DIY Garden Gazebo

  After enjoying some time sitting in our son's screened in porch, I was wishing we could add a little retreat to our own house. At the time we were living in a bungalow that already had an addition. Our house design just didn't lend itself to such a renovation project....we'd have to come up with an alternative.
    It took some thinking, and researching, but I finally came up with an idea. I sketched it out and showed it to Brian. As usual, he took my idea, and ran with it.  He didn't get a plan or a kit....he just started building, and figuring it out as he went along. It took some time, and a lot of interruptions, but the finished product was better than I could have hoped for.

We're off to a good start! My boys in the background are so little!

Brian extended our deck around the corner and added the gazebo a few feet out from the house.

Corner posts are in place.

Hmmm...maybe I should just back away, and let him work.

Deep in thought, or just exhausted?

Roof supports going up

Starting to close in the walls.

Danny and I helped out with the staining....notice how talented I am....I can still talk on the phone, even when I'm working!

8 gallons of stain later! The window screens are removable for cleaning and storing. The screen around the top is stapled in.

The door is on, and the soffit and fascia are up.

Later, we added two brick planters around the gazebo.

These steps lead down behind the gazebo to another patio. I loved this little corner!

The other planter

This is looking down from the deck to the patio.

This is the front of the gazebo.

Project completed!

And it was worth all the work to have this lovely place to sit! 

  I was hard to leave that gazebo when we moved, but this time we made sure to include a back porch in our house plans. All that's left to do is add the screens, and I'll have that little retreat I wanted years ago!