With a wooden pavilion you can give your garden an atmospheric color. Since there are no walls here, the construction does not require any special building permits and is easier to assemble than a gazebo. These building instructions explain how to build a garden pavilion yourself.
How do I build a garden pavilion myself?
To build a garden pavilion yourself, you need support posts, wood for the frame and roof, roof boards, roofing felt, post shoes, screws and concrete. The construction instructions include fastening the posts in post shoes, assembling the roof frame, installing the struts and attaching the roofing felt.
Preparatory work and material list
A detailed planning drawing ensures that the construction work runs smoothly. We recommend using local wood species such as spruce, pine, larch or Douglas fir. Ideally, you should have the wood cut to size by a specialist company. The following materials and tools are needed for a hexagonal wooden gazebo:
- 6 high support posts with bolts as a device for attaching
- 6 woods for the frame
- 12 slightly shorter rafters (the longer these wooden beams, the higher the roof)
- 12 short beams as supports for the roof frame
- Roof boards
- Roofing felt or bitumen sheets
- Metal rail
- 6 post shoes
- Bolts, screws, metal angles (€22.00 on Amazon)
- Concrete
Tools required: spirit level, hammer, saw, drill, ladder, folding rule, tape measure and carpenter's pencil.
Construction instructions – step-by-step for the garden pavilion
Measure the locations for the posts accurately. In the right places, dig 60 cm deep pits and pour concrete into them to anchor the post shoes in. After the concrete has dried for over 2 days, screw the corner posts into the metal shoes. Use the spirit level to repeatedly check the vertical alignment of each post. Proceed as follows:
- Assemble the roof structure from the 6 wooden beams
- First measure the roof frame at all angles and correct if necessary
- With a helping hand, attach the roof frame to the bolts of the support posts
Now attach small, slanted beams to each post on the right and left as supports for the roof frame. Screwed on at a 45 degree angle, this ensures better stability of the entire roof structure.
Construction instructions for an attractive pavilion roof
Starting from the six corner posts, now assemble the roof struts. With a good eye and a ruler, the struts come together precisely in the middle and are screwed together and to the roof frame. Please choose a roof pitch that allows rainwater and snow to drain away easily. The roof gains decorative momentum when the struts protrude slightly beyond the frame construction. How to finish the roof:
- Screw the roof boards onto the struts without any joints
- Attach the metal rail to the lower edge of the roof
- Attach roofing felt or cover it with bitumen sheets
There are various alternatives to wooden roof panels for designing the pavilion roof. A garden pavilion looks very harmonious if the roof tiles of the house are repeated on its roof. A metal roof fits the modern garden style. A nature-loving variant is the pent roof with green roof.
Tip
If you have created a seat in the idyllic garden corner, a wooden pavilion provides a stylish roof. Neither blazing sunshine nor pelting rain can drive you and your visitors out of your cozy niche.