Roof Design Styles —Arbors, Cabanas, Gazebos, Pavilions & Pergolas
So, you are wanting a fabulous outdoor living space that beckons to come out and enjoy the sunshine every day.
On an arbor, cabana, gazebo, pavilion, or pergola, the roof is the most prominent architectural feature.
The design of the roof can really change the look and feel of an outdoor room; which can create an array of exciting design choices.
A roof is the uppermost part of a building that provides shelter and protection from weather conditions such as heat, rain, and snow.
Just The Way You Picture It
The 3D ShadeScape® model pictured above is a pavilion style shelter designed for the Evermore Park in Pleasant Grove, Utah. The pergola style roof provides dappled lighting with the look of a pavilion that adheres to their Old-World theme.
In a shade structure, the overall architectural design and the roof style is usually what determines whether a shade structure is called a gazebo, pergola or pavilion. Typically a gazebo has a conical eight-sided shaped roof.
Pergolas have a semi-open roof to allow for sunlight and shade together, the best of both worlds.
Pavilions feature a completely enclosed roof —and as all ShadeScape® shelters, a pavilion can be an attached or free-standing structure.
Roof Design Styles for Arbor, Cabanas, Gazebos, Pavilions, and Pergolas
Integrative Roof Designs
for Arbors, Cabanas, Gazebos, Pavilions, and Pergolas
Integrating gazebo/pavilion and pergola roofing designs is a beautiful and practical combination in many outdoor living landscapes. With areas that are completely shaded as a pavilion or gazebo joined together with the openness and freedom of a pergola, the architecture can be stunning.
Integrated Gazebo and Pergola ShadeScape® kits from Western Timber Frame™. 
Back view of integrated Gazebo and Pavilion outdoor living ShadeScape® shelter from Western Timber Frame™. 
Side view of integrated Gazebo and Pavilion outdoor living ShadeScape® shelter from Western Timber Frame™.
2-Story Roof
for Arbors, Cabanas, Gazebos, Pavilions, and Pergolas
On some of our ShadeScape® shade shelters we have designed the roof to be a second story deck. Sometimes the second story deck is covered with a gazebo, pergola, or pavilion roof. This two-story pergola features a built in waterfall with a diving deck on top.
One of the benefits of a two story Western Timber Frame™ ShadeScape® shelter is creating twice as much outdoor living space as seen here in this before and after deck replacement.
Tiered Roof
for Arbors, Cabanas, Gazebos, Pavilions, and Pergolas
Two tiered roofs can be double roofs or tiered with cupolas or corbels for a stunning vision of classic old-world architecture.
Pictured left is a Western Timber Frame™ Asian Style ShadeScape® DIY Pergola Plan. The custom cut of the beam end profiles give it that beautiful pagoda ambience creating a spectacular garden showpiece.
A-Frame Roof
for Arbors, Cabanas, Gazebos, Pavilions, and Pergolas
A gable roof is shaped like an upside-down V and is sometimes referred to as a dual pitched, saddle, saddleback or peaked roof. The gentle slope of a hip roof with its trapezoidal sides and pyramid-like elegance is a graceful traditional design that pleases the eyes and can be constructed in a combination of various unique styles.
Rooftop Cupola
for Cabanas, Gazebos, Pavilions
In architecture, a cupola is a small and most often dome-like structure adorning a roof or ceiling. Cupolas simulate a place to look out or to admit light and air and usually crowns a larger roof or dome. A Cupola with a bell is a Bell Tower. Weathervanes are a beautiful roof ornament to enhance a Cupola or Bell Tower. Bell Towers and Cupolas are sometimes topped with an American Flag as well.
Gable Roof
for Arbors, Cabanas, Gazebos, Pavilions, and Pergolas
A gable roof is shaped like an upside-down V and is sometimes referred to as a dual pitched, saddle, saddleback or peaked roof.
Partial Open Roof
for Arbors, Cabanas, Gazebos, Pavilions, and Pergolas
Pergolas, arbor and trellis roofs are most often semi-covered with a beam and rafter crossed for a lattice-like styled roof. Western Timber Frame™ ShadeScape® pergola kits typically have 85% coverage because that is what a good shade tree offers.
Cross Gable Roof
for Arbors, Cabanas, Gazebos, Pavilions, and Pergolas
A cross-gabled roof is formed by joining to or more sections of a gabled roof together to form a simple L or T shape to a variety of complex shapes such as a crow-stepped, stepped gable, stepped corbie, all of which look like steps.
Tile Roof
for Arbors, Cabanas, Gazebos, Pavilions, and Pergolas
A tile roof has some advantages when installing in the right climate. A properly installed tile roof could last over 100 years. As solid wood timber frame does, tile roofs also perform better in withstanding fire, hail and high winds and carries a class-A rating. Tile roofs are popular in many of the Southwest States.
Barrel Top Roof
for Arbors, Cabanas, Pavilions, and Pergolas
A continuous curved arch that forms a timber frame roof for a pergola adds interest as well as drawing the eye upwards giving the perception of a grandeur scaled structure. There is an innate and natural affection for curves, and arches in architecture.
Domed roofs have been an attraction of great cathedrals, castles, and churches for over centuries of time. The Barrel Top design maximizes the interior living space and creates that extra aesthetic appeal – turning a beautiful shelter – into a stunning showplace.
Mono-Pitched Shed Roof
for Arbors, Cabanas, Gazebos, Pavilions, and Pergolas
Mono-Pitched or Shed Roof can be attached or freestanding. This type of roof is also referred to as a pent roof, lean-to roof or skillion roof. It is sloped only on one single side.
Two-Tone Roof
for Arbors, Cabanas, Gazebos, Pavilions, and Pergolas
Color creates interest and mood, much like a hairdresser does with mixing hair colors. It also adds instant perceived depth and height which is why our two-tone stain upgrade is a popular choice for outdoor shade shelters.
Round Roof
for Arbors, Cabanas, Gazebos, Pavilions, and Pergolas
Some of the oldest constructions of indigenous shelters were round or semi radii such as the North American tepee, hogans, and yurts. Spherical or circular shapes reflect the earth and naturally give a welcoming curve appeal.
A Neuroscience study conducted at Harvard Medical School suggested when people were given a choice between linear or curved styles most chose circular or curved to be more aesthetically pleasing than linear styles.
The preference for roundness and curves is said to be more than just personal taste. It is hard-wired into our brains to have an aesthetic preference for contours, even in architecture.
Inverted Radius Roof
for Arbors, Cabanas, Pavilions, and Pergolas
A continuous curved arch that forms a timber frame roof for a pergola adds interest as well as drawing the eye upwards giving the perception of a grandeur scaled structure.
Cantilever Roof
for Arbors, Cabanas, Gazebos, Pavilions, and Pergolas
A cantilevered pergola roof makes an enduring statement with its well-thought-out design creating the feeling of openness and space as it graciously provides expanded shade in a limited or smaller area.
Curved Cantileverd Roof
for Arbors, Cabanas, Gazebos, Pavilions, and Pergolas
A cantilevered pergola roof makes an enduring statement with its well-thought-out design creating the feeling of openness and space as it graciously provides expanded shade in a limited or smaller area.
FullWrap® Roof
for Arbors, Cabanas, Gazebos, Pavilions, and Pergolas
The FullWrap™ roof is an elegant, unique finished look with the beam profiles shown on 3 or 4 sides and is one of our top pergola roof design choices.
Step Roof
for Arbors, Cabanas, Gazebos, Pavilions, and Pergolas
A continuous curved arch that forms a timber frame roof for a pergola adds interest as well as drawing the eye upwards giving the perception of a grandeur scaled structure.
Louvered Roof
for Arbors, Cabanas, Gazebos, Pavilions, and Pergolas
At the push of a button, a remote-controlled louvered roof can open and close to let in the sunshine when you want it and close it off from the rain. A louvered solid wood roof is more can be strategically positioned when designed to direct and take advantage of the shade and the sun during the prime time of the day.
Solar Roof
for Arbors, Cabanas, Gazebos, Pavilions, and Pergolas
Pergolas and solar panels are a winning combination. Instead of being an eyesore, solar panels can be custom integrated with one of our award-winning timber kit designs. Beautiful, responsible, and smart outdoor living.
Customizable roof pitch combined with a flexible site position allows for maximum seasonal energy collection. A flat roof allows panels to be ideally mounted with standoff mounting hardware for maximum angle of incidence, and also allows for seasonal adjustment as needed.
Retractable Canopies, UV Protective Shade Cloth & Fabric Umbrella Blinds
for Arbors, Cabanas, Gazebos, Pavilions, and Pergolas
Canopies create a shady umbrella that can add the soft look of fabric and can add great contrast and color complementing the strong masculine timber setting. There is motorized and manual retractable blind roofing system as well as solar-powered.
Weaved through the solid timbers, this Southwest-style attached timber frame pergola keeps the canopy stretched tightly preventing the fabric from flapping causing undue noise that is often associated with fabric canopies.
Polycarbonate & Custom Patterned Roofs
for Arbors, Cabanas, Gazebos, Pavilions, and Pergolas
Every ShadeScape®, particularly an arbor or pergola will have a distribution of stencil-like shadows. Roofs with a unique patterns take on a whole new dimension. The mirrored contrast displays an ever-changing array of moving impressions. Polycarbonate or latticed roofing can add some real dynamics with color, lighting and specialty designs.
Asian Style Roof
for Arbors, Cabanas, Gazebos, Pavilions, and Pergolas
An Asian style pergola can be designed to complement and fit comfortably with the style and architecture of a modern home, garden, park or other outdoor spaces.
The decorative elements in a pergola including characteristics such as a skylight, hipped roof or a double pitched; some color elements all add to an awesome Asian/Oriental atmosphere creating a private sanctuary you can escape to and relax as though you were across the world; in your own backyard retreat.
Grass, Thatched or Vine Covered Roof
for Arbors, Cabanas, Pavilions, and Pergolas
If you are looking for that tropical backyard paradise or a lush garden-green atmosphere, a grass, thatched or vine-covered roof can capture the style and feel.
The distinguishing characteristics implemented in a roof depend primarily upon the intended use of the architectural structure. For example, a pergola is designed to admit partial sunlight with lots of shade, while a conservatory lets in a lot of sunlight.
On the other hand, a roof can have windows on at least one side to emit lots of sunlight for plants. This Western Timber Frame™ pavilion kit was completely enclosed by the homeowners to create a winter sunroom.
Glossary of more varieties of complex shapes and designs of roof construction ideas:
A flat roof is the most common traditional roof in places that have low precipitation. Most “flat roofs” have somewhat of a gentle pitch.
A terraced roof was is a flat roof with a balustrade that is used as an extra living area.
The half-hipped or clipped gabled roof is a hip roof with a lower gable section.
The dutch gable roof is just the opposite of a half-hipped roof with the gable on top and the hipped roof lower.
The saltbox roof is a gabled roof the one side that is shorter than the other sometimes called a cat-slide roof.
A saw-tooth roof consists of a series of ridges that have a dual pitch on either side. The vertical surface is glazed and faces away from the equator in order to shield from the direct sunlight while admitting natural light from the northern hemisphere into a building or factory.
The four main elements that form a roof design is the type of material, design of construction and its strength and durability. Throughout the history of man, the covering for housing and shelters have been constructed from a variety of different materials such as: seagrass, banana leaves, bark, sod, straw, wheaten straw or rice reed, stone, slate, laminated glass, concrete, aluminum, copper, animal hides, wood or solar shingles, ceramic tiles, and even snow.
The roof’s construction is determined much by its underneath support, space it bridges and weather, whether a roof is pitched or not. Most modern solid roof’s in the United States are sloped or pitched to allow for runoff but as seen above there are numerous options in roof design for an outdoor shade shelter.
Western Timber Frame™ shade structures are visibly massive heavy timber of impressive engineering masterpieces rich in architectural heritage, perfected in modern technology, creating monumental heirlooms for generations to enjoy.
