Despite the rise and fall of residential fads, gazebos, cabanas and open verandahs remain. And nothing has such staying power without a reason. Their lasting appeal comes from the same source. I call it the transition effect. Gazebos, cabanas and verandahs offer a friendly link between indoor and outdoor space; a zone where the best of both worlds combine into something greater than the parts.
Even though covered outdoor spaces don't have walls, most need railings -- both for aesthetic and safety reasons. The trick is finding a simple design. One solution is to omit traditional vertical slats all together, replacing them instead with a pair of 3x5 horizontal railings extending between each pair of posts, held within deep pockets. This approach saves trouble, looks great, and is strong enough to support acrobatic teenagers.
Gazebo, verandah and cabana roofs have to do more than just shed rain and cast shadow. They also need to look great, both inside and out. And that means fancy framing tricks that create steeply sloped, conical roofs, perhaps with flared bottom edges.
Another consideration with all open roofs is the need to make them look good from underneath. Tempted to use plywood to sheath your new structure? Don't do it. Few things look chintzier. For all the time and material it'll take to cover your roof, you might as well spring for 3/4-inch softwood planking. Sanding and finishing these boards before installation saves you hours of overhead painting misery.
The worst thing that can happen to a covered outdoor structure is the heaving of support posts from frost. It's worse than with a conventional deck, because covered structures all have roofs that will be thrown glaringly out of whack if their foundation moves. With all the time and resources invested in even a small outdoor structure, you want to make sure heaving is not a possibility. That's why the best foundation is a site-poured concrete pier, with a couple of wraps of black polyethylene plastic stapled around the cardboard form to stop frozen soil from gripping the outside of the pier and raising it.
Even though covered outdoor spaces don't have walls, most need railings -- both for aesthetic and safety reasons. The trick is finding a simple design. One solution is to omit traditional vertical slats all together, replacing them instead with a pair of 3x5 horizontal railings extending between each pair of posts, held within deep pockets. This approach saves trouble, looks great, and is strong enough to support acrobatic teenagers. Gazebo, verandah and cabana roofs have to do more than just shed rain and cast shadow. They also need to look great, both inside and out. And that means fancy framing tricks that create steeply sloped, conical roofs, perhaps with flared bottom edges.
Another consideration with all open roofs is the need to make them look good from underneath. Tempted to use plywood to sheath your new structure? Don't do it. Few things look chintzier. For all the time and material it'll take to cover your roof, you might as well spring for 3/4-inch softwood planking. Sanding and finishing these boards before installation saves you hours of overhead painting misery.
The worst thing that can happen to a covered outdoor structure is the heaving of support posts from frost. It's worse than with a conventional deck, because covered structures all have roofs that will be thrown glaringly out of whack if their foundation moves. With all the time and resources invested in even a small outdoor structure, you want to make sure heaving is not a possibility. That's why the best foundation is a site-poured concrete pier, with a couple of wraps of black polyethylene plastic stapled around the cardboard form to stop frozen soil from gripping the outside of the pier and raising it.
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