Today, an indispensable element of almost every suburban area is a free-standing gazebo, which can serve in summer as a place for eating, relaxing, a summer residence for indoor flowers or a place where hosts will gather in the evenings as a family to meet friends.
For the manufacture of this structure, any available materials can be used, you can create it in any style. Similar constructions of various geometric shapes are built, but the hexagonal arbor is considered the most popular. What advantages does this form have, what features are inherent in it - more on this later.
Benefits of the hexagonal design
If you take into account ergonomics, then the hexagon is considered the best form, since the design in this case will be the most stable and durable. It has other advantages:
- A simpler construction than, for example, a circular structure.
- Differs in reliability and rigidity.
- It has a large capacity, when compared with a square analog.
- It has high aesthetic indicators.
In other words, this is an original design that will decorate any suburban area, as evidenced by numerous photos. But the most important thing is that a turnkey gazebo can be made by one’s own hands by a person who knows how to handle the tool and prefers to engage in arranging his site.
Project drafting
Construction begins in the same way as the construction of any other structure - with the preparation of the project, which will indicate:
- Detailed dimensions of the model you like.
- The required amount of material.
- The tool you need to work.
The data of all the listed points allow you to know in advance the approximate cost of the future structure. If you have chosen a tree for construction, you must take into account that special protection and antiseptics are needed to protect it, which will protect wooden elements from ultraviolet radiation, moisture, insects and rodents. Such remedies cost a little, but the benefits that their use will bring are quite tangible: a hexagonal arbor treated with special substances will last several times longer, so protective equipment should also be included in the list of necessary materials.
Foundation selection
In order for the hexagonal arbor for a summer house or private house to stand firmly, it is best to install it on a foundation. The choice of the foundation of the building is affected not only by the weight of the future structure, but also by the type of soil. There are several types of foundations that can be used in the construction of arbors:
- Columnar. Concrete blocks can serve as supports. To prevent them from moving over time, it is necessary to install each support in the prepared pit, make additional formwork 10-15 cm high above the soil surface, and then fill everything with reinforced concrete mortar. When the concrete has completely hardened, lay the lower strapping of the structure on the blocks and secure with dowels.
- Monolithic. This type of foundation is quite expensive because it is a solid concrete slab.
- Supporting columns. They are made in the same way as the columnar analogue with the difference that instead of concrete, wooden poles are used. Thanks to this, a hexagonal gazebo will be much cheaper than previous options.
Tool preparation
Since many owners of suburban real estate prefer natural materials, six-sided arbors made of wood are ideal. In this case, you will need to work:
- Hammer, wood screws and nails.
- Plane.
- Drill.
- Hacksaw or circular saw.
- Roulette, level.
- The stairs.
- Boards.
- Waterproofing material.
- Timber.
- Bituminous mastic for wood protection.
- Metal corners.
- Material for the roof.
For the manufacture of the foundation, in addition to a shovel, trowel, cement composition, sand and containers for mortar, you will need a concrete mixer. It can be replaced with a drill by equipping the tool with the appropriate nozzle.
An important detail: before starting construction work, it is necessary to carefully calculate how much material is needed, and be sure to add 6-7% to the resulting figure. Since the process may want to make changes, additional materials will help bring the idea to life.
Site preparation
Having decided on the place where the building will be located, it is necessary to prepare it: level the site, if there are slopes, remove everything that may interfere with the work, and remove 10-15 cm of soil with plant roots. After this, the earth is tamped, covered with sand and gravel and tamped again to create a dense pillow where the hexagonal arbor will be placed. The dimensions of the prepared area should correspond to the area of the future structure. If you plan to make concrete pouring around the building, you need to increase the size.
After this, markup is carried out. To avoid mistakes in this case, you can put a rod of metal in the center of the plot, tie a stake pointed on one side to it and draw a circle with it like a compass, then the marking will be as accurate as possible. All that remains is to make the necessary adjustment by designating 6 angles.
Base
Since the foundation of the support columns is the most affordable, we will talk about its construction. Further work is carried out according to the following scheme:
- Prepare pits at the corners, the depth of which is 0.6-0.8 m, and the width is 0.5 m.
- Prepare a hole in the center of the structure, where a short pillar will be located, not higher than the floor level. Elements of the lower harness will be attached to it.
- Pour crushed stone at the bottom of the pits and tamp.
- Treat wood poles with protective agents.
- Install foundation pillars in pits. In this case, it is necessary to ensure that the supports have the same height and equal the height of the future structure.
- Check the level of the location of the supports.
- Pour cement pits.
Frame assembly
First of all, the support posts are fastened in a single structure using the lower harness. Then, towards the center, lags are laid on which the floor for the gazebo will be laid. As a strapping can serve the same material that was used for supports. Cutting off the ends at an angle, the beam must be attached to the supports using self-tapping screws or
metal corners.Lags also need to be impregnated with a protective solution. If the floor for the gazebo will be made of wooden plates or boards, they also need to be processed and during installation it is imperative to leave a gap between the individual elements 0.5-1.0 mm for thermal expansion of the material and ventilation.
Roof installation
The next step is the implementation of the upper piping (if you plan to assemble the roof directly at the structure). To facilitate this stage, you can assemble the harness separately, using metal corners and screws, connect it to the roof frame and then install the entire structure in place.
Also, the roofing lathing can be mounted even after the frame is installed on the support bars - it all depends on the decision of the person who is building the turnkey gazebo. It will be very difficult to do this work yourself, so you need to take care of the assistants in advance. Lastly, the coating is laid and fixed.
Barbecue, stove, barbecue: installation
A gazebo with a stove and barbecue is a more complex, but very popular version of the structure. If you decide to build just such a structure, then at the planning stage you need to include a chimney in the plan. Since the stove has a large weight, it is best to install it on the wall on an additional foundation, but the grill can be placed in the center of the building.
Fulfillment of the design drawing, in which it is planned to install the barbecue, the furnace, is a rather complicated task, since it is necessary to observe the fire safety rules, therefore it is best to entrust it to a specialist.
When choosing such a difficult option, it is necessary to pay attention to the location: the gazebo with the stove and barbecue should not be near the house, outbuildings and other objects - this is one of the main fire safety requirements. If there is little space on the site and there is no possibility to build the structure at a distance, it is better to abandon such structures.
Finishing work
For hexagonal arbors made of wood not only to decorate the landscape and serve for a long time, but also become a favorite place for all family members, they must be beautiful and comfortable. To do this, it is necessary to process all wooden surfaces with a grinder, eliminating irregularities. Thanks to this, applying the paintwork will become much easier.
After polishing, all elements are covered with drying oil, and after it is dried with varnish. Moreover, the varnish is applied not in one layer, but in several, after the previous one has dried.