They give partial screening rather than a solid wall. The panels are built as ladders, so they break up a sightline and take the edge off a neighbouring window without shutting light out of the space underneath. If you want more cover, train a climber through them. After two seasons the planting fills the gaps and the screening becomes close to solid.

Fifteen, from 2.4m x 2.4m up to 4.8m x 4.8m, in 600mm increments on both the width and the length. That covers everything from a two-seat corner to a table for eight with room to walk around it. Measure the space first and pick the size that still leaves a clear path at the edges. If your spot falls between two of them, we build bespoke sizes to order.

Braces are the diagonal timbers at the top of each post, and they stiffen the frame against racking. Choose them if the pergola sits in an open, exposed part of the garden or if you plan to hang anything from it. Go without if it is tucked against a wall or a fence and you want the cleanest line at the corners. Both versions use the same posts and the same panels.

Not straight away. The pressure treatment is already in the wood and that is the part protecting against rot and fungal attack. The colour is a surface finish, and the surface is what fades. Expect to re-coat every two or three years, more often on the faces taking the afternoon sun. It is a morning's work with a brush and it keeps the pergola looking the way it did on day one.

Both work. Most people bolt the posts down onto an existing patio or concrete pad, which is quick and leaves the surface intact. On a lawn or a border, set the posts into concrete for a firmer footing. Either way the pergola is freestanding and needs no wall to lean on, so it can sit anywhere in the garden you have a level base for it.