If you’ve been dreaming of improving your lawn so that you can relax in it when you’re free, a gazebo might just be the right project for you. Even the most attractive gazebos around your neighborhood may have been built from scratch by the owners themselves. If you want to try building a gazebo on your own, there are plenty of gazebo plans available free in libraries and online. There may also be blueprints you can purchase for a few dollars.

Architectural blueprints for gazebos are also available if you want a more complicated design. You can ask a contractor to look at the blueprint you purchased and work out the details together. A talented home improvement enthusiast can also use these blueprints. Some of the most exciting free gazebo plans are available from the Build Eazy website. You will be able to download complete plants for building five basic gazebo styles.

Is a Gazebo for You?

Before you start building a gazebo, ask yourself if you have the space for it and if you have enough time to continue working on the project. Even if you’re hiring a contractor, you must have basic carpentry skills so that you can check if your gazebo is being built right. If you’re doing a DIY, you will be needing tools such as a lever and a screw gun. You will also need a compound miter saw or sliding compound miter saw. This equipment will let you make angular cut to create the gazebo style you want. The sliding version is best for larger pieces of wood.

Gazebo Structure

For flooring, you have a few options. You can bolt the gazebo to a concrete slab, build it on wooden floorboards, or install the flooring on the gazebo. If you’re installing the floor, you will have to pour one concrete pier for each post. Get in touch with your city engineer to find out about underground cables you will have to avoid when building your gazebo, and the recommended depth for your concrete piers.

Next is the material for your gazebo. Wooden gazebos are best built with pine wood, cedar wood, and redwood. Each of these options have pros and cons. Pine is soft and is recommended for those who don’t want to work too hard cutting planks of wood. However pine wood can easily be damaged by the natural elements. Cedar and redwood are more hardy, but they are more expensive than pine.

If you don’t want a wooden gazebo, you can go for metal or vinyl ones. But for this project, you will have to use a gazebo kit. You can order a gazebo kit and check a manual for assembly instructions. You will be needing a screw gun, and an extra pair of hands to create this type of gazebo

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