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....continued from
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gazebo
plans. |
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Free
Garden Gazebo Plans
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Save As to See the FULL SIZE Picture)
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Free
Garden Gazebo Plans
(Right Click on Image, and Select View as Image or
Save As to See the FULL SIZE Picture)
 |
|
Free
Garden Gazebo Plans
(Right Click on Image, and Select View as Image or
Save As to See the FULL SIZE Picture)
 |
|
MATERIALS LIST
18 - 2x8 x 10'
pressure-treated spruce: joists, beams, trimmers,
storage box headers, bridging
4 - 6x6 x
10' pressure-treated spruce: posts (length may vary
according to terrain)
21 - 3/4 x 6 x 10'
cedar or pressure treated spruce: deck
280 sq. ft. of 1x4 spruce: roof sheathing
8 - 2x4 x
8' spruce: side panels
12 - 2x4 x 10' spruce:
top plates, moulding, corner brackets and nailers
12 - 2x6 x 10' spruce:
common and jack rafters
8 - 2x6 x
12' spruce: corner braces, hip rafters
8 - 2x8 x
10' spruce: headers
1 - 2x10 x
12' spruce: plinth blocks
1 - 1x4 x
10' pine: cupola corners
2 - 1x6 x
12' pine: collar ties
160 lin. ft. - 1x6 tongue-and-groove pine:
side panels, cupola
3 - ¾" x
4x8 sheets of spruce plywood: storage box, cupola
12 bundles - #2 cedar shingles |
HARDWARE LIST
All hardware that comes in contact with
pressure-treated lumber must be hotdipped galvanized
or stainless steel, or have an ACQ-rated coating.
4
- 6x6 post saddles
8 -
#/8" x 10" galvanized carriage bolts, washers, and
nuts
6½ lbs - 1½" galvanized nails for shingles
50 - #8 x
1½" deck screws
50 - #8 x
2" screws
750 - #8 x 3" deck
screws
300 - #10 x 3½" deck
screws
1 roll of roofing membrane (a.k.a. ice-and-water
shield)
2 recessed handles
4 hinges
6' light chain
Weatherproof wood glue
epoxy anchoring adhesive
100 sq. ft. of fiberglass screen under decking
(optional) |
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(continued from
page 1)
3. Add temporary diagonal braces to hold the gazebo
posts in one place (keeping the bottom 2' or so
clear to allow room for the floor)
4. Start building the gazebo floor structure by
trimming the 2x8 beams and joists to 10' and cutting
the optional scalloped end
detail (see figure 1C) It's simply a 4 1/2"
radius quarter-circle, easily made with a jigsaw. If
you intend to stain or paint the beams and joists,
this is the time. It's much easier to do this
now rather than after the gazebo is built.
5. Clamp the beams to the posts so their tops are
about 9 " above grade (see note below). Level them,
and drill 3/ 8" holes to bolt the beams through the
posts. For each pair of beams, screw or nail three
short pieces of bridging in place (see figure 2).
Note: We set the beams 9 " above grade so that with
joists and decking, the deck surface is 18" above
grade, more or less comfortable bench height. If it
were more than 2' above ground, we’d need a railing
around it to conform to the Local Building Codes
(and common sense). On a sloped site, you may have
to use longer posts and a railing on the downhill
sides. You don't want someone falling out of
your gazebo and suing you!
6. Cut the 3/4" plywood parts for the storage box
and screw together (see figures 2 and 3). Before you
cut, check that the box's bottom won’t touch the
ground; adjust its depth if needed. You can use a
more expensive wood if you want here.
7. Set the joists that frame the storage box on the
beams and toenail in place. With a helper, position
the box between the joists so that the top is 3/4"
below the top edges of the joists and screw in place
(see figures 2 and 3). Again, you can use
fancy hardware here, but the cheap stuff is fine
too.
I placed the box near the most accessible side of
the gazebo, finessing the location so that a gap
between deck boards would align with the middle of
the headers. Screw the headers and the trimmers to
the joists and the storage box to the headers.
Secure the short joists to the headers and the
beams. Place the lid on the storage box but do not
cut yet.
8. Fasten joists to the outside and inside of the
posts with #10 x 3 " screws. Be sure to use screws
approved for the newer, more corrosive ACQ pressure
treated wood. Position the remaining two
joists on the beams and toenail in place. Cut
bridging to length and nail or screw in place: three
pieces between the joists straddling the posts and
two between the others.
9. If you plan to enclose the gazebo with screen or
mosquito netting, keep the bugs from sneaking in
through the gaps in
the floor: Staple fiberglass screen over the joists,
cutting out the opening for the storage box.
10. Attach the 5/4 x 6 deck boards to the joists
with #8 x 3" deck screws. I used 21 boards exactly,
distributed evenly across the floor of the gazebo.
The easiest way to do this is to attach a board on
each end and one in the center. Add two more boards,
each midway between. With those five boards as
guides, position the remaining ones, evening out the
gaps. Note that you’ll have to trim two to fit
between the posts. As well, the deck boards covering
the storage box will need to be cut to allow the lid
to open. Use your circular saw, with the blade depth
set at 1", to cut those deck boards.
11. Once you’ve cut those boards, screw the
appropriate pieces to the lid, with #8 x 1 " deck
screws. Remove the lid assembly and cut the plywood
through one of the deck-board gaps to split the lid
into two manageable pieces. Install the handles and
hinges, recessing the hardware. Two short lengths of
light chain stop the lid halves from opening more
than about 120°; if the lids open all the way
they’ll tear out the hinges.
12. From the off cuts of the boards that fit between
the posts, cut four 6" pieces to project out on
either side of the posts— where, without a lot of
support, they need a solid connection. Drill two
clearance holes in each piece and screw to the
joists (the plinth blocks, to come, will add
strength from above).
13. Measure 91 " up from the deck and cut the posts
off at this length. I made a very simple jig: two
scraps of 1x8 about 12" long, screwed together along
the long edge. I screwed it to the posts in the
appropriate position for my circular saw to make the
cuts. No regular circular saw can cut all the way
through a 6x6 so finish with a hand or reciprocating
saw. I also used the jig to cut out the 1 "-deep
notches for the headers (see figure 2b).
14. Cut the 2x8 spruce outer headers to length, as
in figure 2, mitering the ends. Set them in the
notches and screw to the posts with three #10 x 3 "
deck screws on each end. Cut the inner headers, then
screw or nail to the outer headers, followed by the
2x4 corner brace nailers (see figures 1b and 2)
15. Cut the 2x4 top plates to length, mark the
location of the gazebo rafters (figure 14), and nail
or screw to the headers, flush to the outside face.
16. Cut molding strips for the headers by ripping
10' lengths of 2x4 to 1½ " by 1½ " (2x2
finger-jointed spruce is a good choice, too). Rout a
suitable profile, cut to length (mitering the ends),
and nail to the header face. |
Brackets and Braces
1. From 2x4s ripped to 3" wide, cut 16 bracket
pieces, eight 32" long and eight 27" long. Cut eight
corner braces from 2x6s, using the gazebo design
shown or customizing your own. Note the miter angles
in figure 1a—they’re not all 45°. If you like, rout
the inside and outside edges, excluding the ends.
Glue (with weatherproof glue) and screw (#10 x 3½ "
screws) these assemblies together.
2. Drill clearance holes and, using six #10 x 3½ "
screws, secure the bracket assemblies to the gazebo
structure.
3. At this point, you can remove the temporary
diagonal braces holding the posts and paint or stain
the basic gazebo structure.
Rafters
Can I be perfectly frank? A hip roof can be a real
challenge to lay out, cut, and assemble. A lot of
the work is in the calculating and measuring. We’ve
done that part, but you’ll still need your wits
about you, or you’re likely to cut something
backwards, and you need to take care, since much of
the work happens at a height above ground.
This also applies to building a shed roof as well as
a gazebo roof.
Have a look at the rafter measurements and angles in
the plans. Each rafter has the same basic cuts—an
angled end at the peak and a bird’s mouth where it
hooks over the top plate (the hip rafters also have
angled cuts at the tail end)—but some key
measurements differ with each type of rafter. The
plans give you those specs. One trick to speed your
work and improve accuracy: Each rafter tail and
bird’s mouth is identical for all the common and
jack rafters, so cut one piece and use it as a
pattern. Similarly, the four hip rafters match one
another.
Many of the angled cuts used to make a roof are
compound; that is, you’ll set your saw to cut
a miter and bevel angle at the same time.
What’s the difference between the two? Think of a
compound miter saw—when you swing the blade from
side to side, you’re changing the miter angle; when
you tilt the blade so it’s no longer slicing
straight up and down, you’re changing the bevel. My
12" compound miter saw certainly made such cuts
easier, but many thousands of rafters have been cut
with only a circular saw. Especially with the jack
rafters, compound angles can make for a real mental
workout, because you have to remember to reverse the
cuts for half the rafters. I suggest you work step
by step, cutting and installing the common rafters
and hips, and then cutting the jacks, when you can
see where they’re going and how the cuts are
oriented. If you do that, work patiently, and double
check before cutting, you should be fine.
Another challenge is that you’re working with a
natural material, with all its flaws and variations.
For that reason, we’ve been slightly generous with
the distance marked on the hip rafters (figure 8),
so there’s some wiggle room to trim at the peak end.
Stain or paint the pieces before you install them,
as it’s much easier to do on the ground.
Enough planning—let the fun begin!
1. Start by cutting the four common roof rafters, as
these are the simplest, with no compound angles to
worry about. Note that two are shorter by ¾ "—half
the thickness of a 2x6—at the peak end, because they
butt up against the first two at the peak (see
figure 14a). Use your framing square to lay out the
bird’s mouth cut.
2. Cutting the flared tails on the rafters is quick
and accurate with a simple jig (figure 11) screwed
to your work surface. Screw the diagonal piece
so your circular saw cuts from the corner of the
tail end to the corner of the bird’s mouth, as
shown. I suggest putting a screw through the actual
rafter, too, to hold it down while you saw. Number
the pieces as you cut, so you can match them up
later.
3. Hip rafters are next. Because their peaks tuck
into the corner formed by the common rafters, they
get a double compound angle, made by cutting from
one side and then the other. For aesthetics, there’s
a double compound cut on the tail end too. As well,
their tail pieces need to be longer, so adjust your
jig before cutting.
Install these tail pieces on the hip rafters now,
gluing and screwing them to the top edge as in
figure 10. I rounded the bottom corner of the
rafters with a jigsaw; a straight cut would work,
too.
4. Begin rafter installation with the two longer
common rafters. Toenail to the center of the top
plate and screw together at the peak. Add the two
shorter common rafters (note the position of their
top edges, figure 14a) and then the hip rafters,
adjusting them as needed to fit by trimming at the
peak end.
5. Next, cut the jack rafters, remembering that
peaks for corresponding pairs must be reversed.
Adjust the jig back to its first position to cut the
tail pieces.
6. When installing the jacks, keep a long, straight
board handy to check that their top edges are flush
with the tops of the commons and the corners of the
hips.
7. Now for the flared tails. First, snap a chalk
line from the end of one hip rafter to another, atop
the jack and common rafters. Glue and screw the
remaining tail pieces, aligned with the chalk line,
then trim the little pointed ends that stick out.
8. About halfway up the common rafters, measure
across for collar ties. Cut two (with or without the
decorative bottom notch) from 1x6 pine and install
with #8 x 2" screws. Measure, cut, and install the
other two. See figure 14.
9. Installing 1x4 spruce roof boards will go faster
if a helper on the ground cuts while you measure and
nail. Start at the bend at the top of the flared
eaves, work down to the rafter tails, then up to the
peak. Miter the boards at the hip rafters. (Note
that
the miter angle changes slightly on either side of
the bend.) I attached the boards with a nail gun,
except right at the hip rafters, where a hammer
gives more control, with fewer nails showing at the
edge.
The shingles
Cedar shingles look terrific, but make up nearly
one-quarter of the materials cost and are
time-consuming to install (a consideration if you
hire a builder). To save time and money, you can use
asphalt shingles, though they’re not a very green
option. I recommend applying ice-and-water shield (a
waterproof membrane) under shingles, but you can
also use roofing felt. Remember to cut each strip of
underlay about 6" longer than needed so you can wrap
the ends over the ridges.
1. If you’ve applied asphalt shingles before, you
know the basic principles of shingling with cedar.
Start at the eaves with a double layer of shingles,
off set so no gaps align and no nailheads are
exposed. Leave a ¼ " gap between shingles and use
two 1½ " galvanized nails, about ½ " to ¾ " in from
the sides and about 8" up from the bottom on each;
nailheads should be driven flat to the surface.
2. With a cedar-shingle roof of this pitch, each
course should have 6" exposed. To keep courses
straight, snap a chalk line for each, measuring from
the first course every time to prevent creep.
Asphalt shingles won’t need a chalk line, as they
have reference tabs built in.
3. I found that some of the shingles (the ones that
were damp from being stored on the ground) were more
flexible; they were ideal to accommodate the bend
formed by the flared eaves. Another tip: If you are
adding the cupola, you don’t need to shingle all the
way to the apex of the roof.
4. Once the field of the roof is shingled, cover the
ridges with a strip of shingles. One edge of each
shingle is ripped at a 27° bevel, so the edges butt
tightly. Note that the butt seams alternate from one
side of the ridge to the other. As a timesaver, you
can buy prefabricated ridge caps—cut, assembled, and
ready to nail down. Don’t nail down the last three
or four courses of ridge shingles until the cupola
is in place. And now, an embarrassing confession
because some readers will have noticed something
amiss in the photos: There are no ridge caps on the
main roof. To say that I ran into a time crunch
before the photo shoot would be an understatement.
When the pontoon boat arrived with the photographer
and Cottage Life crew, we were still hard at work,
having managed to get everything done except the
ridge caps. They went on later. Mea maxima culpa.
Panels and plinths
1. To make the panel frames, rip eight 8'-long 2x4s
to 1½ " by 1½ ". To cut the dadoes in each piece, as
in figure 4a, you can make multiple passes on your
table saw, or use a router.
2. From these pieces, cut 16 stiles to fit between
the deck surface and header (about 84", but measure
your structure). From the off cuts, cut 16 rails 9"
long.
3. Sight along the stiles, pulling out any that
aren’t straight (there are bound to be a few). Plan
to use these against the posts, where you can
straighten them out.
4. Cut 10" pieces from the 1x6 tongue-and-groove
pine—136 pieces in all, so a jig or a stop on your
miter saw is well worth setting up. Assemble the
panels by gluing and screwing a bottom rail between
two stiles, drilling a clearance hole first for #8 x
3" screws. Slide the pine into the dadoes, ripping
the last piece to fit. Glue and screw the top rail
to the stiles.
5. Add a routered profile to the outside edges of
the stile that’s not attached to the post. Sand,
stain, or paint as desired.
6. Drill clearance holes along the panel’s inside
perimeter (the wider edge): three in the post-side
stile and one in each rail. Screw in place with #10
x 3½ " screws.
7. I added simple plinth blocks to dress up the base
of each post, using 2x10 boards with a 45° bevel
ripped along the top edge. As well, I routed an
optional chamfer detail along the outside corners of
the posts, starting about 4' from the floor and
finishing 3" below the header.
Cupola
The cupola is optional—it serves no functional
purpose—but it sure does add a crowning flourish.
1. Cut the ¾ " plywood sides for the base, beveling
top and bottom edges to 40°, and glue and screw (or
nail) together. Cut and install two scrap pieces
inside the box (see figure 12), aligned with the top
edge. These will make it easier to screw the top
securely to the box. Cut eight corner trim pieces
from pine 1x4s, again with an angled 40° cut at top
and bottom, and a 45° bevel on one side where
they’ll meet at the corners. Attach so the edges are
flush with the beveled edges of the box.
2. Cut 1x6 tongue-and-groove as siding to fit
between the corner trim, and nail to the box,
positioning it so the pieces don’t project beyond
the beveled edges (rip the top one if needed).
3. Cut four plywood triangles to make the pyramidal
top and four 20"-long backer blocks out of scrap 2x4
ripped in half with a bevel of 36°. Assemble the
top, screwing through the sides (#8 x 1½ " screws)
and into the blocks. For visual interest, I added a
2x2 frame, ripped from 2x4s, around the inside of
the pyramid’s base. Shingle the pyramid as you did
the main roof and stain or paint.
4. Because the cupola is heavy, it goes on the roof
in two pieces. With a helper, carefully lift the box
up onto the roof. Position it, level it, and screw
it down through the sides into the roof deck.
5. Lift the pyramid top in place—watch for nail
ends—level it, and screw through to the scraps you
installed earlier. A dab of caulking will hide and
seal screw heads.
6. Complete the main roof’s ridge cap up to the
cupola.
Mosquito Net
There will be many glorious summer afternoons when
you can enjoy your outdoor room open to the
elements, and other days (and nights) when you’ll
need something between you and the bugs. We’ve left
it to you to decide how (and if) you want to enclose
the sides—so much depends on your site and how you
plan to use the gazebo. One approach is to make
screened panels that fit tightly within the sides.
You will have to block off the gaps between the
rafters, either with screen stapled in place, or
wood cut to fit.
If the view out one side isn’t the best, or if
strong winds prevail, fill in a wall or two,
extending the side panels or using materials that
match your cottage. Another idea is to adapt
Japanese shoji screens—the traditional grids of wood
and rice paper used there as walls and doors—to a
Canadian cottage by using translucent white plastic
panels instead of rice paper.
For a softer look, use mosquito netting. A mosquito
net from a camping supply store, sized to cover a
double bed, can be secured inside the roof,
sultan’s-tent style, but it won’t be long enough to
drape down to the deck as well. For that, you could
adapt a screen-wall kit that’s intended for those
ubiquitous backyard canopies. The kits are easy to
find at stores that sell
outdoor furniture.
We hope you have enjoyed this free gazebo plan and
it brings you many years of enjoyment. |
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