With a terrace roof you will enjoy your garden seating area longer because you will extend the outdoor season. A canopy, pergola, garden pavilion or sun awning will protect you and your family from (too) much sun or rain. We've put together the main options and researched approximately how much you'll need to invest to get more out of your garden seating area. All prices are only indicative for a first rough estimate. If you want to know it more exactly, ask certified shading experts from our network for an offer.
Terrace canopies or seat canopies are made of wood, plastic or metal. Wood is popular because it blends well into the overall appearance of the house. Especially if the roof is greened. For this, wood must be maintained more and more intensively than plastic or metal. Plastic is the cheapest, but not particularly stable, and is suitable only for smaller roofing, if at all. Metal, usually aluminum, sometimes steel, is low-maintenance, stable and durable.
A 12-square-meter metal patio roof (4 x 3 meters) in a standard color costs about 7,500 to 10,000 Swiss francs without shading and about 11,250 to 15,000 Swiss francs with shading. The glazing (10 millimeter laminated safety glass with a load capacity of 125 kilograms per square meter) and a water channel for the drain are included. Add to that the cost of extras such as LED lights (estimated at 750 to 2,000 Swiss francs) and side glazing (if desired).
Wrist-by-Pi calculation: expect to pay 600 to 833 Swiss francs per square meter for a metal patio roof with laminated safety glass. Add 30 to 50 percent for shading. A 12-square-meter flat roof thus costs 10,000 Swiss francs without shading or 15,000 Swiss francs with shading.
A pergola, like a terrace roof, stands on pillars and is usually cases open on the side, but is attached to the house. Pergolas are made of wood, plastic, metal or stone, as in the past and still today in Ticino. In the northern part of Switzerland, wood and metal, mainly aluminum, are the most popular and widespread. Pergolas should also be shaded, for example with a blind or awning or a slatted roof. Aluminum or steel are the most suitable, they allow pergolas up to 6 x 6 meters without disturbing central supports.
Expect to pay about 8,500 to 11,250 Swiss francs for a 12-square-meter aluminum shaded pergola with a glass roof. If you have your pergola shaded, even on the sides, you could use it almost like a winter garden. For our example pergola, this costs about 2,000 to 2,500 Swiss francs for the roof and about 2,000 to 2,500 Swiss francs for the sides. A simple wooden pergola without shading is cheaper, but less flexible. Roughly calculate 3,000 to 7,000 Swiss francs for a 12 square meter wooden pergola from a professional. DIY wooden pergolas from the Internet or hardware store are even cheaper, but you have to assemble them yourself..
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A garden pavilion also stands on supports and is open or closed on the sides. Unlike the pergola, which is permanently attached to the house, the pavilion is freestanding in the garden. Wooden pavilions are usually covered with shingles, metal ones are covered with glass and shaded with folding awnings or with slats, which are opened and closed manually or automatically. If the sides are glazed, the elements are usually not fixed anchors, but can be opened. Metal, usually aluminum, is durable, easy to maintain and weather resistant. Wood weathers and develops a patina over the years, but needs to be re-glazed or repainted every few years.
A 12-square-meter open aluminum garden pavilion costs about 10,000 to 12,000 Swiss francs with folding awnings and about 1,000 Swiss francs more with a slatted roof. If you glaze the sides, you should expect to pay 2,000 to 2,500 Swiss francs, and if you also shade them, 2,500 to 3,000 Swiss francs. The bottom line is that the garden pavilion with side glazing and shading costs about 14,500 to 17,500 Swiss francs. Simple wooden gazebos are available in hardware stores for 1,000 to 5,000 Swiss francs, depending on size and quality. To this must be added the cost of assembly from 1,000 to 2,500 Swiss francs. Custom-made wooden pavilions cost more, but are cheaper than metal pavilions.
Garden pavilion and gazebo are the same thing. Pavilion, like so many Helvetisms, comes from French. Garden pavilion is the common term for a gazebo in Switzerland.
A sun awning shades, for example, your garden seating area or children's playground and protects against rain or prying eyes. There are fixed or electric sun awnings. For a 5 x 5 meter sail made of high quality fabric, you can expect to pay between 10,000 and 15,000 Swiss francs for the material, delivery and installation. A 3 x 3 meter sail, permanently mounted, costs about half as much. If the sail can be attached to the house, you save a few hundred Swiss francs in material costs for the unused support. A 5 x 5 meter electric sun awning with a motor that floats on supports above the ground costs about 15,000 to 30,000 Swiss francs.
You can also supplement the terrace roofing, pergola or garden pavilion with sun blinds. In our article "Installing Blinds: Costs and Prices for Sun Blinds" we have researched and compiled the costs. You can directly access the cost estimates for the blinds you are interested in with one click:
All prices are indicative only (as of 2023) so you can estimate the cost. If you want an exact offer, ask our certified shading experts from your region.
