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Gazebos. Are they worth having?

oooftoooft Posts: 191
in Garden design
I've recently disposed of a patio set that came with the house when i bought it. I never liked it but was reluctant to get rid as there were a lot of plastic bits on it and it was still serviceable. Thankfully the Scottish winter set about it and i joyfully took it to the dump yesterday. I now have a lovely big patio, have long fancied a gazebo and found a steel framed one for a hundred quid i like the look of. I live on a windy site so anchoring it down will be a pain in the neck. So have you got one? Does it get much use? Do you look forward to getting it out the shed in the summer or do you regret buying the thing? Is a patio set with an umbrella easier to manage or a poor cousin to the mighty gazebo? Please share the wisdom of your experience with me
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  • KT53KT53 Posts: 9,016
    If anchoring it down is going to be a pain, the probability is it won't get used so will be a waste of money.  Patio set and brolly will be a much better option.
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Haven't got one but I always thought a gazebo was a permanent wooden or brick structure used for sheltering from baking sun or rain accordingly.   By comparison, patio sets with an umbrella are temporary and need moving in and out depending on season and weather.
      
    If you mean the things with a metal frame and fabric covers beware - in my experience the ones sold for £100, even half price in sales, are badly soldered and will break in a strong wind and the fabric will fly all over the place or create wind resistance that bends the metal frame.   
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    I agree with Obelixx, the metal pole and fabric ones are very flimsy and cannot cope with windy conditions  - even if they are tied down. You might be better off constructing a pergola or verandah over your patio, complete with climbing plants to shelter you from the wind.
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • oooftoooft Posts: 191
    Och well. Somewhat disappointed as i've always fancied a gazebo but at least i don't have to mess around with tying the thing down or feeling anxious when i'm away from home and the wind gets up. Patio set and umbrella it is then.  I'll use the extra space for a few tubs of tatties.
    Thanks for all your helpful replies
  • DyersEndDyersEnd Posts: 730
    Some advice you haven't asked for so feel free to ignore me. Unless you're going to put it under cover over winter, I'd only buy very heavyweight patio furniture or that too will blow away. I have coated aluminium (so it won't rust) very heavy large table and chairs but even so one a couple of the chairs blow over sometimes.
  • oooftoooft Posts: 191
    That's good advice. I'm keeping my eyes peeled for a folding set that can go in the shed in the winter. 
  • JoeXJoeX Posts: 1,783
    Hmm.  I'm thinking of getting one, although I'm down south we still get high winds occasionally.

    My main thoughts are if it will get used often.  Shelter is good to have, but if it's rain then you don't want it to be far from the house, and rain is often accompanied by wind, then a gazebo won't help much.

    Consequently I think of it as primarily being used as a sun shade , so it's competing with pergolas and the straight forward table and parasol.
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    We borrowed a gazebo from a friend for our wedding. Half way through the ceremony a huge gust of wind ripped it off its mountings and stuck into a nearby tree. I'd hate to have to take one down during high winds.

    A did visit a house once that had a shade sail. It was made of sturdy canvas mounted to a really solid tubular aluminium frame. He said he'd had it custom made to fit the space and it looked really good. The company did standard size ones too though. It was only on the horizontal plane so didn't catch the wind much but you could fit side panels to the frame for extra shade if you wanted.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • Kitty 2Kitty 2 Posts: 5,150
    I've had a couple of the temporary gazebos over the years. Great for when my children were small, it would be put up in early summer and stay up until they went back to school in Sept. Provided a bit of shade for playtime in the paddling pool on scorching hot days, shelter from summer showers. 

    As they grew older (teens) I'd string outdoor fairy lights up in the 'roof' and they'd hang out with their friends inside it, nattering and listening to music on ipods. Haven't put it up for a few years, youngest is away at uni now.

    I've sited mine in various places around the garden, but always somewhere that the feet could be securely pegged down and I often would tie the guy ropes onto hooks in the shed or fence. Always whipped the cover and side panels off when high winds were forecast.

    I found it a very useful thing to have for a young family and feel I had my moneysworth out of it, paid about £50 back in the noughties (then replaced for a similar price when the feet went rusty).

    Nowadays it's resigned to the back of the shed and would probably only bother getting it out for a party, and they don't happen quite so often now I'm in my forties 😉.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    For a 100 quid, I'd put in a simple timber pergola. You can add glass/polycarbonate, or some other type of cladding to the roof section for rain protection, and then have climbers to cover it, which will provide some shade and be more attractive than a brolly or a canvas cover of any kind. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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