Garden arbor may not be a separate building, but a canopy at one of the walls of a residential building. It is easy to create such a design with your own hands, without making much effort and without spending a large amount of materials. How to do it - read below.
Types of Canopies
In the construction of such an extension sooner or later there is a need for almost all owners of country houses. You can use it as a summer kitchen, garage, recreation area and for other purposes. And for starters, it’s worth finding out what types of canopies are and how they are different.
Did you know? Pergolas began to be set up in rest gardens in ancient Egypt, mainly among family members of rulers. Confirmation of this is the image of frescoes dating from 1400 BC. e., in tombs, on which there is a plan of the house, a scheme of the personal territory along with a gazebo.
The following types of canopies are distinguished:
- attached to the dwelling;
- pent;
- metal and polycarbonate;
- pergola on wooden stilts;
- half-closed with barbecue.
Attached to the house
This option is one of the easiest. The structure is fixed on one side to the steep wall of the building, and this can be not only a living room, but also other functional buildings on the site - for example, a bathhouse, a sauna, etc. The second part of the structure is held by beams.
With a pitched roof
This model canopies is no less popular than the first. It is easy to execute. It can be located both near the house, that is, to be attached, and separately. Due to the simplified geometry, the structure is installed very quickly.
A distinctive feature of such a canopy is the roof device. It is a rectangular or square plane, which is inclined, which is achieved due to the multilevel arrangement of load-bearing elements (walls or piles).
From metal and polycarbonate
When creating arbors, one of the important problems that should be solved is the structural strength. It will provide the choice of the right material. A polycarbonate roof on a metal frame is a durable, durable option.
You can make a separate canopy or attach it to the house. If desired, and having the time, it will be possible to make a major extension of this design, in which it will be possible to spend long winter evenings with a group of friends. For this, brickwork is made between the piles of the metal frame.
Wooden beams pergolas
This type of design is also not difficult to perform. This gazebo has 4 pillars and a roof. It can be concreted or used as portable. The roof is made of slate, decking, boards or metal tiles.
Half closed with barbecue
When building a gazebo, it is important first to decide what purpose it is intended for. The necessity of arranging one or another detail will largely depend on this. For example, for a semi-closed canopy with barbecue, you will also need to take care of the presence of a hood.
Important! It’s not so easy to build a barbecue or stove in a summer house under a canopy, so if you’ve never done such a thing, it’s better to invite an experienced craftsman or use a portable barbecue machine.
If you neglect this nuance, then a comfortable rest in the gazebo will be hopelessly spoiled by smoke, or you will have to use the barbecue only as a decorative element, and not for making barbecue.
How to make a gazebo do-it-yourself canopy
The size of the gazebo will depend on the size of the plot and the house: for example, if this is a small cottage, then it is worth building a small pergola. The overall area will look better with a large rest area. The simplest construction is attached to the house. It is about its step-by-step assembly that will be discussed below.
Material selection
You should start with the selection of materials. This stage must be approached, relying on the intended purpose of the design. If you need a capital, durable gazebo, then it is best to make a metal frame. For portable structures, it is better to take wood.
As a roofing material, choose one that is suitable for the price, and also taking into account the strength characteristics:
- boards;
- polycarbonate;
- corrugated board;
- roof tile;
- Ondulin, etc.
Necessary tools
Before you build a gazebo, you need to check the availability of the necessary tools.
Important! If you do not want to suffer for a long time with the assembly, you can immediately buy finished steel frame for gazebo canopy. Then after the acquisition it remains only to fix it in the right place and make the roof.
For a given goal you will need:
- plane;
- ax;
- jigsaw;
- saw;
- hammer;
- nails
- screwdriver;
- self-tapping screws;
- building level;
- shovel;
- dense thread;
- metal sleeves.
Instead of nails for working on wood, it is better to use self-tapping screws, since the former violate the structure of the fibers of the material, which leads to its premature damage. To fix massive parts, you should acquire metal corners covered with stainless steel and bolts of the appropriate size.
Drawing creation
Before starting work, it is worth displaying your idea on paper. When drawing up a drawing, you need to think through everything to the smallest detail. If this is the first time that you have done this, it’s best to use an online search. Select a drawing should be the most simple.
Foundation
To attach a canopy gazebo to the house, you should take care of the presence of a quality foundation. Foundation filling is required only for buildings that are built of stone or very heavy structures. In other cases, there will be enough support pillars.
Phased work:
- Land to clear of debris. If necessary, align the place.
- Transfer the size of the planned area from the drawing to the plot by marking. To do this, stakes should be driven along the perimeter of the territory, and a thread should be pulled between them.
- Dig out recesses to fit metal sleeves. Insert them into the pits and pour concrete.
Installation and fastening of poles
Pillars will just need to be inserted into special sleeves. Do this only after the concrete has hardened. Pre-wooden posts are treated with bitumen or tar - this approach allows you to protect the tree from rotting. After the pillars were inserted into the sleeves, they should be fixed with screws in several places.
Roof mounting and roofing
It is best to first assemble the roof completely, and then install and secure it completely on the uneven bars. The simplest roof is the simplest.
It consists of the following parts:
- upper and lower Mauerlat made of timber 50 × 150 cm in size;
- rafters attached to the above components using metal corners 70 × 70 mm;
- trellised masonry made of edged boards fixed on top of the previous component;
- roofing material attached to the boards with screws.
The roof is fixed on one side to the house with 12 mm anchor bolts. The depth of fixation will be about 15 cm. The second side of the roof lies on the posts and is also fixed with bolts.
Decoration and arrangement
You can decorate the canopy arbor in a variety of ways. Inside, they usually equip a relaxation area - for this they put up chairs, benches or swings, tables. If metal was used in building materials, then it should also be used in decorative elements. It can be, for example, curly candlesticks or stands for plants.
You can hang flowers in a cache-pot around the perimeter of the roof. This will help not only to give elegance to the territory for recreation, but also to create an additional shadow. Interestingly, a wooden rocking bench will be combined with flowers in a cache-pot. As part of the theme, you can build a fake fireplace near the wall of the house. It is very easy to make it from cardboard boxes: they are fastened together, then putty, the surface is leveled and decorated. Inside you can place LED bulbs to simulate fire.Did you know? If today polycarbonate is known as a building material for roofs, walls of greenhouses, etc., then initially it was used only in space and defense. They began to produce it in 1955 to create some parts of military equipment, spacecraft, aircraft.
To the gazebo should hold the light. Usually connected to a home source of electricity. Considering that midges will fly to the lamps at night, you need to put a mid-catcher or cover the structure with a mosquito net. Instead of the latter, you can also use special curtains.
So, the easiest option for arranging a recreation area in the country is the construction of a gazebo-canopy directly next to the house. To implement the idea, it is better to take materials such as wood and polycarbonate. They are cheap, easy to use and look pretty attractive.