitting area — Peter Krumhardt

A simple attached pergola idea makes the otherwise ordinary outdoor space unique. It adds structure and prominence to the upper-level area while providing space to display hanging baskets. Adjustable shades mounted to the beams offer the flexibility to enjoy full or partial shade.

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Traditional Attached Pergola

backyard stone porch addition with fireplace — Laurie Black

An attached pergola is the perfect transition between a home and its landscape. Here, a pergola off the back of the house provides a fitting backdrop for the traditional home and pristine backyard. The structure surrounds a large brick fireplace to create a cozy outdoor room.

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Attached Pergola Over Patio

An attached pergola extends living space into the yard and is a graceful passage between outdoors and indoors. As this attached pergola idea illustrates, the suggestion of shelter is sometimes an effective substitute for actual walls and a roof. By defining this patio area, the pergola and planters create the effect of an outdoor room. The overhead framing also provides welcome shade for the large windows.

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Two-Tier Attached Pergola

Attached pergolas provide opportunities to add structure and interest to your outdoor space. Consider adding a second tier, such as the one shown here, for interest rather than strength. The extra layer also creates another layer of shade and produces interesting shadows.

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Attached Entryway Pergola

Use an attached pergola idea to define an entryway and offer shade for visitors waiting at the door. The small porch overhang at this home's entry door branches sideways to an arbor, which has an offset connection to the pergola. The result is pleasantly unexpected.

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Attached Pergola with Roof

back exterior pergola outdoor furniture — Ed Gohlich

An attached pergola connects distinct outdoor and indoor spaces. This pergola unites what could otherwise be a patchwork arrangement of a dining area, entries, and an outdoor cooking area. The attached pergola's roof provides shelter from rain for the dining table.

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Over-the-Door Attached Pergola

Trellis brick home exterior — Jenifer Jordan

Consider an over-the-door attached pergola idea to add architectural interest to a traditional home exterior. This one features elaborate curved braces, scrollwork on the beams and joists, and a subtle two-tone color scheme. The heft of the end brackets and crossbeam ensures plenty of strength to support the upper assembly and makes a bold architectural statement appropriate for the home's scale.

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Garage Door Attached Pergola

Garage Trellis with climbing Ivy — Joan Hix Vanderschuit

Compact and simple, this garage door pergola is an affordable weekend project and an easy way to dress up a garage. Because of its lightweight and strong weather resistance, Western red cedar makes a good choice for this attached pergola.

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Extra-Large Attached Pergola

Home Exterior Pergola Garden — Laurie Black

When stretched across the length of a house, an attached pergola can contain separate zones. Functioning as an outdoor room, this cedar pergola has a massive brick fireplace at one end and a central dining area. On the other side, a small seating nook is flanked by a patchwork frame of glass block inserts.

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Small Attached Pergola

Trellis Patio Chairs Home Exterior — Joan Hix Vanderschuit

A small attached pergola can add warmth to an otherwise minimal exterior. Without the shallow pergola, this house's French doors and back expanse would seem stark. With it, the space gains architectural detail and becomes an inviting outdoor nook.

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Attached Pergola Plants

Rose cover Pergola sitting area — Richard Felber

Climbing plants are a clever attached pergola idea that can help cover the gaps in the roof, offering more substantial shade. Here, rambling roses in full bloom add romance to the entrance to this shady pergola. If you want roses to spill over an attached pergola, make sure the structure is accessible for pruning and can support the full-grown vine.

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Pool-House Attached Pergola

Attached pergolas aren't just for the main house. A pergola attached to this cozy pool house defines an intimate outdoor eating area. Classic columns support the structure and create a dining space in front of the pool house.

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Pergola Entryway

Wood Pergola Red Door with Red Flowers — Jim Hedrich

Attaching a pergola above a home's entryway adds practical protection from the elements for homeowners and visitors. This pergola shades the back door of a house and provides a cool place to relax on hot, sunny days. Flower beds and containers brimming with blooms echo the bright red of the door.