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How to ..... ?

This blog is intended to be helpful to English-speaking foreign residents in Spain by explaining "How to ... " do certain things. "The DIY Guy" has lived in Spain full time since 2008. A fluent Spanish-speaker he reckons he knows his way round the bureaucracy, the indifference and sometimes downright rudeness of "funcionarios". He's also pretty good with his hands, doing up houses and renovating things.

How to ….. BUILD A PERGOLA / CARPORT?
Friday, July 18, 2025 @ 6:35 AM

Brexit: Después de la salida el final apenas comienzaI've built a few pergolas and one carport in my time. They are essentially the same, except a carport has a roof of some kind.

Two pergolas in England and three in Spain and one carport in Spain.

It's been interesting, what with the variation in the quality of materials and different construction methods.

Although it was a long time ago, I recall that building such structures in England was relatively straightforward.

In Spain, less so.

 

[Photo courtesy of Homebase]     

What you need

Brexit: Después de la salida el final apenas comienzaBrexit: Después de la salida el final apenas comienzaBrexit: Después de la salida el final apenas comienza

     [Anticuable]                                                         [Rusticos Juan Garcia]                                       [Maderas Menga]   

Brexit: Después de la salida el final apenas comienza

    [Union Ferretera]

 

Check out this online video on building a carport by BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology):

¿Conoces la Cuenta y Tarjeta Joven BBVA?

 

My pergolas

The first pergola I built was at our house in Thelwall (Warrington) in around 2004 using reclaimed timber, with my teenage son, Tom, as my helper.

The second was at my house in Latchford (also Warrington) following my redundancy, divorce and nervous breakdown.

Once again, my "labourer" was my son Tom, who had just finished his A-Levels, was at a loose end and needed to earn money. That was in 2008.

 

Pergolas in Spain

Brexit: Después de la salida el final apenas comienzaIn between times I built, alone, the best pergola I've managed to date. That was on the reconstructed terrace of a house I bought in Ronda in 2003 to do up and put on the market as a holiday rental.

Over a couple of years, I had help with the renovation of Casa Blanca from friends and family: Alan Shepherd, Amy Whitelock, Jeryl Whitelock, Johnny White and Tom Whitelock.

     [Photo courtesy of Booking.com]

 

Ultimately I had to sell Casa Blanca to fund the purchase of a house in Latchford (q.v.) in 2008. As a result of the renovation and the state of the housing market at that time, ie (before the world economic crash in 2010), I made a significant capital gain.

I also built a pergola for clients who had employed me to renovate their house.

Brexit: Después de la salida el final apenas comienzaThree years ago I built a carport at our domicilio just outside Ronda with the help of my friend Michael.

That does a great job in protecting the paintwork from the searing sun, which acts like paintstripper.

 

 

[Photo by Paul Whitelock]     

 

Currently I am building a pergola at the house.

We have a terrace outside our bedroom, which needs more shade. So I am building a pergola for the grape vine and the bougainvilla to grow over, which will give us much needed shade in this suntrap, which has vicious sun all day long.

(awaiting photo)

 

Conclusion

Pergolas and carports are great, aren't they? Fun to build and a definite asset.

 

© Pablo de Ronda

 

Photos:

Booking.com, Homebase, Paul Whitelock, 

 

Links:

The Houses That Jack Built - Eye on Spain

The houses that Jack built! - Secret Serrania de Ronda

¿Conoces la Cuenta y Tarjeta Joven BBVA? - BYOT

 

Thanks:

Alan Shepherd, Amy Whitelock, BYOT, Jeryl Whitelock, Johnny White, Tom Whitelock, 

 

Tags:

Alan Shepherd, Amy Whitelock, Anticuable, Booking.com, BYOT, carport, Homebase, Jeryl Whitelock, Johnny White, Latchford, Maderas Menga, Montejaque, Paul Whitelock, pergola, Ronda, Ronda, Rusticos Juan Garcia, Thelwall, Tom Whitelock, Union Ferretera, Warrington



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