Installing your pergola.
Site preparation, fixing and aftercare for Nova Titan and Luna pergolas. Read it before delivery day. Most installation problems are decided long before the first bolt goes in.
Plan the spot before the pergola arrives
A Nova pergola is a substantial aluminium or steel structure that’s anchored to the ground. Choose where it goes, and make sure that spot is ready, before it’s delivered.
Choosing your location
- Decide the exact position. Measure the footprint and mark it out. Check doors, windows, gates and paths can still open and be used freely around it.
- Look up. Make sure there are no overhanging trees, roof edges, gutters, cables or other structures in the way of the frame or roof.
- Look down. Before anyone drills, check for buried pipes, drains and electric cables where the legs will be fixed. If you're not sure what's under your patio, find out first.
- Think about water and power. Consider where rainwater will run off the roof. If your pergola has lighting or motorised louvres, plan the power supply now; any mains connection must be made by a qualified electrician.
- Clear the area completely. Furniture, BBQs, outdoor kitchens, hot tubs and pots all need to be moved out of the way, with enough room around the footprint to work safely and lift the frame.
- Check the rules. Most freestanding pergolas don't need planning permission, but check with your local planning authority if you're close to a boundary, in a conservation area, living in a listed building, or if you rent or have a management company.
People and tools
Pergolas are heavy and awkward to lift. Allow at least two capable adults, and ideally three for raising the roof section. You’ll typically need a tape measure, spirit level, step ladders, a socket set and spanners, a rubber mallet, and a drill with a masonry bit suitable for your fixings. Your assembly manual lists the exact tools and fixings for your model.
Open the boxes and check every part against the parts list as soon as your order arrives, not on installation day. If anything is damaged or missing, contact the retailer you bought from straight away so it can be put right before you start.
Get the base right
Your pergola is only as secure as what’s under its footplates. Each leg is bolted through the finished surface into something solid below, ideally a concrete pad.
Size
At least 10mm larger than the pergola's overall footprint, so every footplate sits fully on the base. A 4 x 3m Titan, for example, needs a base of at least 4010 x 3010mm. The product dimensions drawing shows where each footplate sits.
Level
A gentle fall for drainage is fine. Each leg can be packed by up to 50mm to level the pergola. Beyond that, level the base first. An out-of-level pergola can leak at the louvres and stop accessories working properly.
If you’re in any doubt about what’s under your surface, set a 400 x 400 x 400mm postcrete pad beneath each footplate position, then finish the surface on top (tiles fully grouted, decking laid). The installer drills through the finished surface into the pad. Choose your pergola size before any groundwork so the pads land exactly where the footplates go.
Surfaces
Concrete
A solid poured concrete base is ideal. It must be fully cured before installation.
Slabs, block paving and porcelain
Needs a solid foundation beneath. If it's under 150mm thick or you don't know how it was laid, add a concrete pad at each leg position.
Tarmac
Suitable if 150mm or thicker and in good condition. Otherwise, add a concrete pad at each leg position.
Timber or composite decking
Boards alone aren't enough. Each footplate needs a concrete pad or a structural joist beneath it, wide enough to bolt the footplate into fully.
Grass, artificial turf, soil or gravel
Only with a concrete pad beneath each footplate. Never bolted into loose ground.
Don't know what's underneath?
If you're not sure who laid your patio or how, check the foundations before installation day.
Before installation day
All groundwork and other garden work finished, with concrete and mortar fully cured and dry.
From boxes to a secure, level frame
Always follow the assembly manual supplied with your pergola for model-specific steps and fixings. The sequence below is the order that gets the best result.
Unpack and lay out
Lay the parts out on a clean, soft surface near the site so the powder-coated finish doesn't get scratched. Keep the fixings together and away from lawns and gravel.
Assemble the frame
Build the frame in the order shown in your manual. Hand-tighten fixings at first and only fully tighten once the frame is square.
Position, square and level
Stand the pergola in its final position. Check it's square by measuring both diagonals (they should match), then level each leg, packing by no more than 50mm.
Offer up accessories and mark the feet
Side walls and screens sit over the footplates, so they can't be fully fitted before the legs are bolted down. Offer each accessory up and loose-fit it, mark the footplate positions on the base, then remove it.
Anchor every leg, then final-fix accessories
Bolt every footplate to the base at the marked positions with heavy-duty anchor bolts of at least 100mm, using every fixing hole. Drill carefully to avoid cracking tiles or paving. Then refit the accessories and final-fix them.
Final checks
Re-check level and square, tighten every fixing, and test the louvres, side screens and any lighting through their full range. Clear away all packaging.
Wind ratings
These wind ratings only apply to a pergola that is correctly anchored to a suitable base, as described in this guide. An unanchored pergola can move or lift in strong wind, putting people and property at risk, and damage to a pergola that hasn’t been anchored isn’t covered by the Nova warranty.
A few habits that keep it looking sharp
Once it’s up, a Nova pergola needs very little from you. These simple habits protect the structure and keep the finish looking its best for years.
- Leave the louvres open when not in use. Even when fully anchored, open louvres let wind pass through. For heavy snow, follow your manual's guidance on louvre position.
- Keep it clear. Brush off leaves and debris and keep the drainage channels free. This matters most with the roof closed, when the drainage does all the work, so check more often in autumn or under trees.
- Never force moving parts. If louvres or screens become stiff, stop and find the cause rather than pushing harder.
- Treat side screens like a parasol. Retract them into the cassette whenever you're not using the pergola, keep the fabric and guide channels clean, and don't operate them when frozen or obstructed.
- Check the fixings. Every few months, and after any storm, check the anchor bolts and frame fixings are still tight.
- Clean it gently. Warm soapy water and a soft cloth, then rinse. No abrasive pads, wire brushes or harsh chemicals on the powder coat. Near the coast, rinse with fresh water more often to remove salt.
- Don't add loads it wasn't designed for. No heavy hanging items, swings or planters on the frame, and no climbing on the roof.
- Leave the structure as supplied. Drilling, cutting or modifying the frame can weaken it and affect your warranty.
- Keep your manual safe. It holds the operating, servicing and warranty information for your model. Where it differs from this guide, follow the manual.
Accessories are easiest to fit at installation, when they can be offered up to set the footplate positions. Adding them later is possible but may mean loosening the fixings to realign the frame. Speak to your retailer before ordering.
For the full cleaning and seasonal routine, see the care guide for your model.
Cover that's built to last, too
Every Nova pergola comes with a frame warranty from the date of purchase. Here’s how long it lasts and how to keep it in place.
Side screens, louvre motors and integrated LED lighting carry a 1-year guarantee from the date of purchase, wherever you live.
Living by the sea
Salt air is tough on finishes and fixings. If you live within three miles of the sea or a tidal estuary, the frame warranty is shorter, as shown above. Rinsing the frame with fresh water regularly helps protect it.
Keeping your warranty in place
- Buy from an authorised Nova retailer. The warranty covers the original purchaser and isn't transferable.
- Install it as this guide and your manual describe, on a suitable base with every leg anchored. Damage to an unanchored pergola isn't covered.
- Follow the care routine. Damage from not cleaning or maintaining the pergola in line with the supplied care instructions isn't covered.
- Use it at home, as supplied. Accidents, misuse, modifications and commercial use aren't covered.
- Follow the severe-weather guidance. Keep louvres open and screens retracted when you're not using the pergola.
Making a claim
Contact the retailer you bought your pergola from. They’ll handle the claim with Nova and keep you updated. Have your proof of purchase, the product name (and SKU if you have it), and clear photos ready: one wide shot of the whole pergola and close-ups of the problem.
Nothing in the Nova warranty affects your statutory rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Full terms are in the Nova warranty document supplied with your pergola and on our warranty page.
Setting your customers up to succeed
Most failed or delayed installations come down to a base or site that wasn’t ready. Sharing this guide with your customer at the point of sale is the simplest way to prevent that.
At the point of sale
- Share this guide with every pergola order, ideally before the customer commits to a delivery date.
- Ask about the base. What surface, how it was laid, and whether it's level. Loose-laid slabs and gravel are the most common problems.
- Confirm accessories up front. Where side walls or screens are on the order, try to deliver them with the pergola so it can be fitted and fixed in one visit.
- Point customers to the Nova warranty, especially the shorter frame term within three miles of the sea.
- Report transit damage within 14 days of delivery, with photos and the original packaging.
- Residential use only. Pergolas used in hospitality, commercial or rental settings aren't covered unless the range is sold for commercial use.
If you offer installation
Installation is a service provided by you or your chosen installer, under your own terms. We’d recommend your terms make clear what happens if the site isn’t ready on the day, if the base is found to be unsuitable, or if the customer declines anchoring. Make sure your installers work to this guide and the model’s assembly manual.
Pre-delivery checklist for your customer
Site
Location decided, area clear, no overhead obstructions, services underground checked.
Base
Suitable surface or concrete pads, 10mm larger than the footprint, each leg within 50mm of level, fully cured.
People
Someone at home to confirm the position; two to three people available if self-installing.
Order
Parts checked on arrival; accessories on the same delivery where possible.
For technical questions, spare parts or support with a customer, speak to your Nova account manager or the trade team via our contact page.
A solid base, every leg anchored, and years of life outdoors.
If something doesn’t look right, or the roof or screens aren’t operating as they should, contact your retailer before you reach for tools. They’d always rather help you get it right first time.
- Customers
- The retailer you bought fromFirst point of contact for questions, parts and warranty
- Retailers
- Your Nova account managerTechnical support, spare parts and customer escalations.