How to Put Together a Gazebo from a Kit

RON HAZELTON:
Commercial fisherman Tim Tillman and his wife Yvonne dock their own shrimp boat in their backyard here in the town of Bay St. Louis. Now during the shrimping season, the Tillmans sell a good part of their catch right here on this very pier.

So they've asked me to help them build a gazebo where they can market their shrimp in style.
TIM:
Well we special -- when we have customers, it's special order. Some of them wants them deheaded. Well, they have a place they can sit down took you know and get out of the nets while we dehead their shrimp and prepare them the way they like them, you see.
RON HAZELTON:
I have to admit, building a gazebo as a shrimp buyers' waiting room and a shelter from gnats is a new one for me. But before I had the chance to mull that over, the Tillmans' gazebo was being delivered from their local home improvement center.

The gazebo arrives in three large crates. It's a kit from a company called Handy Home Products. Now this may look intimidating, but it's relatively easy to assemble. Each piece is precut to size and pilot holes are all predrilled.

But for you guys, first decision is, do we want this up to the edge of the deck here or do you want to set it back a bit, what are you thinking?
TIM:
Well we, we thought maybe if it's set off a little bit, well it would still give us room to, to work on our boat and walk around it.
RON HAZELTON:
Walk around it, okay. So what do you think? Maybe back something like this? Couple of feet? That going to give you enough?
TIM:
Yes, sir, that would be fine.
RON HAZELTON:
That's going to push us off even more to the other side, but we can deal with that, that's no problem.

These ten rim sections form the perimeter of the gazebo's December. We attach them together with three inch rust resistant screws. Our 12 foot wide gazebo is going to overhang the dock by a few feet. We'll deal with that by installing some support posts later on.

All right guys, the rim's done. You sort of think of this like the spokes of a giant wheel.

These spokes are the joists on which we'll install the deck or floor of the gazebo. We'll attach one end of the joist to the rim and the other to this center block.
[MUSIC AND SINGING]
Okay, great. Well that takes care of our flooring system, guys. Now over here, of course where we had to cantilever out over the edge of the deck, I just put in some four by four posts, plant them to the rim joist right here and set everything on these concrete blocks.

So this is going to be our support system over here. So we're ready to put some decking down. This does --
TIM:
Okay.
RON HAZELTON:
-- where we can, you guys, why don't you guys come over and I'll give you, hand it to you so you can drop it in. These are all pre nailed Kind of pie shaped wedges here. Okay on its side maybe. It should just drop right into that -- each one of these sections here. That's pretty slick huh?

While Tim and Yvonne have been laying the floor sections in place, I've trimmed our support posts and am now attaching them to the rim with galvanized nuts and bolts.

Last section, guys.

ANNOUNCER:
Last piece.
RON HAZELTON:
Is it in there?
[BOTH SPEAK AT ONCE]
RON HAZELTON:
Just like a piece of pie, okay.

Finally, I drop a cover over the center block while Tim and Yvonne attach the individual floor sections to the rim and joists with screws.

Floor's done, walls next. Now it's going to go up in -- these are sections. These are really nice and lightweight. They're champered on the ends here, so they'll sit up here on the edge of the deck like this. And then what we're going to be doing is we're going to be screwing these sections together on the edges right here, first. Work our way all the way around.
ANNOUNCER:
Okay.
RON HAZELTON:
And then we'll attach it to the deck. All right?
ANNOUNCER:
Okay.
RON HAZELTON:
Well, it looks like Tim and Yvonne have the hang of this so I'm going to sneak off to check out Tim's latest catch.
TIM:
I wonder where Ron's at. Oh here he comes. Now we know where he's been --
[BOTH SPEAK AT ONCE]
RON HAZELTON:
Look what I found.
[SEVERAL SPEAK AT ONCE]
The oysters, there must be a 100 pound bag of oysters up there. And I figured ah, I've just got to try this out.

ANNOUNCER:
Good old Ron.
TIM:
Hot dog. That's a Louisiana man there.
[BOTH SPEAK AT ONCE]
RON HAZELTON:
-- making all our progress here.
TIM:
We knew we had something in common in, in --
RON HAZELTON:
Well I think we have a few things in common.
TIM:
In common, yeah.
RON HAZELTON:
So you've got all the walls sections up. This is the doorframe? Yeah, this is the doorframe.
[BOTH SPEAK AT ONCE]
ANNOUNCER:
Yeah, yeah. Now what about this? Are we going to have to step over this?

RON HAZELTON:
Yeah.
[LAUGHTER]
No I'm just kidding you. This is -- this is just temporary. This will come out once we get the frame set.
ANNOUNCER:
Oh okay.
RON HAZELTON:
It's just to keep everything together now.
ANNOUNCER:
Okay.
RON HAZELTON:
And you're going to put the other -- we'll put the other door I think on the other side of the dock over there.
ANNOUNCER:
Mm-hmm [AFFIRMATIVE].
RON HAZELTON:
All right. Hey, I don't want to hold you up.
TIM:
Well, I'm moving [ ? ] here now.
RON HAZELTON:
Yeah, over at the oysters.
ANNOUNCER:
At the shucking table.
RON HAZELTON:
Carry on, carry on lads and lasses.
TIM:
All right.
RON HAZELTON:
After I've had my fill from the backyard raw bar, I rejoin Tim and Yvonne and help them put up the final few wall sections. Now we screwed all these sections along the edge, but what's really going to give them their strength is this piece of wood right here. It's called a gusset.

It goes right across the joint here. This one happens to be cut on an angle to follow the angle of the gazebo here. And all we're going to do is, we're going to lay this in place like so and take some screws and screw it right into the top of the frame here.

With our gussets in place, we're ready to start putting the roof together. We'll actually begin our assembly on the deck.

This is the first part of the roof. These are our first two rafters right here and like the floor down here, we're going to attach them to this center block right here. So guys, what I need you to do is lift them up so that they're -- a lit -- little bit further Tim, a little further. Right there, that's good. Okay, let me put a screw in here.

Okay, guys. Come up with it, lift it over. We have to go under your brace there.

We drive in a couple more screws and are now ready to raise the roof.

All right, now for the fun part. We've got to go up on the roof. I'll hold this, guys. Why don't you get on the ladders and I'll hand it up to you.

It takes a little maneuvering between Tim and Yvonne to get our first set of rafters placed squarely on the gussets. Then we secure them in place. In all, we'll put up eight rafters, securing each one to both the gusset and the center block.

Roof sheeting.
ANNOUNCER:
Here it comes.
RON HAZELTON:
Rafters are up.

We set these precut wedge shaped plywood sheathing panels on top of the rafters. Then attach them with sixpenny galvanized nails.

Well, the sheathing's up. Time to make this water tight. This is 15 pound roofing felt and we're going to put this on top, starting down here at the bottom first.

We staple these sheets to the plywood sheathing, overlapping each row about six inches. Next, Tim and Yvonne install a metal drip cap around the edge of the roof to keep water from seeping into the plywood sheathing.

Well, as the sun is setting over the bayou, I think we should put some shingles up here. This is the starter course, Tim, right here. So I'm going to flip these over, put the top side of the shingle down.

The starter course is applied face down along the entire edge of the roof.

Now with that first shingle down, bottom side up if you will, we're going to go back and we're going to put right on top of that, the first course of shingles. It will be grit side up.

Well, Rome wasn't built in a day, and the same holds true for gazebos. So the next morning, Tim and I pick up where we left off and before coffee break, the rest of our shingles are up. Next, Tim encloses the space between the roof and the wall panels with a piece of wood called a fascia board. Yvonne -
YVONNE:
Yes.
RON HAZELTON:
This is the sill, goes right on top of the railing up here. Just sits right like this. If you do this one over here, just run the screws -- there's two screws per sill.
YVONNE:
Okay.

RON HAZELTON:
I'm going to go ahead and put these screens up. Now there's a screen panel already made up for each section of the gazebo, just sits in place like this and it's held in place with about six screws.

Finally it's time to sit down, relax, and enjoy this waterfront gazebo.

What do you think?
YVONNE:
Great. I'm just absolutely thrilled with it.
TIM:
I thought maybe coming out of a kit, that it wouldn't turn out like this. But it is, it's very durable.
RON HAZELTON:
Nicely made, went together fast. I'm a little on the hungry side.
YVONNE:
You hungry for shrimp?
RON HAZELTON:
Mm-hmm [AFFIRMATIVE].
YVONNE:
Fresh shrimp?
RON HAZELTON:
Mm-hmm [AFFIRMATIVE]. You know a good place?
TIM:
Well, I know a place where we can catch them and they're very fresh. And we also have a number one cook to cook them and that's only but one place and that's on our boat.
RON HAZELTON:
Come on.
TIM:
Come on.
RON HAZELTON:
Can I steer?

The promise of fresh shrimp is all that's needed to get me on board.

Now look at this, look at this ---

As we pull away from the dock, I catch yet another view of a fine looking addition to this Mississippi inlet.

A pre-manufactured gazebo kit is a simple upgrade to outdoor living space

Maximize your outdoor living space by utilizing a pre-made gazebo kit. Assembly is quick, and as we see in this project, can be easily customized to fit the space that you have. These pre-manufactured gazebo kits are available through most home improvement retailers. Create an outdoor place to read, entertain, or simply sit back and relax out of the sun and away from the bugs.

Securing the outside rim of the gazebo floor

Step 1

Determine the best location

Determining the best place for your gazebo may seem like an afterthought, but as you'll see in this project, the proper location requires some consideration, as the property owners need room to work around the front of the gazebo. While not everyone will be building right next to the water, you may want to ensure that you have room for landscaping, weeding, or mowing if you plan to build your gazebo near your house or another outbuilding.

Driving the final screws into the joist system

Step 2

Secure the floor joists

When using a kit, it is important to ensure that the joists are spaced properly, because the floor panels are pre-assembled, and you want to make sure they fit. Using heavy deck screws, secure the joists to the outside rim, and to the support block at the center. This will ensure a sturdy floor system that won't move or shift.

Placing the floor panels onto the joists

Step 3

Install the pre-assembled floor panels

Since the floor panels of this kit came pre-assembled, setting them into place should be similar to putting together a large jigsaw puzzle. Simply set them into place and secure the panels into place per the manufacturer's instructions. If you do need to add some additional support to one area of the gazebo floor, make sure you bolt those support posts to the joists, so the floor is sturdy, and stands up to weather and seasonal changes. This will need to be done before the floor panels are set into place in that specific area.

Placing the walls into place quickly and easily with a pre-assembled system

Step 4

Set up the walls

Just like the floor panels, the walls in this system are pre-assembled. When you are ready to put them up, each panel needs to be set into place and screwed into the one next to it, as well as to the floor. Put some thought into where the doors will best be located and leave the openings there. The doors will be installed when we add the finishing touches at the end.

Setting a gusset into place before securing it with screws

Step 5

Use Gussets to solidify the walls

Even after the walls are up and screwed together, they still may feel a bit rickety. Use a gusset to secure them. A gusset it nothing more than an additional piece of wood that overlaps to section of wall and gets screwed into both from the top. This helps tie them together and makes the walls more rigid. The gussets should be included with any pre-manufactured gazebo kit that you buy.

Lifting the rafters into their place atop the walls

Step 6

Rafters must form the foundation for the roof

The best way to begin assembling the rafters is actually on the ground. Use the block that is provided for the peak and fasten a rafter on each side. Once this initial framework is secure, it can be set into place on top of the walls. The additional rafters can now be installed to the tops of the walls, and the center block at the peak. Make sure that there are secured tightly, as the rafters will bear the weight of the roof sheeting and whatever elements the weather may throw at it.

The roof sheeting is set atop the rafters

Step 7

Install the roof sheeting

Like the flooring, the sheeting for the roof is already cut to the correct size for the kit. These pieces simply need to be lifted into place, and then secured with 6 penny galvanized nails.

Step 8

Install the roofing materials

Begin the roofing process by covering the sheeting panels with 15 pound roofing felt. Start at the bottom and add overlapping layers until you get to the top. Once the felt is in place, then an aluminum drip edge should be nailed all the way around the bottom edge of the roof. When the drop edge is secured, you are ready to start shingling. Begin at the bottom with a starter row, and then work your way to the top.

Screwing the screen panels up to keep the mosquitoes out

Step 9

Add the finishing touches

Once the roofing materials are applied, it's time to add the finishing touches. This kit includes some fascia board and windowsills, as well as the screen panels and screen doors that will keep the bugs out. You may or may not have these with your kit, or you may decide to remove the screen material seasonally. You are now ready to sit back, relax, and enjoy your hard work in your new, pre-manufactured gazebo.