Pergolas & Outdoor Kitchens in Oxfordshire

A basic run with a built-in grill and worktop starts around £3,000–6,000. Most of what we build is mid-spec at £8,000–15,000: a proper frame, outdoor-grade porcelain or stone worktop, built-in grill, side burner and a sink with water and drainage. Larger builds with a pizza oven, refrigeration and a covering structure run from £18,000 upwards. Per linear metre of run, £1,600–5,000 is the working range.

Usually not. A pergola in a rear garden normally falls under permitted development provided it stays under 2.5 m high if it is within 2 m of a boundary, under 3 m otherwise for a flat roof, and does not cover more than half the garden. Listed buildings and conservation areas — parts of Oxford and several villages around it — are the exception and need checking properly. We assess this at the free survey and tell you before you commit to anything.

Timber, especially oak, looks warmer, sits better in a traditional garden and costs a fraction of the alternative. It weathers to silver-grey and needs occasional treatment. An aluminium louvered pergola costs several times as much but does something timber cannot: closed, the blades shed rain and you can sit out through a shower; open, they let the sun through. If you want the space usable regardless of weather, that is what you are paying for.

Yes, if it is specified for it. Everything we build uses outdoor-grade cabinetry, frost-proof porcelain or stone worktops and stainless fixings, and any water supply is fitted with an isolation valve so it can be drained before a freeze. Under a covered pergola with a heater and lighting, an outdoor kitchen is genuinely used in October and November rather than for six weeks in summer.

It depends on where it sits. On an existing patio, posts are usually fixed to the slab with galvanised or stainless anchors, provided the slab has a decent bed beneath it. On soft ground, posts go into concrete pads roughly 400–600 mm deep. A large oak structure or a louvered aluminium one needs engineered foundations, because both are heavy and the louvered roof carries wind load — this is not the place to save money.

A timber pergola on an existing patio is typically two to four days. An aluminium louvered pergola is a day or two on site once it arrives, but lead times from the manufacturer are commonly six to ten weeks, so it needs ordering early. A full outdoor kitchen with services — water, drainage and power — usually runs one to two weeks including the groundwork.

Yes. We run armoured cable to the structure and fit integrated LED strips in the rafters, downlights in the posts, weatherproof sockets for a grill or fridge, and heaters where the space is meant to be used year-round. It is all first-fixed before the structure is finished, so no cable is visible. Circuits are installed and certified to Part P.