Posts Tagged ‘Spa Gazebo’
A Look at Garden Gazebos
February 13th, 2011 | 
Author: A garden gazebo is the perfect way to accent your garden. Imagine being able to walk along the path between the koi pond and the flowers, the hedges and the willow tree, pausing to rest on a bench inside a gazebo. Its shade will comfort you, and its architecture will add that special geometric touch to your garden, striking the balance between nature and humanity. No matter what the environment of your garden, there is a garden gazebo out there just waiting to be bought.
In creating a garden gazebo, first choose your material from wood, metal, or vinyl options. Wood is the most common choice, and for good reason: it goes with any natural environment. Wood is available in pine, cedar, and redwood. Pine is the softest wood, ages to a rich yellow, and complements surrounding evergreens. Cedar is higher in overall sturdiness, is less prone to rot, and ages to a gray-brown. American redwood is the darkest, longest-lasting wood. Other woods can be used, but those are the most common.
Metal gazebos come in cast aluminum or steel and wrought iron. Go with steel and wrought iron if you want your garden gazebo to add a lovely dark and long lasting effect. These gazebos are often open-roofed, and so are great for stocking with plants, climbers, and other materials, making for a lush shade that changes with the seasons. Vinyl comes in white or black. Just as with wood and metal gazebos, they come in a variety of shapes and styles. Get trellis walls for a cottage feeling.
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Building a Gazebo
Are you handy? Think you can build a gazebo from scratch? There are plenty of gazebo plans available free in libraries and online. There are also blueprints available for fees ranging from $8 to $200. The more expensive gazebo plans are architectural blueprints, which are much more specific and best suited to the experienced contractor. But a talented home improvement buff can make good use of the less expensive options available.
A good free gazebo plan is available from the Build Eazy website. There you will find links to complete plans for 5 basic gazebos of varying sizes and styles to suit most tastes and uses. There plans are free.
There are several things to think about before starting to build a gazebo. You will need some basic carpentry tools such as a level and a screw gun. You will also need a compound miter saw or sliding compound miter saw. These machines afford the angular cutting abilities you will need when fashioning the various sections of the gazebo. The sliding version is best for larger pieces of wood.
You can either bolt the gazebo to a concrete slab or pre-existing wood floor, or you can create the gazebo with a built-in floor. In the latter case, you will need to pour one concrete pier for each post. Contact your local building department to find out how deep the concrete piers should be, and whether there are any underground cables you should try to avoid.
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A Look at Metal Gazebos
If you’re looking for the strength, stability, sturdiness, and longevity of a metal gazebo, you have plenty of options to fit your needs. They come as 4-sided structures, all the way to 12-sided structures, as well as irregular structures like rectangles, ovals, and multi-sectioned shapes. They often boast many flourishes, such as swirling, plant-like shapes. Despite their not being made of wood, they have a very graceful feel to them capable of complimenting any outdoor setting.
Most metal gazebos come in aluminum, or steel and wrought iron. Aluminum is the less expensive and more lightweight material. It will do just fine under most circumstances. But if you’re looking for a much more permanent structure, steel or wrought iron is your best bet. These metals are much heavier than aluminum and therefore stand up better to hard winds.
Another consideration for some consumers is that steel and iron are not likely to be damaged by vandalism. So while steel and iron are more expensive than aluminum, you might save money in the long run, because they will last.
Most metal gazebos don’t have a contiguous roof to keep off rain or snow. You can either leave your metal gazebo that way and appreciate it for its aesthetic value, or you can add a fitted canopy. These are often made out of a heavy canvass or polymers. This open design means metal gazebos are great for displaying plants that hang in pots from the roof or climb like vines up the sides. Adding plants to a metal gazebo will bring more shade and beauty to the area.
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