Pergola And Gazebo Installations – If you’re anything like me, you love to be outdoors I’ve shared before how our historic home didn’t come with a porch so we built a patio and added a pergola to have an outdoor space. Last month, I freshened up my patio by painting the floor and making outdoor furniture We decided not to stop there! After about 2 years of not really enjoying this space due to the weather, we decided to add a roof Thankfully, its an easy enough project that anyone can do with the right instructions and the right tools!
I still wanted to enjoy the sunlight while having shade so we chose to go with solar gray roof panels. The hottest time of day is when it makes a difference! It’s become my outdoor office most days and I can’t complain
Pergola And Gazebo Installations
Because our pergola already had horizontal boards on top of vertical boards, we didn’t have to install purlins. If you only have boards in one direction, you will need to add purlins Check this blog for instructions on how to do this
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We measured the roof area to figure out how many panels to get and what size Then, we line them up on the pergola with at least one hole overlapping the other After that, we sealed the entire area
For us, it was easy to insert the enclosures once the panels were lined up and sealed We simply lifted the panels up from the bottom and inserted the enclosures into each horizontal board so that each hole in the panel was below it. You should also let this be your first step and then place your panel accordingly
Then, we used impact drivers to screw the ceiling into the panels, enclosure, and purlin. Be sure not to over tighten the screws to prevent cracking!
This project took a few hours with the 2 of us and it was totally worth it! I can’t believe I’ve waited so long to do this! If you want to see this project in action, I have a story highlight on Instagram called DIY Pergola Roof. If you follow me on Instagram you know that we are doing a total backyard makeover this summer Part of that makeover was setting up our new hardtop gazebo Since our gazebo sits on top of our new paver patio, we wanted to find a way to anchor or weigh the newly installed pavers without pulling them. I’m going to show you how we decided to weight our gazebo
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Before we begin, I want to make sure I mention that every county in the US has different codes and regulations that require anchoring gazebos and pergolas. I suggest you double check with your city or county to see if there are any rules you need to follow. In my opinion, they only require the permanent structure to be anchored to the concrete footing and they do not consider a gazebo or pergola to be a permanent structure. Because of that, we had the freedom to choose how we wanted to weigh our gazebo
We spent some time surfing Pinterest looking for different ideas on how to anchor our new gazebo. We really liked the idea we saw of the concrete filled planters At one point we considered making our own square wooden planters that could go around the legs of the gazebo but decided to take a trip to the hardware store to see what planters they had available.
While perusing Lowe’s garden section, we stumbled upon the large planter clearance section. It might have been luck because there were 4 concrete planters that were square in shape and just right in our minds. We estimated that they weighed 40-50lbs which we like In addition to the planters, we picked up two bags of Secret Fast Setting Concrete Mix.
The legs of our gazebo had flat foot-like brackets that were slightly enlarged to fit inside the planter we bought. Instead of removing the foot completely, we used a grinder and vise to cut and bend the foot to fit the planter. Our thought process was that the feet on the legs of the gazebo would give something extra to tie the concrete into the planters and the feet would help hold the weight of the legs of the gazebo.
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Now that the tree legs fit inside the planter, we enlisted the help of my mother-in-law and the three of us lifted each side of the gazebo and placed them inside the planter. We used a long leveler to make sure we could get the legs and frame of the Gazebo all straight before adding the concrete to the planter.
For the first two planters, we poured the concrete mix into 5-gallon buckets, mixed the concrete with water, and then poured the concrete over the planters. The concrete we bought was ‘quick-setting’ and we noticed that by the time it was poured into the planters it had burned. So for the last two planters, we poured the dry concrete mix directly onto the planters, added water and mixed it very well into the planters which was very easy.
At this point we felt we were done But after a week of rain, we realized that rain water was collecting in the plantation This was a problem for many reasons – mosquitoes, stagnant water, and the aluminum gazebo sitting in leg water to name a few. So to fix this, we simply used a drill bit in our drill to drill a small hole in the side of the plant to allow the water to drain and it did the trick! You can fill your planter to the very top with concrete We intentionally left room above our planters so we could add some flowers to the planters.
I am thinking of filling the top of the planter with rocks and fake or real plants Since I don’t have a green thumb, I’ll probably go with fake plants If you add drain holes to your planter and fill the top with soil, you can definitely grow real plants.
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So overall we are really happy with this solution for weighting our gazebo! It may not be a permanent solution and it may not be completely hurricane proof but we are very confident that it can withstand some of the strongest winds and storms. As mentioned above, use your best judgment and take into account the weather where you live and the rules surrounding gazebos and pergolas.
We have anchored our gazebo for almost two years now and it has made it through two hurricane seasons in Florida. Immediately after anchoring the gazebo and writing the original blog post, we had a direct hit from the hurricane. We were evacuated and saw the tornado make landfall to the south of us and wind gusts of about 100 mph over our town. In 2023, we had another major storm, Hurricane Idalia, which brought strong winds to North Florida and sent storm surges our way. I’m happy to report that our gazebo had absolutely zero damage or movement during both hurricane seasons. Concrete planters have proven to be an excellent anchoring solution Add some shade to your outdoor living area with a professionally built gazebo, pergola or arbor from Riverside Landscaping. Based in Chesterfield, MI, and serving residential and commercial customers in Macomb, Shelby Township and other surrounding communities.
While hot weather is enjoyed by most, when you’re ready to sit back and relax on a hot summer day, you’ll want to get out of the sun from time to time. This is where implementing a shade structure into your backyard design is extremely beneficial As the field’s go-to contractor for building shade structures, we offer a variety to fit your desired look and style, while also complimenting your home’s exterior and existing landscape features.
We know just the thing to transform your outdoor space without detracting from your home’s impressive views: a custom-made pergola, gazebo, or arbor (commonly called a trellis). Our wood structures are designed to suit your needs and desires while enhancing the look of your backyard and informally expanding your home’s square footage that can be used at all hours of the day.
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Pergolas are versatile structures that allow for many variations They are an excellent option for providing shade over your seating area, outdoor kitchen or paver patio.
Besides pergolas, we also build gazebos Gazebos are a great place to gather in the heat of the day