Outdoor Gazebo | Types and Placement

An outdoor gazebo is a structure which typically stands alone. It has a roof and is open on the sides. It can be quite the striking focal point. A gazebo unit serves as a nice destination as a place to sit, while also providing shade.

Outdoor gazebos in beautiful settings can be seen in European landscape design. Gaze across the rolling hills, rest your eyes on a pond in the distance and then vision a gazebo similar to a cupola on the far side.

A garden gazebo placed in a residential setting can also be wonderful. Still, placing one where you can view it in the distance will allow you to truly appreciate its beauty.

There are many gazebo companies which offer various styles, sizes and materials. Some are more of temples and described as such. Lovely ones are made by Haddonstone with domed tops and beautiful pillars, as seen in this picture. You can also find a wrought iron gazebo. These will normally need some upkeep. Wrought iron can rust over time. However, some people think painting it occasionally is a small price to pay for its beauty.

A bit more affordable is the wood gazebo. By the way, gazebos can also be referred to as pavilions. Dalton Pavilions offers wood gazebos in cedar, which is a long lasting, insect resistant wood. And quite beautiful! When cedar is allowed to weather naturally, it develops a very nice silvery patina. You also have the choice of applying stain periodically, although this is not a necessity.

Typical wood gazebos are available in sizes ranging from nine feet to fifteen feet in diameter. They are often octagons, with eight sides. Railings are usually part of the design.

It might have a single roof, a double roof, or a roof that is three-tiered.

You do have a couple of floor choices. You can purchase a garden gazebo with a wooden floor. There is also the option to buy one without a floor.

In this case, you would install the floor yourself, choosing any paving material that you like. It might be brick, bluestone, concrete pavers, or travertine pavers.

If you like, there are optional screening packages designed to integrate nicely with the gazebo and keep you free from insects.

An outdoor gazebo can be used in different places in the landscape. You might consider placing one in a distant corner of your property. You can have a path leading to it, but this is optional. There is nothing wrong with meandering through the lawn to get to it. If you have outdoor garden rooms in your landscape, you might place one there for an inviting sitting place. Perhaps you have a swimming pool and want to include a shady structure to relax in on the swimming pool decking. An outdoor gazebo can also be included on a large patio design or as part of outdoor living rooms.

A garden gazebo can also be placed on a deck.

In one design, I incorporated a gazebo into a cantilevered deck corner. It was supported by additional posts beneath it.

Picture this landscape design:

Create a stream at the rear of your property.

There is a wooden bridge or a large, bluestone slab on which you cross the stream....ending up at the gazebo, surrounded by plants and trees.


You can get as creative as you like with outdoor gazebos.

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