The Best Gazebo Designs and How to Find Them

Gazebo designs abound on the internet and you can easily pick a close match to how you really want your gazebo to look when finished. If you are thinking about a diy gazebo, you will probably spend quite a lot of time doing research online before settling on your final design.

Some sites even offer free gazebo plans. However many of these do not include a complete list of materials and instructions, and the basic drawings provided lack some of the key information needed to finish the entire construction project. Some are little more than sketches.

But, if you really look carefully, you will find sites that provide a wealth of information about how you can build a gazebo for yourself. The data will encompass all the essentials for gazebo construction including a wide array of designs to choose from, plus inexpensive sources and various options for suitable materials.

Most amateur, and some professional, woodworkers do not know enough about building gazebos without all this, and a badly-built gazebo is no use to anyone.

Good gazebo building plans offer additional expert advice when and if needed. It is often difficult to read and understand a gazebo plan when it comes to those hidden corners or complicated assembly sequences, and a simple explanatory diagram or sketch can be most useful.

At the very minimum, check that your plans include:

• a good range of designs
• good quality three-view drawings or blueprints that show the dimensions of all parts clearly
• full materials list showing specifications and quantities, including all ironmongery
• tools required
• drawings or sketches of all hidden or complicated assembly details

There are some ‘luxury’ gazebo plans that also offer a range of blueprints for sheds, log cabins, hen houses, and other popular garden structures complete with uncomplicated step-by-step instructions designed for the amateur builder. It is amazing how useful this is because, sooner or later, you will probably think about building some of these and will be glad to have a suitable set of plans handy.

Some designs even have recommendations about the products you can use to make the most out of your budget. Again, in these tough economic times, you might find this very useful.

An important part of your research and planning is determining all rules and regulations that might apply to your project. You have to contact your local building authority to check if your gazebo plan conforms to the limitations set by the neighborhood association and the local government where you live. Never start implementing your gazebo plans without contacting the appropriate legal body tasked to police such buildings in your area.

Although a gazebo is usually considered to be an extension of your main house, some villages and neighborhoods may have guidelines and rules on how to go about building such structures. Get a list of permitted materials and make sure you abide by those requirements.

Maybe take a look at any other gazebos in your neighborhood to see what designs have already been approved. This will give you a feel for what is or is not acceptable.

Being able to come up with your own gazebo plans can really be a very rewarding experience. Some of the most satisfying moments in my ‘diy’ life have been seeing my own designs coming to fruition. The sense of achievement is really quite hard to match.

However, if you are in a hurry and want to enjoy the amenities that a gazebo could bring sooner rather than later, it is worth going online and securing one of the awesome gazebo plans kits currently available.  

Less than 50 dollars – sometimes a lot less - will buy you a comprehensive set of gazebo building plans plus assembly instructions and a detailed materials list. Actually I have found that, by using plans that have been produced by expert woodworkers, I save both time and money by avoiding those mistakes typical of non-professional carpenters (like me!).

And yes, in order to put your signature on your own gazebo design, you can make major alterations based on your own specifications, using the downloaded gazebo plans as adjustable working drawings.

Buying diy gazebo plans and your own materials is definitely cheaper than buying gazebo kits off the shelf, not surprisingly, and building a gazebo based on your own design can really be a rewarding experience once the entire project is finished. As we have seen, there are many uses for a gazebo, so making one to your own design is really the only way.

To summarize then, choose your gazebo design wisely and look for those good gazebo building plans that come with detailed and clear-cut instructions on how to complete each sector of the building.

The result? A gazebo that you will enjoy building and enjoy for years to come once built.