It took about 5 hours (ish) to put together our new gazebo.
My Fella started laying out the pieces (all 7 billion of them) at 9am. Around 10:30 I joined him outside to lend a hand 'cause putting this monster up really was a two person task. He did a great job making sense of all the pieces and directing the whole operation (a.k.a bossing me around :)
As a sidenote, following the directions was crucial to putting this gazebo together. Some of the written steps seemed completely illogical, but after the gazebo was finally constructed, we understood why it was important to follow the instructions to the letter. It wasn't rocket science. But darn close.
Our new gazebo looks super spiffy and offers privacy, shade and protection from flying golf balls.
The Benen gazebo was $300 on sale at Walmart. There were a few other choices available at a cheaper price but this one looked like it offered the best quality. We're hoping we get 10 years out of it, at a cost of $30 per year.
That being said, if it starts falling apart you'll be the first to know.
It's looks like a really idyllic spot!
Posted by: Laurie | August 19, 2011 at 11:43 AM
Can a place be 'really' idyllic? Well, grammer aside, it looks great!!
Posted by: Laurie | August 19, 2011 at 11:45 AM
We have a similar gazebo that we only put up for a short time each year. I took a felt marker and numbered the poles where they went together, now it is much easier to put up without having to look carefully at the instructions 50 times. It works very well for the sun, rain and bugs! (golf balls)
Posted by: Don | August 19, 2011 at 05:30 PM
Mr P - we kept the instructions 'cause I KNOW we'll need them again. How long have you had your gazebo? Is the canvas starting to rip at all? Are the posts/poles rusting?
Posted by: kelsi | August 20, 2011 at 11:52 AM
Your grammar is impeccable - after all, you ARE the NewsMama. Even if you're longer a news mama. (Until I come up with another nickname, that's gonna have to suffice. CactusMama just doesn't have the same ring to it...)
Posted by: kelsi | August 20, 2011 at 12:00 PM
Our gazebo has stood up quite well, the sun will fade and weaken it a bit and it should be anchored down in case of a gust of wind. If you leave it up all summer I don't think it will last 10 years tho.
Posted by: Don | August 21, 2011 at 10:43 AM
Great job!! I know exactly the "bossing me around" thing...lol...after all, I married a planner...aka Mr. BossyPants...
Carol
Posted by: Carol | August 22, 2011 at 04:15 PM
Mr P - we're hoping for 10 years, but I'll settle for 6. We plan on keeping the canvas up from May to the end of Sept; roughly 5 months a year. But I'm planting trees around it for more protection.
Posted by: kelsi | August 23, 2011 at 06:53 AM
Hola Carol! Happy to see you were just on vacation. When your blog hadn't been updated for awhile I thought you stopped blogging; made me sad. But you're back!
And I totally agree about the beauty of the Kootenays; My Fella used to work at a golf course in the Columbia Valley and we loved it out there...
Posted by: kelsi | August 23, 2011 at 06:57 AM
Just bought the same gazebo how has yours held up so far
Posted by: Graeme | September 14, 2011 at 03:51 PM
Graeme - the Benin gazebo is holding up well in the current heat (30+C) and looks really good on our lot. We paid $300 for it on sale at Walmart, but everything is more expensive here in BC.
Was yours on sale too? How much and where (if you don't mind sharing)?
We'll see how it looks in three or four years, but for now we're really happy with this gazebo and would buy it again.
Posted by: kelsi | September 15, 2011 at 06:35 AM
Bought this gazebo this summer. Looks great! Instructions for putting it up were not great. Had to read between the lines. Some steps were missing, but both of us have enough experience at building things that we did what we used some common sense and got it up in a reasonable amount of time. Pity the person who is not a handy-(man)person. After a couple of weeks, heavy winds and rains were forecasted, so I took off all the walls & roof. With the heavy rains, water got inside the posts and it "rained" RUST all over the deck and white siding of our house. Some posts (4)got bent from the winds. We live in a sheltered area, surrounded by trees, so the winds were not bad like in open areas. I would've thought that without the tarp roof, it should've withstood the winds...OH well, GOOD LUCK to those of you hoping to get a few years out of it.
Posted by: Theresa | November 11, 2011 at 03:10 PM