[Chaincarver Steve]

My wife and I have been wanting me to build a gazebo in the back yard. This will be a 10-foot octagon. I plan to build it all myself. Well, except for preparing the footing and setting up the tall corner posts (that was more than I could comfortably manage on my own). We finally got some other major projects finished up (pool re-surfacing, rock waterfall built, pavers on pool deck, paver sidewalk down to the dock, fire pit area with seating and pavered ground) so I jumped right in with the build about 2-3 weeks ago.

A week off of the project occurred between the time the concrete footers were finished and when the 8 corner posts were erected. That's right, I said erected! That was yesterday. Today, I added the center pad and the 6x6 support block on top of it, followed by the joist work that's done so far. My back definitely feels the constant bending over, the little bit of digging (through rock and clay), and the cutting and nailing of today's work.

During the last two weeks of the Baileigh build I was working on the footers: 8 1-foot diameter, 2 feet deep concrete-filled cardboard tubes. That was some back breaking work. Luckily a friend of mine did a majority of the hard labor. He was beyond helpful. Thanks again to him.

 

[Chaincarver Steve]

The heart of the web.

What is done so far.

Now I have to notch angles into the outsides of the 8 corner posts so I can put the headers (I think that's what they're called). Then shorter joists will be added from the center of the inner octagon you see above to the center of the headers that will form the outside border of the joists.

Then I can start on the floor. I know that isn't fine working, by any means. Hopefully some one will enjoy seeing it come together. I know I will.

 

[tc65]

It may or may not be "fine" woodworking, but it looks pretty fine to me!

Looking forward to watching it come together.

 

[Wema826]

I want to see a tricked out ceiling inlay Micheal Angelo or Davinci style!! anything less coming from you Steve would simply be unacceptable!!:thumbsup:

 

[Ted Tolstad]

I'm in on this one....we are in the process of purchasing a new place and my wife has already determined that she wants a gazebo built in our front yard.....we shall see.....

 

[johnnie52]

Count me as a follower for this one. Pretty solid construction so far. I would have just built it on block leveled on the ground. Would never have even given footers a thought. :laughing:

 

[Chaincarver Steve]

I want to see a tricked out ceiling inlay Micheal Angelo or Davinci style!! anything less coming from you Steve would simply be unacceptable!!:thumbsup:

I shall dub thee the Sistine Gazebo!

Actually, the ceiling will have a ceiling fan with light kit. And rope lighting or white Christmas light strands for accent/mood lighting.

 

[Longknife]

.... I would have just built it on block leveled on the ground. Would never have even given footers a thought. :laughing:

Might work in Florida but not here. Our building code says frost free depth is 6 feet.

Nice build so far, Steve. Are you building this from plans or do you do it your normal way, winging it as you go?

 

[Chaincarver Steve]

Count me as a follower for this one. Pretty solid construction so far. I would have just built it on block leveled on the ground. Would never have even given footers a thought. :laughing:

Let me tell you, the whole footers stage was a major chore. I'm soooooo glad that part is over with. It also took a lot longer than expected (and really cut into my contest build time). But I'm also very glad it was done that way. We put J bolts in the concrete. So the metal post anchors are bolted down and are definitely not going anywhere. What's built so far is extremely solid.

You may have also noticed that it's built on a slight hill.

 

[Chaincarver Steve]

Might work in Florida but not here. Our building code says frost free depth is 6 feet.

Nice build so far, Steve. Are you building this from plans or do you do it your normal way, winging it as you go?

I bought plans on eBay by a company called ADV Plans. The disc comes with about 6 gazebo variations. I wouldn't feel safe ringing this one. I wanted to make sure it's done properly.

 

[thegrgyle]

That is some mighty fine framework you have there, from what I can tell. I have built quite a few decks in my day, and I can empathize with you about the footings. I don't think my back can take anymore of those. That is why we rent this now when we do a deck. You can get different size post holes augers. Kind of fun to play with too.

Consider me signed up to this thread! :thumbsup:

 

[robert421960]

nice work steve!!!
cant wait to see more

 

[guglipm63]

looking good

 

[Kenbo]

Consider me subscribed. I love how it's looking so far. I wouldn't mind seeing some pictures of the other projects too.........eg. fire pit, pool, waterfall, etc. Don't be stingy man!!! You know how much we love pictures.

 

[Chaincarver Steve]

Consider me subscribed. I love how it's looking so far. I wouldn't mind seeing some pictures of the other projects too.........eg. fire pit, pool, waterfall, etc. Don't be stingy man!!! You know how much we love pictures.

The other projects were hired out. They aren't my work but I'd be glad to show you guys. They turned out very nice. We're quite pleased with all of it. The gazebo will be the icing on the cake in our little lakefront paradise. I'll get pictures tomorrow.

 

[DaveTTC]

nothing like the art and beauty of quality construction. This takes me back to one of my first projects when i went out on my own as a contractor / builder. The one I did had a concrete base and concrete pillars with marble effect on the pillars.

The roof work was similar to what you have started for the floor only pitched. It looked a real piece of art only to be covered with terra-cotta tiles and lined underneath with western red cedar. The perimeter beam was boxed and lined to look like a marble plinth joining the pillars together.

looking forward to seeing it done - looks great so far

 

[Chaincarver Steve]

I put in a few hours today. Each corner post had to be notched with a pair of 22.5 degree angles at the same height as the floor joists. These are where the outer joists will sit. I made a simple layout block so I could set a mortise gauge and a T-bevel to the proper depths. Then I was able to easily lay out all of the notches with relative and consistent ease.

I used a back saw to create the stop cuts that established my depth and angle. Then followed up with a chisel to clear away the waste wood. It went somewhat quickly.

Then I cut the joist pieces that will go there. I got 6 of the 8 screwed in place before my screw gun battery died, and the back up battery wasn't charged. Silly me. I would have had time to attach the last two before sunset. They are both charged now and ready to go for tomorrow.

Kenbo, you can see a glimpse of the fire pit in the background of this picture. There are some black chairs sitting around it.

 

[cabinetman]

Looks good so far. There's a question whether nails are better than screws for mechanical fasteners. I built my shed 10'x12' with screws, time will tell. On the question of footers...

Count me as a follower for this one. Pretty solid construction so far. I would have just built it on block leveled on the ground. Would never have even given footers a thought. :laughing:

Might work in Florida but not here. Our building code says frost free depth is 6 feet.

Florida is in the hurricane belt. Things get blown away. I had two metal sheds 10'x12', that the shell of one was completely carried off (maybe by tornadoes during a hurricane). The entire contents remained and all that sheetmetal...gone somewhere. None of it was found in my neighborhood. The flooring and its framing I installed with concrete footers.

.

 

[Chaincarver Steve]

So far the only screws (Spax self tapping) used are on the outer ring of joists that fit into the notches. The decking will also be screwed down.

 

[cabinetman]

So far the only screws (Spax self tapping) used are on the outer ring of joists that fit into the notches. The decking will also be screwed down.

I stick built the shed, and it was easier for me to drive screws than swing a hammer. When you have problems with the fingers and hands, you pick the best method.

.