For starters, why a metal gazebo? Why a gazebo at all. For one, they are just stinking cool. You can't get around it. Your always going to have a bonus to your yard or garden with a gazebo. Why though do we want the metal? Number one reason.....You enjoy being lazy. I do, I'm a put little effort in and get a lot out type of guy. That is exactly what you will get. You just set the thing up and bam....you're done. It takes care of itself. It doesn't require any sort of extra labor. It won't wear out in the weather. With wood you are going to have to do some (though not much) preventative care. We must ask ourselves though. Are all gazebos created equally? No, and what holds true is the old saying, "you get what you pay for" Mainly you are going to find three types of metal used. You got your steel, wrought iron, and your cast aluminum. Those are your typical choices. Each one will have it's own strengths and weaknesses that I'll hopefully cover in another post. Now you can run out and buy a cheap metal gazebo that the neighbors dog snaps the leg on or you can put up something that superman would have to go around the choice is yours. I just want to talk to you a little bit about the reasons you might want a metal gazebo in the first place.
Lets start out with portability. I myself am a person who needs constant change. I don't know if it's that my job has me doing the same mundane nonsense day in and day out or that I just have a low attention span. Either way, I don't like things to be exactly the same all the time. If you find yourself in this boat then one of these bad boys is right up your ally. They are a since to put up and take down. Unlike your wooden gazebos that are much more stationary. A couple of things to keep in mind here about this point. Think of your plants, how well do they transplant? (Don't mind the pun)You may be a mover and a shaker, but your plants might be more of sitters and dwellers. Not that you have to move your plants with your gazebo, you can always just get you some new ones. Don't forget to go back and put something in the empty space left behind, might look a little silly.
Ok, onward and upward. How about up-keep? This is the seller for me right here. There isn't any upkeep. You just assemble and enjoy. How long, as long as you want for many years. The "majority" of you metal gazebos are powder coated with rust proof paint. They are known for lasting, that is why they are a good investment. I can't say enough about their ability to go toe to toe with old man winter and all his not so fair weather friends.
The look....ok, here is where I'm a little biased and have to back off some. I guess it is just my own personal preference but I really like the look of the wooden gazebos better than the metal. The metal can seem a little bit draconian to me. I don't even think I'm using that word correctly. I think I heard it in finance jargon somewhere but it sounds good. Dungeons and castles is what I mean by it. By all means if that is the look and feel you are going for then go for it, me personally though I just like the wood.
An additional note about the weather. The metal gazebo canopy is made with a wind vent to allow blowing winds pass on through and release some of the pressure on the structure. Now I know it isn't "highly likely", but without this feature you could possibly see your metal gazebo blowing down the street.
Showing posts with label gazebos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gazebos. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Gazebo Garden
Hello my friends. Do you have a gazebo garden? If you don't you are missing out on a wonderful experience in life. What is a gazebo garden you might be asking. Well, I suppose it could be of dual meanings. It could be in fact a field or plot of land full of gazebos or in the sense that I use it; a garden centered around one gazebo.
We often get caught up in our busy lives. We have to pick up the kids, get dinner, meet with a client, deal with bill collectors. When do we get a chance to get off the wheel? This life spins pretty fast and we need to make it a point to take time to slow it down. I like to do this smack dab in the middle of my garden gazebo.
I can escape all the cares of the world in several different ways. I can just sit inside my gazebo and take in the beauty of the surrounding garden. Smell the flowers, feel the breeze, listen to nature; your typical outdoorsy type stuff. Or I can go off to any setting I want with a good book. Nothing like my gazebo garden to drown out the television, the kids, the phone, everything else and give me a little bit of quiet time with a good book.
Another method of slowing it down comes in the form of working on the garden itself. The majority of the work involving the flowers and the soil. I would consider that more of an enjoyable hobby than work. Some upkeep here and there over the years may be required on the gazebo itself, not much though as they are often times very sound structures depending on what kind you have. Wood and wrought iron seem to be the two most popular types. The pop up gazebos are growing in popularity though for the many events they can be used in.
You say to me, "I can't find time to just sit around in my gazebo garden. I only get about 45 minutes to myself come the end of the night." Not to fret, let the sun save up some energy for you while you are busy all day spending yours'. Make a nice little cluster of solar lights around your gazebo and spend that quiet time in a place where you will enjoy it.
I really hope you will give some consideration to taking stress down by putting a garden gazebo up. Please come back and see us here at gazebo gazebos.
We often get caught up in our busy lives. We have to pick up the kids, get dinner, meet with a client, deal with bill collectors. When do we get a chance to get off the wheel? This life spins pretty fast and we need to make it a point to take time to slow it down. I like to do this smack dab in the middle of my garden gazebo.
I can escape all the cares of the world in several different ways. I can just sit inside my gazebo and take in the beauty of the surrounding garden. Smell the flowers, feel the breeze, listen to nature; your typical outdoorsy type stuff. Or I can go off to any setting I want with a good book. Nothing like my gazebo garden to drown out the television, the kids, the phone, everything else and give me a little bit of quiet time with a good book.
Another method of slowing it down comes in the form of working on the garden itself. The majority of the work involving the flowers and the soil. I would consider that more of an enjoyable hobby than work. Some upkeep here and there over the years may be required on the gazebo itself, not much though as they are often times very sound structures depending on what kind you have. Wood and wrought iron seem to be the two most popular types. The pop up gazebos are growing in popularity though for the many events they can be used in.
You say to me, "I can't find time to just sit around in my gazebo garden. I only get about 45 minutes to myself come the end of the night." Not to fret, let the sun save up some energy for you while you are busy all day spending yours'. Make a nice little cluster of solar lights around your gazebo and spend that quiet time in a place where you will enjoy it.
I really hope you will give some consideration to taking stress down by putting a garden gazebo up. Please come back and see us here at gazebo gazebos.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Gazebos|Wooden
When picking your gazebo one of your main concerns is going to be the type of material you use. You have several different materials you can choose from. Some of the more common are vinyl, wrought iron, nylon, polyester, and probably the most common of all is wood.
We will be looking at the wood gazebo alone in this post. They seem to be a popular choice for anyone looking to enjoy a natural nature setting such as a park a shaded grove, or their own private garden. I know they really top off a wonderful flower garden. If you need any help with your flower garden then you should look at my friend's garden site she has some great flower garden tips.
So, why don't we look at what the pros and cons of wooden gazebo. Ok, lets start with the good points so we don't scare anyone away before hearing the upside.
Pros: *Sound Structure* With wood you are getting a product that is going to last for years to come. It will be able to stand up to the harsh weather.
*Tradition* Wood has become the most recognizable material in outdoor furniture. Not that doing things just because other people do the is what I'm suggesting you do, but it is nice to feel like you're part of the culture.
*Beauty* Ok, it would be silly to try and deny the beauty of the hand carved wood gazebo. I mean you just can't beat it. Sure wrought iron gazebos come close (the real one's, not those simply labled as wrought iron)but you just can't achieve the same depth of detail and workmanship.
Cons: *Price* All gazebos rank differently on the pay scale. You get into some really fancy detailed work on a nice slab of wood, say red cedar for example, and you are going to see yourself offerning the pied piper quite a bit of mula.
*Insects* Depending on what part of the world you live in, you may have some creatures that have just as great a "taste" for beautiful things as you do. And when I say taste I mean that in a literal sense. Our biggest problem in my area would probably be bore bees and termites. Of course the Orkin man does his part to keep the termites at bay, but I know not a cure for bore bees. If anyone does feel free to leave a comment about it.
*Anchored* I guess I mention this in regards to some of the lighter and more portable gazebos out there. Once you get a giant hunk of wood set up in the spot you want it, you don't want to move it again. So make sure you pick the right spot and that it is a spot you are going to want to sit at for many a year to come.
Now then, those are just a few things to consider about the pros and cons of gazebos before making a purchase of a wonderful addition to any home's yard or garden. Now get out there and get your new wooden gazebo :)
We will be looking at the wood gazebo alone in this post. They seem to be a popular choice for anyone looking to enjoy a natural nature setting such as a park a shaded grove, or their own private garden. I know they really top off a wonderful flower garden. If you need any help with your flower garden then you should look at my friend's garden site she has some great flower garden tips.
So, why don't we look at what the pros and cons of wooden gazebo. Ok, lets start with the good points so we don't scare anyone away before hearing the upside.
Pros: *Sound Structure* With wood you are getting a product that is going to last for years to come. It will be able to stand up to the harsh weather.
*Tradition* Wood has become the most recognizable material in outdoor furniture. Not that doing things just because other people do the is what I'm suggesting you do, but it is nice to feel like you're part of the culture.
*Beauty* Ok, it would be silly to try and deny the beauty of the hand carved wood gazebo. I mean you just can't beat it. Sure wrought iron gazebos come close (the real one's, not those simply labled as wrought iron)but you just can't achieve the same depth of detail and workmanship.
Cons: *Price* All gazebos rank differently on the pay scale. You get into some really fancy detailed work on a nice slab of wood, say red cedar for example, and you are going to see yourself offerning the pied piper quite a bit of mula.
*Insects* Depending on what part of the world you live in, you may have some creatures that have just as great a "taste" for beautiful things as you do. And when I say taste I mean that in a literal sense. Our biggest problem in my area would probably be bore bees and termites. Of course the Orkin man does his part to keep the termites at bay, but I know not a cure for bore bees. If anyone does feel free to leave a comment about it.
*Anchored* I guess I mention this in regards to some of the lighter and more portable gazebos out there. Once you get a giant hunk of wood set up in the spot you want it, you don't want to move it again. So make sure you pick the right spot and that it is a spot you are going to want to sit at for many a year to come.
Now then, those are just a few things to consider about the pros and cons of gazebos before making a purchase of a wonderful addition to any home's yard or garden. Now get out there and get your new wooden gazebo :)
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Gazebos|History
Alright fellow gazebo enthusiast. Time for a little history lesson, please open your text books to the page with the funny little monument thing in the garden. Gazebos have been with us for far longer than I would have ever imagined. My limited little brain often fails to see beyond the scope of America and 1776. Call it patriotism or ignorant bliss, needless to say all my years of not paying attention in school have paid off with a sense of excitement whenever I do decide to read up on a subject. Not that this topic was a likely candidate for any of my history classes. Anyhoo, lets take this topic by the keyboard and get her back on track.
Gazebos started out long long ago with Egyptian nobility. At first they were built along the tops of houses as a vantage point. Can you imagine if this were still the case? I bet we would hear a lot more about alcohol/gazebo related deaths. Thankfully some genius decided to put them on the ground for safety sake. The garden was the place of choice. Only the upper echelon had a private garden, so in the beginning they were the only ones who owned gazebos. I've read that the egyptians held a belief that their garden was sacred and would go with them in the afterlife. There have been many archeologists who have found murals of a gazebo garden in egyptian tombs. Some of the tombs date clear back to 1400 BC.
The word "gazebo" is believed to have been popularized around the 1700's by a man by the name of William Halfpenny. You may recall him and his cousin Bill "Fullnickle". Ok, lame I know but I'm sorry I just couldn't resist. Anyways, he was the author of a book called New Designs for Chinese Temples that came out in 1752. I suppose I should note also that in the east gazebos were set up to look like small temples. The Romans and the Greeks were known to have them and they created theirs out of marble more often than not. Ok, back to the word itself. They are not entirely sure, but they believe Halfpenny may have come up with it by taking the English word "gaze" and adding the latin "ebo" which means I shall. So the word would have meant "I shall gaze" This makes sense that they were initially on rooftops and in the gardens sights that you took in were a huge part of the experience.
Now I don't know about you, but it sounds like something this tried and true to still be around after all of these years has to be a good thing. If you have had any experience I'm sure you can attest to the fact that they are. We still use them today for the same thing people did back then. Peace and tranquility. A quiet retreat from the ever increasing burden of information overload. Time to ponder, gather, and reflect upon our thoughts. Now go on reward yourself and make your own history with gazebos.
Gazebos started out long long ago with Egyptian nobility. At first they were built along the tops of houses as a vantage point. Can you imagine if this were still the case? I bet we would hear a lot more about alcohol/gazebo related deaths. Thankfully some genius decided to put them on the ground for safety sake. The garden was the place of choice. Only the upper echelon had a private garden, so in the beginning they were the only ones who owned gazebos. I've read that the egyptians held a belief that their garden was sacred and would go with them in the afterlife. There have been many archeologists who have found murals of a gazebo garden in egyptian tombs. Some of the tombs date clear back to 1400 BC.
The word "gazebo" is believed to have been popularized around the 1700's by a man by the name of William Halfpenny. You may recall him and his cousin Bill "Fullnickle". Ok, lame I know but I'm sorry I just couldn't resist. Anyways, he was the author of a book called New Designs for Chinese Temples that came out in 1752. I suppose I should note also that in the east gazebos were set up to look like small temples. The Romans and the Greeks were known to have them and they created theirs out of marble more often than not. Ok, back to the word itself. They are not entirely sure, but they believe Halfpenny may have come up with it by taking the English word "gaze" and adding the latin "ebo" which means I shall. So the word would have meant "I shall gaze" This makes sense that they were initially on rooftops and in the gardens sights that you took in were a huge part of the experience.
Now I don't know about you, but it sounds like something this tried and true to still be around after all of these years has to be a good thing. If you have had any experience I'm sure you can attest to the fact that they are. We still use them today for the same thing people did back then. Peace and tranquility. A quiet retreat from the ever increasing burden of information overload. Time to ponder, gather, and reflect upon our thoughts. Now go on reward yourself and make your own history with gazebos.
Hot Tub Gazebos
Today our gazebo focus will be on the ever popular hot tub and gazebo combo. I don't know why I've never thought about the two being together.The magnitude of the impact of such a simple move is unbelievable. It could be likened to someone deciding to pair up peanut butter and jelly. Now don't get me wrong, I love being able to sit in the hot tub and gaze up at the stars. Probably my best memory is my wife and I doing just that on our honeymoon and then we......*blushes*...oh where was I? Right. The hot tub gazebo combo.
Ok, so there you are in your hot tub enjoying a glass of wine and all is at peace in the world, then it happens. Rain begins to fall from the sky. Now you may shrug this off and say, "big deal, I'm in a hot tub, I'm already wet." That very well may be true, but is your towel supposed to get wet? What about your radio? Enjoy your wine watered down? With the combo you get the best of both worlds.
The gazebo is going to give you a nice covering from the weather, be it rain, sleet, hail, or snow. Your hot tub time will almost be as reliable as the mailman. Not to mention the added benefits of going with a screened in gazebo. This eliminates any pesky insects trying to take a dip in the warm ocean. (I suppose it would be an ocean to a little bug, I don't know, next time I get the chance I'll ask a fly)
I know one thing, if money wasn't an issue, I would have about six gazebos in the backyard and at least two of them would be centered around a hot tub. Something just gives it a safer feel. I remember on my honeymoon I kept thinking, what if some critter or perhaps a snake comes slinking into this hottub. With the shelter you don't have to worry about it.
How extravagant or cheap you want to be is all up to you. Gazebos range in price depending on size, material, and features. Do you want some small and cozy for just two in the hot tub, or do you want the neighbors to be able to sit around along with a snack table? These are all things to think about when you decide to take the plunge on a hot tub and gazebo combo. Take your time and shop around. Check back for more on gazebos.
Ok, so there you are in your hot tub enjoying a glass of wine and all is at peace in the world, then it happens. Rain begins to fall from the sky. Now you may shrug this off and say, "big deal, I'm in a hot tub, I'm already wet." That very well may be true, but is your towel supposed to get wet? What about your radio? Enjoy your wine watered down? With the combo you get the best of both worlds.
The gazebo is going to give you a nice covering from the weather, be it rain, sleet, hail, or snow. Your hot tub time will almost be as reliable as the mailman. Not to mention the added benefits of going with a screened in gazebo. This eliminates any pesky insects trying to take a dip in the warm ocean. (I suppose it would be an ocean to a little bug, I don't know, next time I get the chance I'll ask a fly)
I know one thing, if money wasn't an issue, I would have about six gazebos in the backyard and at least two of them would be centered around a hot tub. Something just gives it a safer feel. I remember on my honeymoon I kept thinking, what if some critter or perhaps a snake comes slinking into this hottub. With the shelter you don't have to worry about it.
How extravagant or cheap you want to be is all up to you. Gazebos range in price depending on size, material, and features. Do you want some small and cozy for just two in the hot tub, or do you want the neighbors to be able to sit around along with a snack table? These are all things to think about when you decide to take the plunge on a hot tub and gazebo combo. Take your time and shop around. Check back for more on gazebos.
Gazebos in the news.
Gazebos in the news is going to be a little on going segment (or is it ongoing?) to keep a close eye on what's going in the world of lawn shelters. This first segment is going to be a doozy. What we have is a man wanting to do a good thing and a bunch of slimeball buracrats holding it all up.
The setting is a small town in Southwestern Ontario that has a district that is designated for tourists and visitors. It has great historical signifigance and therefore is great for this sort of business. In this town lives a man, who remains nameless, with a ground level business and that has a residential apartment above. Directly beside his store/apartment he owns another piece of commercial property. He intends to use this property to open up an artists' gazebo garden. Local arts and crafts folks would be able to set up and sell their products inside of the different gazebos.
His plan is for the gazbeos to be open for a small rent fee. This is all just peachy with the zoning and by-laws for the use of the land stated by the "muicipality". The Municipality’s Strategic Plan states: “Main street renewal and/or conversion” and “Small craftsmen and cottage industry oriented operations,” those are the requirements for lands where the property in question lies. This just happens to be verbatim what he plans to do. None of this should be a problem, right? Wrong.
The owner filed a site plan amendmant with the municipality on March 30, 2009 which came with a whopping $550 fee. He informed the members representing the municipality that he didn't like paying money for things that their laws say they should be supporting. After further discussion it was agreed on that there wouldn't be any further fees than $200 dollars toward the owner totaling $750. Now that still seems a bit high to me, but what do I know about business.
June 29, 2009 after a 3 month silence from the municipality the owner recieves a letter. It is a site plan agreement document along with a $1488.38 bill plus an aside that there will be a $325 fee for registering the agreement against his property title. Now bear in mind that this agreement didn't look anything like the one he proposed to the municipality. Throw in the fact that this thing was done up without his consent or any dialogue with him and you have one ticked off dude. After complaining he did manage a hearing with the municpality's council on August 26, 2009 to present his take on the whole thing.
Now after 9 months this is still not completely resolved. The further demands of the municipality are rendering his inital plans useless. The whole thing has become a giant red tape-ball rolling downhill. Funny enough the municipal councillor for the village ward and the president of the local Chamber of Commerce are having no restrictions or hinderances placed on them and their gazebos that are being used for similar purposes in the same districts.
Corruption has run amok even in the world of gazebos, what a shame.
The setting is a small town in Southwestern Ontario that has a district that is designated for tourists and visitors. It has great historical signifigance and therefore is great for this sort of business. In this town lives a man, who remains nameless, with a ground level business and that has a residential apartment above. Directly beside his store/apartment he owns another piece of commercial property. He intends to use this property to open up an artists' gazebo garden. Local arts and crafts folks would be able to set up and sell their products inside of the different gazebos.
His plan is for the gazbeos to be open for a small rent fee. This is all just peachy with the zoning and by-laws for the use of the land stated by the "muicipality". The Municipality’s Strategic Plan states: “Main street renewal and/or conversion” and “Small craftsmen and cottage industry oriented operations,” those are the requirements for lands where the property in question lies. This just happens to be verbatim what he plans to do. None of this should be a problem, right? Wrong.
The owner filed a site plan amendmant with the municipality on March 30, 2009 which came with a whopping $550 fee. He informed the members representing the municipality that he didn't like paying money for things that their laws say they should be supporting. After further discussion it was agreed on that there wouldn't be any further fees than $200 dollars toward the owner totaling $750. Now that still seems a bit high to me, but what do I know about business.
June 29, 2009 after a 3 month silence from the municipality the owner recieves a letter. It is a site plan agreement document along with a $1488.38 bill plus an aside that there will be a $325 fee for registering the agreement against his property title. Now bear in mind that this agreement didn't look anything like the one he proposed to the municipality. Throw in the fact that this thing was done up without his consent or any dialogue with him and you have one ticked off dude. After complaining he did manage a hearing with the municpality's council on August 26, 2009 to present his take on the whole thing.
Now after 9 months this is still not completely resolved. The further demands of the municipality are rendering his inital plans useless. The whole thing has become a giant red tape-ball rolling downhill. Funny enough the municipal councillor for the village ward and the president of the local Chamber of Commerce are having no restrictions or hinderances placed on them and their gazebos that are being used for similar purposes in the same districts.
Corruption has run amok even in the world of gazebos, what a shame.
Gazebos: Information
Welcome to Gazebo Gazebos. That is my own little spin on tomato tomata.It seems everyone has a little hobby or something that they enjoy. Mine is a fascination with gazebos. I've always thought they were such a great addition to a yard, a park, a town square. They just seem to add an extra little flare to any old place. Got a lack luster yard? Put one up add a grill and you got the best spot on the block for a cookout.
I've decided we are going to learn together. I've been an admirer for quite sometime, but now it's time to get my hands dirty. I want to know everything I can. The history, the culture, the structure, how to build them, the best places to put them, what they are made of. Anything that I can learn I'm going to, and I'm going to put it right here on this blog so that anyone with any questions will have a place to go.
The web has made life so wide open, would you agree? Anything you want to know about these days, boom pull it up. The world at your fingertips....and eyelids so to speak. So now I intend to leave my little bit of knowledge in the time caspule that is the web.
I'm not sure where I will start, I've thought about maybe doing some pieces on famous gazebos or a gazebo of intrest type thing. You know, like....such and such band played here, or such and such president got drunk and fell over the rail of this gazebo lol.
Another place we might start our journey is with the history. Where did these little shelters start popping up? Who started making them? When did they really start to become popular.
I think with a little bit of digging, and a lot of typing, perhaps even a little bit of handy work (if I ever decide to tackle building on myself) we should be able to answer some of these burning questions and more. So hold on to you hats, because I know the idea of know so much about these things has already blown your socks off. If you want to be a gazebonut like me then come on back to gazebo/gazebos anytime.
I've decided we are going to learn together. I've been an admirer for quite sometime, but now it's time to get my hands dirty. I want to know everything I can. The history, the culture, the structure, how to build them, the best places to put them, what they are made of. Anything that I can learn I'm going to, and I'm going to put it right here on this blog so that anyone with any questions will have a place to go.
The web has made life so wide open, would you agree? Anything you want to know about these days, boom pull it up. The world at your fingertips....and eyelids so to speak. So now I intend to leave my little bit of knowledge in the time caspule that is the web.
I'm not sure where I will start, I've thought about maybe doing some pieces on famous gazebos or a gazebo of intrest type thing. You know, like....such and such band played here, or such and such president got drunk and fell over the rail of this gazebo lol.
Another place we might start our journey is with the history. Where did these little shelters start popping up? Who started making them? When did they really start to become popular.
I think with a little bit of digging, and a lot of typing, perhaps even a little bit of handy work (if I ever decide to tackle building on myself) we should be able to answer some of these burning questions and more. So hold on to you hats, because I know the idea of know so much about these things has already blown your socks off. If you want to be a gazebonut like me then come on back to gazebo/gazebos anytime.
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