If you are looking for cheap pergolas, you need to know the following things. Verandas or pergolas are great ideas to extend the space of your living areas to accommodate parties, barbecues and dinner parties. In colder climates, you can purchase plastic bistro blinds to provide shelter for your verandas. Before you go out and purchase verandas, please be aware of the tricks. The savings in costs of purchasing a veranda will be mentioned below.

First of all, companies that make and sell verandas will want to maximise their profits. This means when you go to the sales representatives, they will quote you on an over inflated price. It is up to your skill in negotiation to be able to lower the price. Don't be embarrassed to do this, because this money you save is your hard earned money, so you have the right to ask for a lower price. Having bought a few verandas in the past, I have been able to almost halve the sales-men's quoted prices. Don't you feel annoyed if your friend told you that they had bought a similar veranda for a lower price?

The other issue is to decide whether you will build your own veranda or to hire an expert to install the verandah. Most of the time, the prices quoted by the sales men will include the labour costs. There will be a huge savings if you bought a "Do it yourself" kit or DIY. This is cheaper, but if you have lots of time and have hands on skills, then this could be a great idea.

The other issue to consider is to purchase a gable or flat roof design. Gable designs have a triangular roof, which is more attractive if you built it on the side of your house. Flat roofed verandas are more suitable for the rear of the house; however a gable design will be more attractive. Flat roof verandas on the side of the house are not so attractive, but could be an acceptable option.

Whether wood or steel is better depends on your aesthetics and your needs. The issues with wood verandas are that termites or white ants can attack and eat the wood sections of your veranda.

In summary, the costs savings will be in the labour costs, the company you buy the veranda off (some sell cheaper than others) and how well you negotiate. It is best to get at least 3 quotes and bargain down the best quote.