Composite pergola in Sedgefield.

The brief

This contemporary, flat-roofed home sits on an open rise above Sedgefield on the Garden Route, looking out over fynbos and the valley beyond. The owners wanted a covered outdoor living area that kept the home’s clean modern lines and stood up to coastal sun and weather, with the warmth of timber but none of its maintenance.

The build

We built a composite pergola over the terrace, a slatted, timber-look composite roof carried on a charcoal powder-coated aluminium frame. The slats filter the harsh Garden Route sun across the day, while the composite reads as natural wood yet never needs sanding, sealing or painting and won’t warp, rot or fade in the coastal climate.

The result

A crisp, low-maintenance outdoor room that frames the valley views, shades the terrace from the sun and matches the home’s aluminium-and-glass palette. Nothing more than the occasional rinse keeps it looking new.

On the rise above Sedgefield

A hilltop position gives this home its fynbos and valley views, and the same position gives it sun with nowhere to hide. The slatted composite roof deals with that neatly. The slats filter the light as it moves across the day, so the terrace holds a band of workable shade from breakfast through to late afternoon without ever closing off the outlook.

On a flat-roofed contemporary house, anything added to the outside has to hold the line, and the charcoal aluminium frame with timber-look slats sits comfortably in the home's aluminium-and-glass palette. Living on an exposed rise on the Garden Route, the owners also get the quieter benefit: composite doesn't warp or fade out here, so the terrace room keeps its looks without being worked for it.