Arbor 4 by 4 with your own hands: how to build a wooden garden pavilion in the country, projects and drawings of various designs

Which design to choose

There are many projects of various gazebos. There are drawings of open and closed structures made of expensive or budget building materials. Light open buildings do not require a strong foundation, it is convenient to combine them with a summer kitchen, but you can stay in closed and well-insulated buildings even in winter.

Often the appearance and format of the structure depend on the financial capabilities of the owner and the size of the site allocated for construction.

Video “Building a gazebo with your own hands”

From this video you will learn how to build a wooden gazebo with your own hands.

Prepare

The pergola is not a veranda or a terrace, and should be at some distance from the living quarters. If it is supposed to organize a summer dining room in it, then the distance to the kitchen should not be large. It is advisable to choose a secluded area, away from a noisy road, in the shade of trees. The soil should be dense, all stumps and tree roots in this place will have to be removed.

The next step is to combine the selected project with the real area. The future design must be applied to paper, the location of the windows and the entrance should be considered. According to the drawing, the amount of necessary building materials is calculated and the approximate cost is pretended.

According to the finished project, they also decide how the path will run, what plants will be able to decorate the surrounding landscape, and how to organize the interior.

The main elements of the simplest design of a 4×4 m gazebo for a summer residence, which is easy to build with your own hands, are:

• supporting posts on which the roof is attached;
• grillage to which the posts will be attached;
• columnar foundation at a shallow depth;
• bottom and top trim;
• roof – for a square building it is usually made with four slopes;
• attractive filling of the side sections in the manner of a lattice, horizontal slats or a single plank sheathing.

Materials

Wood is an ideal building material for garden summerhouses. Metal structures are more durable, but at times increase the cost of construction. True, for installation in a wooden arbor of a brazier or a summer stove, it will be necessary to provide for non-combustible base materials and fire impregnation.

Here is an approximate list of building materials for a simple gazebo:

• foundation in the form of columns – concrete blocks will do or you will need sand, crushed stone and cement;
• a frame based on a beam 14 × 15 cm (at the corners) and 10 × 10 cm for intermediate supports;
• the floor is lined with boards 15 × 4 cm;
• four-pitched or gable roof, rafters from a bar 10 × 5 cm;
• roofing – flexible tiles, corrugated board or ondulin;
• sheathing of two walls with clapboard or planed boards of the block house type, for the other two wooden railings are provided;
• metal corners and self-tapping screws for fastening elements.

All wood used must be pre-treated with moisture-proof and antiseptic compounds.

Tools

During construction work, you will need some tools. Make sure you have on hand:

• shovel and ax;
• wood saw and saw;
• hammer and nail puller;
• chisel, drill and planer;
• roulette;
• stairs.

Order of work

During the construction of the gazebo on your own, you will have to:

• lay a columnar foundation and organize the lower harness;
• fix support poles;
• lay the floor;
• mount a rafter system, erect a roof;
• sheathe the walls.

Let’s analyze the individual stages of construction in more detail.

Base

The easiest option is to use ready-made concrete blocks. If they are not available, the columns are concreted manually, for which holes are dug at the corners of the perimeter to a depth of 60–80 cm. In the middle between them, holes are also dug for intermediate supports. Please note that an entrance is provided on one of the sides, so in this place the intermediate column is slightly shifted.

The future frame is formed from 6 pillars: 4 corner and 2 for the entrance. If you design corner doors, you can get by with 5 supports.

It is recommended to remove the sod around the entire perimeter of the future building and dig a shallow trench, creating a sand cushion in it.

Next steps:

• the bottom of the pits is covered and tamped with gravel by about 5 cm;
• pour concrete 10 cm, allow to harden a little;
• anchors are installed in the concrete cushion for future fastening of the support posts.

Another option: columns are placed strictly vertically in the pits and poured to the very surface with concrete. If the supports are attached to the posts, the latter should rise 25–30 cm above the ground.

Walls

This role in the gazebo is performed by the frame. It is assembled from vertical racks, to which the upper harness is also mounted. The supports are attached to each other with the help of intermediate supports and a lower trim, which is also made of a thicker beam. Additional and corner supports are mounted on a grillage and connected with an upper trim of a 15 × 15 cm beam.

The upper and lower trims are connected using corners.

Although gazebos are more often made open, sometimes one or two sides are covered to avoid contact with the environment. Usually this is done with the far corner of the structure. For beauty, the walls are sheathed with decorative material – a block house or clapboard.

Roof

A gable or four-pitched roof begins with the installation of a diagonal cruciform ligament of boards on the ground. For strength, the ligament is reinforced with vertical bars.

In the center, a vertical support of the desired height is installed, from which rafters are launched to the corners – the required number for the number of slopes. An additional rafter is also mounted in the center of the slope.

The four-pitched roof is formed in a tent or hip design. The tent is used more often – four triangular slopes are reduced in the upper part. The hip type involves the creation of two slopes in the form of a trapezoid and two – according to the principle of triangles. A special run is organized to attach all parts to the blood center.

The structure is lifted and fixed on the upper harness.

On top of the pitched frame sheathed with a crate of boards. The distance between the boards depends on the chosen roofing material:

• under flexible tiles, a continuous crate is required (instead of boards, plywood can be used);
• under the sheets, a step of 30 cm is enough.

Roofing material is fixed with screws or nails.

Gender

A board is allowed under the flooring – a “magpie” 6 m long and 15 × 4 cm in size. First you need to evenly pin the first board, then fasten the rest to it without gaps. A small gap of 1,5–2 mm can be left to allow sediment to drain.

There may be a narrow gap at the very end. The finished board is cut to its width.

How to decorate

Decorating is the last step. Here it is worth showing your own imagination, decorating at your discretion not only the railings and walls, but also the roof. Usually lining is used for walls, but railings can be covered with curly carvings, if you have the appropriate skills. The simplest thing is to paint wooden surfaces or varnish them.

The decoration of the gazebo can consist of any suitable furniture. For convenience, sofas or garden wicker chairs are installed here, a deck chair and a coffee table are suitable. From the house to the gazebo it is worth laying a decorative path.

Don’t forget about plants. A pot of flowers at the entrance or climbing grapes on the walls – everything will serve a single purpose.

Where to put the barbecue

Since eating outdoors is much more pleasant than within four walls, many owners of gazebos organize a barbecue or barbecue in them. Since fire is involved in such cases, a safe place must be properly equipped when setting up the brazier.

The rules are as follows:

1. All wooden elements of the gazebo must be impregnated with a refractory compound.
2. The wooden floor is covered with ceramic tiles.
3. There is definitely a body of water nearby.
4. On the leeward side of the gazebo, you need to provide a blank wall or fence.

A wide gazebo is a suitable choice for people who love freedom and scale.

If you feel uncomfortable in a small city apartment, in a country gazebo measuring 4×4 m you will feel imposing.