FlexPatio Showcase: a Double Pergola Installation near Cambridge

Real project · Cambridge area

The patio looked ready. The paving was complete, the space had been measured and power was close by. The plan was to connect two motorised pergolas so they read as one architectural addition to the home.

What could not be seen was the support beneath the slabs. That hidden layer would shape the foundations, the alignment of the posts and the installation sequence.

The brief: two roofs, one space

The customer wanted generous coverage without making the patio feel closed in. Connecting two pergolas created the required length while allowing each roof to operate independently. Open louvres would bring in daylight and ventilation; closed louvres would provide shelter; integrated lighting would extend use into the evening.

The challenge was visual as well as structural. Across a long installation, small differences at foundation level become obvious in the roof line. The central posts, outer frames and relationship with the house all had to be resolved together.

Before

After

The patio looked finished. The ground had other ideas.

Paving slabs are a finished surface, not automatically a structural foundation. The slabs were lifted only where the posts would stand so the ground beneath could be assessed. Once opened, the sub-base proved harder than expected.

Dedicated concrete pads were prepared at the approved post positions. Their placement mattered as much as their strength: every fixing point had to match the geometry of both frames. After the foundations were ready, the paving could be reinstated around them, leaving the structural work out of sight.

The most important part of the finished installation is now completely invisible.

Making two structures read as one

With the foundations established, the installation moved above ground. The frames were assembled and checked against the house, the central posts and the prepared fixing points. Alignment was reviewed across the full length before the roof components were completed.

Power planning formed part of the same exercise. The supply sat near the middle of the combined structure, so the cable exits and central posts needed to work together. The aim was simple: reliable access to power without allowing the wiring to dominate the finished view.

When engineering becomes atmosphere

Once the structure was complete, the emphasis changed. Open louvres restored sky, light and airflow above the patio. Closing them created shelter at the touch of a button. The integrated LED strips sat quietly within the frame during the day and gave the space a different character after dark.

The finished result

The completed installation no longer reads as two kits placed side by side. The continuous roof line gives the patio a clear boundary, while the open louvres preserve its connection with the garden and sky.

The foundations, cable decisions and alignment checks have disappeared beneath the finished result. What remains is a flexible covered space shaped around a real home in the Cambridge area.

This article features a real project in the Cambridge area. Site conditions and foundation requirements vary, so the final installation approach should be confirmed for each property.