Pergola Lounge Terrace

The owners — a Belgian couple in their late 50s who spend six months a year at their Benahavís villa — already had a perfectly good 8×4 m pool on the lower terrace. What they didn't have was anywhere comfortable to spend evenings: their existing upper terrace had cracked terracotta pavers, an ugly green tarpaulin pergola that flapped in the wind, and white plastic chairs that warped in the summer sun. Their brief was direct: "a proper outdoor living room — sofa, kitchen, shade, lighting — that we can use from April to November and that doesn't need re-doing in five years". The terrace structure itself was sound (concrete slab on a steel frame, recently waterproofed) so we worked entirely with surface installations and built-in joinery — no demolition needed.

Technical Specifications

The clients spent two showroom sessions with our outdoor specialist. They were drawn to a warmer, more Mediterranean palette than the cool greys typical of contemporary terraces. The decking was selected from samples wet and dry: they chose STN Trav Travertino R11 60×90 cm rectified porcelain — a beige-cream travertine effect with subtle vein, R11 anti-slip rating mandatory for outdoor use. The bioclimatic pergola was a Saxun Bioshade 5×3 m, white powder-coated aluminium with motorised louvres, integrated rainwater channels and warm 2700 K LED strip integrated under each louvre. The outdoor kitchen worktop was specified in smooth warm-grey microcement on a precast concrete base — durable, frost-resistant and visually softer than stone. Cushion fabric was Sunbrella Heritage in cream — UV-stable for 5+ years.

Technical Specifications

The cracked terracotta pavers were lifted in two days and the existing waterproofing membrane below was inspected — found to be in good condition with no visible perforations. The old pergola was unbolted and removed in sections. Six new structural anchor plates for the bioclimatic pergola were chemically fixed into the existing concrete slab using Hilti HIT-RE 500 V4 epoxy — engineered to transfer wind loads up to the pergola's design rating (160 km/h closed, 80 km/h fully louvred). The decking system uses adjustable polypropylene pedestals rather than a glued installation: this allows future access to the waterproofing if ever needed, and provides perfect levelness even where the underlying slab has falls towards the rainwater drains. Electrical conduit for the pergola motors and LED was run before the deck was laid.

Technical Specifications

The travertine-effect porcelain deck was laid on the pedestals over three days — 60×90 cm tiles in a stretcher-bond pattern, every joint laser-checked for alignment. The bioclimatic pergola was assembled on site by the manufacturer's installation team in a single day: aluminium frame bolted to the prepared anchor plates, motorised louvres connected to the integrated controller, and the rainwater channels piped to a discreet downpipe at one corner. The outdoor kitchen island is a precast concrete carcass with a built-in Napoleon Built-In Prestige BBQ (stainless steel, 4-burner, side burner), an integrated stainless undermounted sink, two cabinets for outdoor utensils, and the smooth microcement worktop applied in two coats with a matte sealer. The L-shaped lounge bench was built in-situ from waterproofed marine plywood faced in matching microcement, with deep cream Sunbrella cushions made by a local upholsterer.

Technical Specifications

Lighting on a terrace is the difference between "used in daylight" and "used every evening". We layered three sources: the integrated 2700 K LED strip under each pergola louvre (controlled with the louvre motor — automatically dimming brighter when louvres close), two warm uplighters at the base of each olive-tree planter (highlighting the silver foliage at night), and a discreet column of warm LEDs in the wall behind the lounge bench acting as ambient backlight. Two large precast concrete planters were craned in and planted with mature 200 cm olive trees sourced from a Cádiz nursery — instant maturity and visual weight either side of the pergola entrance. A discreet outdoor speaker pair by Sonos was integrated under the pergola for music. Final commissioning included testing the pergola louvres in rain mode (auto-close at 0.5 mm/min rainfall detected) and a full snagging walk with the client.

Technical Specifications

Every Magnum Reformas project begins with a free site visit from a dedicated project manager — no obligation, within 48 hours of enquiry. We provide a fully itemised fixed-price quote: every line of work is listed, nothing is hidden. Once approved, our team manages every trade on site so you never coordinate subcontractors yourself. A dedicated WhatsApp group keeps you updated with photos and videos throughout. At handover, we walk you through every installation and leave you a full documentation pack.

Technical Specifications