Parasols & Umberellas

Rase Outdoor Living provide a bespoke range of parasols and umbrellas, ideal for any outdoor space. Designed with premium materials by our trusted European manufacturer Prostor, these parasols offer tailored solutions, including cantilever, centre pole, and wall-mounted options. Available in various shapes, sizes, and colours, they combine style and functionality. We deliver genuine service with professional design, supply, and in-house installation throughout the UK.
promise2

Parasol Options

 

If you need assistance, we’re here to guide you through the process of choosing the right parasol for your outdoor space, ensuring comfort and style for you, your family, and friends in any weather.

Cantilever Umbrella

Rase Outdoor Living proudly offers Prostor cantilever parasols, renowned for their exceptional versatility and sleek design. These premium parasols provide maximum shade with minimal footprint, thanks to their offset mast design, with some models capable of supporting multiple canopies. Featuring Prostor’s patented One Move System, they open and close effortlessly in a single sliding motion, ensuring hassle-free use without disturbing furniture. Perfect for hospitality settings, these parasols combine innovative functionality with stylish aesthetics, delivering a superior outdoor shading solution.

Center Pole Umbrella

 

Rase Outdoor Living also proudly offers Prostor’s traditional centre pole parasols, a classic choice for outdoor shading. These freestanding garden umbrellas feature a central mast and are designed for easy, manual operation. Known for their flexibility and simplicity, they are perfect for hospitality settings or as patio umbrellas. In addition, all Prostor parasols come with a five-year colour warranty, ensuring long-lasting vibrancy and durability in any outdoor space.

Wall Mounted Umbrella

Rase also offers Prostor wall-mounted parasols, an innovative solution for maximising outdoor space. These cantilever parasols are securely mounted to the wall, eliminating the need for a ground base. Designed for flexibility, they can pivot horizontally and be combined in various configurations to suit your patio needs. Featuring Prostor’s patented One Move System, they open and close effortlessly in a single sliding motion without disrupting surrounding furniture. Perfect for hospitality settings or as a stylish addition to your garden, these parasols provide practical shade with sleek design.

The Perfect Complement to Commercial Umbrellas: Combining Parasols with Permanent Shade Solutions

While parasols offer an elegant and flexible shading solution, many commercial businesses benefit from using a combination of commercial umbrellas and bioclimatic pergolas to maximise outdoor space efficiency. This strategic approach ensures year-round usability, providing both permanent and seasonal shading solutions for outdoor dining areas, cafés, hotels, and event spaces.

bioclimatic pergola offers a fixed, all-weather structure that can be used throughout the year, providing a reliable solution for outdoor seating, even in unpredictable weather. However, for businesses that experience a significant increase in outdoor footfall during the high season, commercial umbrellas and parasols serve as a valuable extension, allowing for flexible, easily adjustable shade solutions that can be removed or repositioned as needed.

By integrating high-quality parasols alongside a permanent commercial pergola, businesses can create a well-structured, comfortable, and adaptable outdoor environment that meets customer expectations in both peak and off-peak seasons.

Looking for a permanent outdoor structure that enhances your business’s outdoor seating and provides weather protection year-round? Explore our range of Commercial Outdoor Structures for a comprehensive shading solution.

Want to start talking about parasols?

What is a Pergola?

A pergola is a versatile outdoor structure designed to enhance garden spaces by creating a semi-covered area for relaxation, dining, or social gatherings. Often referred to as outdoor living spaces or garden rooms, pergolas are increasingly popular for their ability to combine functionality with style. While wooden pergolas offer a classic, rustic aesthetic, aluminum and metal pergolas provide a modern, durable alternative ideal for a range of weather conditions.

These structures can vary widely in design, serving different purposes from covering walkways to acting as standalone garden features. Pergolas are sometimes compared to gazebos but differ in that they can be attached to an existing building or installed as freestanding elements. For added charm, pergolas can support climbing plants, creating a lush, shaded retreat.

A related garden feature, the arbour, is distinct from a pergola. Typically a small structure with roofed bench seating, arbours are often made of wood and serve as cozy garden accents.

Types of Pergolas for Your Outdoor Space

Pergolas are highly customizable, available in various materials, sizes, and colors to suit your specific needs. Whether you prefer the natural warmth of wood or the sleek durability of aluminum, there is a pergola to fit every style and function.

At Rase Outdoor Living, we specialize in two primary pergola designs:

1. Freestanding Pergolas

Lean-to pergolas are attached structures that extend your living space by connecting to an existing building, creating a sheltered outdoor area perfect for dining or relaxing. With origins in Italy, the term “pergola” refers to a projecting eave, and lean-to designs remain a popular choice for their practicality and style. These pergolas increase property value by enhancing both the functionality and aesthetic of your outdoor space. They offer shelter from the elements, making them ideal for year-round use, and can be customized with options like retractable roofs, glass panels, or integrated lighting. At Rase Outdoor Living, we specialize in bespoke lean-to pergolas, designed to suit any garden or home style. Whether you’re looking for a modern aluminum design or a classic wooden structure, our team ensures the perfect fit for your needs.

2. Lean-to Pergolas

Freestanding pergolas stand independently, offering flexibility in placement and design. Ideal for creating focal points in gardens, patios, or outdoor entertainment areas, they can be open or enclosed depending on your preference for shade or protection. These structures provide a versatile outdoor space, perfect for dining, relaxation, or hosting guests. Freestanding pergolas can be customized with additional features like lighting, heating, or privacy screens for enhanced comfort and style. At Rase Outdoor Living, our freestanding pergolas are made from durable materials like aluminum and wood, offering a blend of modern aesthetics and functionality. Let us help you create the perfect outdoor space with a tailored solution.

Both styles are available in customizable configurations to suit your garden’s layout and your design preferences.

Why Choose Rase Outdoor Living for Your Pergola?

At Rase Outdoor Living, we pride ourselves on delivering bespoke pergola solutions tailored to your specific requirements. Our expert team combines innovative design with premium materials to ensure your pergola is both stylish and functional.

Explore our gallery of previous installations to see how we’ve transformed outdoor spaces for our clients. Whether you’re looking for a freestanding pergola to create a garden sanctuary or a lean-to pergola to enhance your patio, we have the expertise to bring your vision to life.

Let us help you make the most of your outdoor space—contact Rase Outdoor Living today!

Glass Rooms

Create an outdoor room for business or pleasure; built around our pergola frames you can choose to include solid walls and insulated roofs to create a true garden room. Enquire to find out more about our pergola combi structures.

Pergolas

Rase Outdoor Living offers bespoke pergolas, tailored to enhance any outdoor space. Built with premium aluminium from trusted European brands like Brustor, Winsol, and Prostor, our designs ensure quality and style. Contact us to explore our custom pergola solutions.
outdoor kitchen

Commercial Projects

Enhance your business with custom commercial pergolas and glass rooms. Rase Outdoor Living designs stylish, functional outdoor spaces that offer both open-air ambience and weather protection, helping you make the most of your premises year-round.

FAQs

If you have other questions feel free to ask :

This is one of the first questions most customers ask and can be complicated to answer due to the range of pergola types and options available. It is similar to buying a new house or car. 

Would you like to understand why pergolas on the market range so much in price, when in photographs they all look similar? Please contact us to find out more or visit our blogs on costs.

How much does an aluminium pergola cost?

For simplicity though, typically, a budget price for a high-quality Bio-Climatic pergola family sized, with lights, sides and heaters would be between £20,000 and £29,000 installed and including VAT.

Please see more costings below which should help you build your budget.

The example prices include VAT, design, delivery and installation by us.

Timber: These are traditional pergola and will be budget friendly and relatively easy to repair. Most will not be waterproof and will have relatively high maintenance requirements. Wood is a natural material and as such will move and weather. They can add structure to a garden and can be used to support climbing plants and create an occasional space in your garden. Budget around £500 – £5000.

Standard Sized / Off the shelf: Aluminium louvred roof pergolas are available as a click and buy option from numerous internet companies, garden centres etc. Offered in standard sizes and colours, these would be self-installed and arrive with you flat packed. Typically, they are manufactured in China and use thinner aluminium sections, single skin louvres and possibly some mild steel components. When assembled they will have numerous exposed fixings. Lights and screens can be added as options when purchasing, these would usually be fitted at the end of the installation and not integral. They can be supplied to retailers in their own branding and packaging. Some companies may offer a video or a helpline support number to help you during the installation. Budgets for this option are between £2500 and £10,000.

If you are looking for a space that is useable most of the year and your budget allows; this could be the solution for you. These pergolas are built to your design and will offer you the most options for size, colour, sides, heating, lighting, sound, and media. These make a multi-functional room outside which can be opened up to enjoy on the warmer days and fully closed to make a watertight comfortable space to be used when the evening or poorer weather arrives.

A bio-climatic pergola allows you to control the amount of direct sunlight, shade and heat through rotating/retracting louvred roofs and allows you to control the microclimate within the pergola. To enhance the space, options are available such as lights, heaters, sides, heating, sound and visual media.

In general terms they will be a better quality compared to any off the shelf option and subsequently will offer a longer life expectancy and would be bought on a supply and install basis. Some companies offer a complete in-house service to include, design, survey and installation whilst other companies may subcontract out parts of the process.

Manufacturers of bespoke pergolas generally offer a few variations of pergolas at different price points and it’s important to consider the finer details before committing to a company. Discuss the detail of your pergola with the supplier before committing to a purchase. They should be open and honest at this stage of the process and be willing to share any information you request.

Main points for consideration:

  • Louvre construction – this adds strength and durability to your pergola, single skin type louvres do not offer the same properties as double skinned. Also, how do the louvres transport water to the gutter system?
  • Leg and frame cross sections – Generally a slimmer leg and frame will not offer the same stability as a broader one. Also, what thickness aluminium is the pergola constructed from? Some manufacturers will use a lower grade aluminium which will have a negative impact on stability, durability, and life span.
  • Are the screens integrated into the beam? – If screens are fitted in an additional ‘cassette’ type system, this will increase the depth of the beam and reduce head room and the overall aesthetic will be compromised. Larger cross section beams provide a space for the screen to be retracted into, this means they are virtually invisible when retracted and do not compromise the elegance of the design.
  • How is the pergola anchored to the floor? – Visible fixings can have a detrimental effect to the overall look of your pergola. Better quality manufacturers have been able to design all fixings within the structure to be invisible when the pergola is fully installed giving the cleanest most elegant lines.
  • Maximum size of a pergola – Generally this is an indicator of quality, higher quality pergolas should span a larger space with one frame minimising the amount of legs and giving a better aesthetic. Pergolas can also be coupled together in various combinations to cover larger spaces and more complex shapes.
  • Discuss with the retailer the full process from start to finish, ask them for details on who installs the pergola, the process for installing your pergola, how is it transported etc. You can also consider asking to view their previous installs and testimonials from previous customers.