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I've always wanted a gazebo. I remember New York vacations at my grandparents' house, whiling away the heat (their idea of heat anyway---I'm a Midwesterner, please!) of summer in their shaded gazebo. My grandfather had a family of chipmunks that came visiting on a regular basis to rifle his pockets for peanuts. Good memories.
Every year we talked about building a gazebo but unfortunately for me, my husband's occupation involves industrial construction and spring is just when those huge projects are gearing up as well. That's why I began to consider kits for time and convenience. Wow! I had no idea how much was out there and how much was available. So here's my first tip: Know what you need/want. My needs were simple. All I wanted was a structure to 1) compliment the west side of my courtyard and 2) allow enough room for Dave and I to sit comfortably and enjoy the evenings together.
My second tip: know what amount of maintenance you are willing to provide over the life of the gazebo. Quite frankly, we wanted very little if any maintenance at all. Those wooden gingerbread laden gazebos are fantastic to look at but we didn't want the time consuming job of yearly staining or painting. That's why I chose the Suncast Gazebo. It's rigid resin construction will not splinter or rot.
And lastly, my third tip: know the amount of skill level required for assembly. I am not a carpenter and my husband didn't have much time for building. We needed a fast, easy solution. The Suncast Gazebo required only a platform for anchoring. David was able to build that in a day.
So, after all my research, I ordered my gazebo and this is how it arrived at my doorstep:
(This is a freight-only item because of it's sheer size---two large pallets long---and weight. The trucking company will ask if a dock is available or if they need to send it on a lift gate truck.)
Although David assembled 90% of the gazebo without my help, it really works better with an extra set of hands. 
The rails can be tricky but otherwise, it's a peach to put together. I believe anyone could assemble this gazebo in one day. The finished measurements are 10'X10' and it easily holds a table and four chairs. However, many people have told us that they think it's an ideal structure to place over a hot tub! I would concur it weren't for the fact that we meant it as a stopping place, either at the end of our courtyard or as a spot to rest before moving on to the koi/goldfish pond. We spent many a fine summer evening sitting under it, watching the sunset. I believe the Suncast website shows the gazebo anchored to a flat, square platform resting atop the ground. We chose to raise our platform to give the gazebo a bit more height and David designed the platform to follow the same octagonal shape as the gazebo itself. We also left off one set of rails so that we could enter and exit from more than one side instead of enclosing the inside circle.
We finished the platform by closing it in and then added flower beds and a gravel path around it. I cannot tell you how many compliments we've received.
The manufacturing quality is such that it looks just as great up close as it does from a distance. A top notch product. At Christmas, we outlined the gazebo in twinkle lights and it was really something to see at night.
So, if you are into planning your winter projects early like I am and you choose to make the Suncast gazebo your project of choice, I'd like to hear about it. Feel free to email me at:
I'd be happy to respond to any questions you might have.
