instructables

Log Gazebo

by CraftAndu

Are you looking to spend some time with friends and family in the garden? Good old grill party or just a simple evening
get-together. No matter the occasion it is good to have some protection from the elements. This is where a gazebo
comes into play! A simple structure with a roof is what best describes it. Of course, one can build it as complex as needed
by adding glass walls, swings, storage, etc.
The one you see here was built by me and my brother in the summer of 2021. It took us around 4 days to build. Of
course, it is far from complete. The gazebo still needs some nishing touches. The owner also wants to add wal l
curtains for wind protection and the furniture is temporary as well. I will update this ´ible once the project is nished.
If you wish to see how the gazebo looks when it is completely done I recommend you also follow me on Instagram. I
post other builds there as well!
PS: Please note that I am not a professional - I do this as a hobby. It was my rst time framing a roof. If you notice any
mistakes, please do let me know as well. We are all here to learn!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/t6j37sRvkDk

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Step 1: Tools and Materials

For this build I used:

160x160 mm logs. These were halfway processed logs for building log houses. In total, I used around 30
meters of this material.
5x10 cm (2X4) lumber for building the roof framing. If I remember correctly around 60-80 meters was
used.
5x5 cm(2X2) lumber for purlins. (50-60 meters)
Screws and wood bolts
Roo ng sheets and everything that comes with it.
Wood nish (should be weather resistant)
Concrete (we used seven 25kg bags of dry concrete)
Angle brackets (x8)
4 large buckets (for concrete footings)

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The wood we used was Pine ( Pinus sylvestris). It is the most common and readily available construction lumber here in
Estonia. I can not really give out an exact number of how much this project cost as most of the material the owner
already had. I reckon it would be somewhere between 1500-2000€ if everything needs to be purchased.
Tools I used:
Cordless drill with di erent wood bits
Impact driver
Marking and measuring tools
Chisels and a planer
Hand saw, chain saw, circular saw, mitre saw, jig saw
Angle grinder
Electric planer
Drawknife
Logging tongs
Protective gear
A crane with a good operator
Concrete mixer

I have also added a picture of the gazebo that the owner used to have there. It was a cheap one from thin metal. They
had to replace it pretty much every year as it was just so fragile. Building a gazebo from lumber might be more expensive
and time-consuming, but it really pays o in the long term!
PS: The Sckeetchup le (and photo) are really rough - it is nothing like the nal product. I do not really like spending
hours drawing a project - I like to gure things out as I go.

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 View in 3D Download

https://www.instructables.com/ORIG/F6A/A4MJ/KSKPZ2ZH/F6AA4MJKSKPZ2ZH.skp

Step 2: Cleaning the Logs

To start it o me and my brother cleaned the logs. I used a draw knife to remove most of the bark and my brother went
over each log with an angle grinder and 40 grit sandpaper to make them look nice. Then I cut both ends on each log nice
and square. I rst used a speed square and a cordless circular saw to go all around the log and nished the cut with a
hand saw. I was pretty happy with the results I got that way.

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Step 3: Building the Frame

Then it was time to build the main frame. Half lap joinery was used to connect the logs. I really took some time to get it
nice and I think it turned out great. I did also add wood glue because why not and bolted the joint tightly with four wood
bolts.

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Step 4: Starting the Roof Joinery

Building the roof construction on the ground was much easier than 3 meters high up in the air. I started by levelling the
whole frame and adding two supports (for the ridge beam) on both of the shorter sides. It is important to get these
supports perpendicular to the frame.
Then I glued and screwed together two 2X4 to form a 4X4 that would act as a ridge beam. 3 rafters on each side followed.
I did not really aim for any speci c roof pitch - I just visually set it with the owner. After that, I cut the ridge beam and
turned the cuto s into rafters as well. Everything was screwed together with 5x100 mm screws and I later added bolts as
well. Although it felt really strong by then, I added two collar ties. I did not bother gutting birdsmouths on the rafters as
they were only 2X4 and the frame logs did not have a nice edge.

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Step 5: Roof Joinery Continues

Hip rafters and jack rafters followed. As it was my rst time building a roof frame all the angles gave me a headache. I am
not too good at maths nor logical thinking so I was left with trial and error. Somehow it worked out nicely once I got the
hang of it. I used a string to make sure everything was nice and straight. I managed to build most of the frame on the
ground. As I ran out of material and the crane was already booked I turned my attention to the corner posts.

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Step 6: Prepping the Porch

First, we did a layout on the porch with a string making extra sure everything was square (measure the diagonals!). Using
a jig saw I cut a hole in every corner for the logs. A construction this big weighs a lot and you do not want it to be
supported only by the porch. It really has to be supported from the ground.
After the holes in the porch were cut we could set the exact location for the concrete footings. We used four old varnish
buckets for it. My brother crawled under the porch and dug holes for them and set the buckets while I mixed the
concrete and poured it. Luck me that my brother was so willingly ready to crawl under there because I am de nitely too
old for that. :)
Note that the ground under the porch had already been replaced with gravel and sand. Footings this small would
probably not work on regular soil as they would sag. The soil under and around the bucket has to be replaced with gravel
and sand.

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Step 7: Adding the Posts

After the concrete footings had been set we installed the posts. The rst task was to submerge the end of the log in a
wood nish. It was some kind of oil-based nish that is normally used on log houses. This nish has to be weather
resistant as the end closest to the ground tends to get the most moisture (from the ground).
Setting the posts was pretty straightforward. A little pad was added between the concrete and the log to stop moisture
from rising up into the wood. Then we made sure the post was plum and attached it with two angle brackets to the
concrete and with wood bolts to the patio´s frame. We also added blocks of 2x4 around the log so that the decking
boards could be supported as well.

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Step 8: Trimming the Posts

As I left all the posts too long it was now time to trim them. The lowest one was cut to length and all the other posts were
referenced o of that. To cut the log I used my small battery-powered chainsaw. The key to making a nice cut with it is to
mark the line all around the log and well, experience helps as well.
To transfer the line to other posts I used the straightest piece of timber I could nd. It laying on one of the already cut
posts I made sure it was level using a long spirit level. Scribed a line, marked it all around, cut it and I was done. This
method is not the most precise but it turned out OK. It would be much better to use a laser level but mine was not
powerful enough to be used in daylight.

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Step 9: The Big Guns

I managed to nish the post just in time as the crane was arriving at 6 am the next morning. It was quick work as the
crane operator was really experienced. To attach the roof frame to the log I used 300mm M10 wood bolts. One in every
corner was used. These bolts would assure that the posts would not shift under the frame. The real strength would come
from the diagonals I was about to attach.
My tape measure tattoo came in really handy as well making sure the bolts were in fact 300 mm :)

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Step 10: The Diagonals

As imagined the structure was a bit wobbly. It was missing diagonal bracing. To x that each post got two diagonals
between the post and the frame. These were cut from the leftover material and were exactly 1 meter long. I started
getting really nice cut quality with the chainsaw and it made me happy. The diagonals were attached with four big bolts.
After these were attached there was no sign of the structure being wobbly anymore. Well, to be honest, I did not manage
to add all the diagonals straight away as we ran out of material once again.

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Step 11: Admire the Work

Unfortunately, this was the end of this project for me. At least for now. My summer was really busy and my brother got
into a bit of an accident as well. It meant that the owner had to nish the gazebo themselves.
I can't describe how happy I am with how it turned out - especially considering it was my rst time framing a roof.

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Step 12: The Roof

To add the roof 2X2 purlins were added perpendicular to the rafters. The spacing between those was 400 mm. Everything
was covered with protective wood nish before adding the roof sheets. Great in theory, but as you can see it did not turn
out so good. The problem was that that the person, who installed the roof sheets was really inexperienced. He installed
the sheets by nailing them in the low seam. This is a big mistake as water ows in there and leaking is inevitable. Also, the
nails protruded through the purlins as they were too long. The correct way would have been to nail the sheets
through the high seam.
This video gives a great overview of how to install a corrugated roof. It is also super important to follow the
manufacturer's instructions!

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Step 13: The End!

I hope this project has given you some ideas on how to build a gazebo. I am not a professional - I do this stu as a hobby
so there are probably some mistakes in the way I did it. If notice some, please do inform me as well. We are all here to
learn!
I would appreciate your feedback on this project!
If you wish to see how the gazebo looks when it is completely done I recommend you follow me on Instagram. I post
other builds there as well! I will also update this instructable, once the gazebo is nished.
As always, thanks for reading and see on next one!
Andu

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