About PURPLE LEAF

PURPLE LEAF makes outdoor structures and furniture: louvred and retractable pergolas, hardtop gazebos, cantilever parasols and the seating that goes underneath them.

Pergola, gazebo or parasol

The three solve different problems. A louvred pergola has slats that rotate, so you choose between shade and open sky and can close it against rain; it is the permanent option and the most involved to install. A hardtop gazebo is a fixed roof, usually steel or aluminium with a polycarbonate or metal panel, and it stays up all year. A cantilever parasol has the pole to one side so nothing sits in the middle of the table, and it comes down in minutes. Choose by how permanent you want the shade to be.

Wind is what breaks these things

Every one of these structures is a sail. Parasols must be weighted properly — the base is not an accessory, and the weight quoted for a cantilever model is higher than people expect — and closed whenever nobody is sitting under them. Gazebos and pergolas need to be bolted down into something solid: a concrete pad, a properly laid patio or ground anchors, never just stood on slabs. Read the wind rating and treat it as a limit rather than a target, and have a plan for closing louvres and taking down side panels before a storm.

Before you order, measure and check the ground

Measure the footprint including the roof overhang, not just the posts, and check clearance to the house, the fence and anything overhead. Look at what the structure will stand on: a level, load-bearing surface is a requirement, and a lawn or a bed of loose gravel is not one. Consider drainage too, because water coming off a roof concentrates at the corners. If a structure is attached to the house or is large, it is worth confirming whether any local permission is needed before it arrives.

Assembly, two people, and looking after it

These arrive flat-packed in several heavy boxes and are genuinely a two-person job, sometimes three for lifting a roof panel. Lay out and count the parts before starting, because a missing fixing found halfway through means a half-built frame in the garden for a week. Afterwards, check the bolts at the start of each season, clear leaves off the roof, and wash the fabric parts rather than pressure-washing them. Replacement canopies and parts are sold separately, which is what keeps the frame worth owning.