Difference Between Pergola and Verandah

The key difference between pergola and verandah is that a pergola is an outdoor structure consisting of columns that support a roofing grid of beams and rafters while a verandah is an open-air gallery with a roof, attached to the outside of a building.

Both pergolas and verandahs are relaxing and pleasant outdoor structures. Although some people use these two words interchangeably, there is a distinct difference between pergola and verandah.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is a Pergola
3. What is a Verandah
4. Similarities Between Pergola and Verandah
5. Side by Side Comparison – Pergola vs Verandah in Tabular Form
6. Summary

What is a Pergola?

Pergola is an Italian word which refers to an outdoor structure specifically designed to support climbing plants. It contains pillars or vertical posts that support cross beams and open lattice, upon which people sometimes, grow plants. Therefore, pergolas serve as naturally shaded outdoor structures.

Moreover, a pergola is a versatile outdoor structure as it can be either attached to a house, freestanding, open or sheltered.  Therefore, it can serve as a protection for an open terrace, an extension of a building or even a link between pavilions.

In modern architecture, pergolas are constructed with various materials such as wood, thatch, metal, or, polycarbonate. In addition to making a building look aesthetically pleasing, a pergola allows residents to enjoy breeze and light while offering protection from the harsh glare of direct sunlight.

What is a Verandah?

A verandah is an open-air gallery with a roof, attached to the outside of a building.  A verandah is usually similar to a balcony; their main difference being verandahs’ location on the ground floor and balconies’ location in upper floors. Verandahs are usually enclosed by a railing or a similar structure. Moreover, they extend across the front and sides of a building.

You can use verandahs for all sorts of activities. Verandah can serve as a place to receive guests, sit and relax, or even host a party. There are four basic styles of verandahs in architecture: curved, flat, gabled and bullnosed/covered. You can choose a style you like based on the style of the house, landscape and size of the land.

The word verandah actually comes from the Hindi word varaṇḍā or the Portuguese word varanda. In fact, verandahs first appeared in colonial buildings during the 1850s.

What are the Similarities Between Pergola and Verandah?

• Both pergola and verandah are outdoor structures that allow breeze and light.
• Also, it is possible to sit and relax in both places.

What is the Difference Between Pergola and Verandah?

A pergola is an outdoor structure consisting of columns that support a roofing grid of beams and rafters while a verandah is an open-air gallery with a roof, attached to the outside of a building. Therefore, this is the key difference between pergola and verandah. Accordingly, pergolas contain columns that support a roofing grid of beams and rafters while verandahs open-air galleries with roofs, and sometimes railings.

Furthermore, a significant difference between pergola and verandah is that pergolas are either attached or detached to a house while verandahs are attached to the house. Moreover, the former is specially designed to support climbing plants whereas the latter is not designed to support plants.

Below infographic interprets the difference between pergola and verandah as a side by side comparison.

Summary – Pergola vs Verandah

The key difference between pergola and verandah is that a pergola is an outdoor structure consisting of columns that support a roofing grid of beams and rafters while a verandah is an open-air gallery with a roof, that attaches to the outside of a building.

Image Courtesy:

1.”8425890075″ by Wicker Paradise (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr
2.”Rose Pergola at Kew Gardens”By Daniel Case – Own work, (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia 
3.”186400″ by glynn424 (CC0) via pixabay
4.”1017662″ by deborahdanielsmail (CC0) via pixabay

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