B&Q Gazebo instructions

Quite a few visitors have been finding the Blog by searching for "B&Q Gazebo instructions", so I thought I would post the actual instructions for erecting the gazebo here. I hope they are of help to you.

These instructions are for the "Deluxe Gazebo" which comes in either green or in cream. As mine has been put up and taken down a few times, the parts do not look like new and you'll see an odd scrape or piece of rust in my pictures that shouldn't be on your new parts.

You need to do this assembly out on the lawn, unless you have a cavernous dwelling. I know that sounds like the warnings on the barbeques not to use them indoors. But this model gazebo covers a surprisingly large area. The gazebo can be assembled by one person. But it is better if a second person helps. In addition to the parts which came in the box, I recommend having some low-tac sellotape or masking tape handy.

1. Open the box and sort out the poles.
The roof bars (or rafters, if you prefer) and legs are made of tubular mild steel and when first packaged come in coloured bags so that you can easily select the correct one for assembly. If you are like me, however, over time you will probably lose the bags, or stuff everything into one bag, mix them up, or generally succumb to human nature and not bother to sort out the pieces before you store the disassembled gazebo for the winter.

When bought new, the poles are also number coded. Look for a sticker on one end with a number printed on it. If you can't find a sticker, think of them as "thin", "fat", and "fat with holes"...!

The poles are numbered 1, 1A, 2, 2A, 3 & 4. Sort them into numbered piles.

1 = A thin pole with a socket on each end (or two "female" ends). It looks like a plain pipe at first glance.

1A = A thin pole with a plug, or "male" end and a socket, or "female" end. It looks like a pipe that has been narrrowed on one end. The majority of the pipe is the same diameter as Part 1.

2 = A fat pole with a socket, or "female" on each end. It is a bigger-diameter version of Part 1.

2A = A fat pole with a "male" end on each end of the pipe. It is the only type of pipe with this configuration.

3 = a fat pole with a "male" end and a "female" end, a bigger diameter verson of Part 1A.

4 = A fat pole with a number of holes drilled near one end. It has two "female" ends.

2. Locate the four, plastic corners.
You should find four plastic parts which look like these. These are the parts with the sockets into which the roof bars fit before they are joined into the tops of the legs. You will notice that three of the sockets in each piece are narrow diameter. One of the sockets in each piece is a larger diameter.

You should note that in all cases, the "female" end of the poles are put into these plastic sockets.

If you turn these parts over, you will see that three of the sockets are embossed with the numbers "2", "1" & "2".

3. Assemble the roof struts: Take one of the plastic, corner pieces and put one of the Part 2 bars into the socket embossed with a matching number 2. Give it a little twist to make sure it is solidly home. Insert one of the Part 1 bars into the socket marked with the number 1. Finally place the next Part 2 bar into the socket marked with a number 2. Leave the larger socket empty for the moment. The result looks like this.

Next, insert a 2A pipe into the end of the Part 2 pipe that you earlier attached to the corner. The idea is to lengthen the pipes to double their previous length. Repeat for the other Part 2 pipe. Insert a 1A pipe into the Part 1 pipe. The result looks like the picture to the left.

Go to one of the 2A partially assembled pipes lying on the ground and add a Part 2 pipe to it. You should now have three pipes joining together to form one side of a square. You have now completed one side of the square of which a side of the gazebo is made.

Add a plastic corner socket piece to the end of the Part 2 pipe you just added, ensuring you are placing the pipe into the socket marked "2".

The result is the image, (right).

Continue adding pipes around the perimeter of the square, joining them at the corners with the corner pieces. Only when the surrounding square has been assembled should you add the final three Part 1 and Part 1A poles.

All eight Part 1 and Part 1A poles will point towards the place where the central hub, or apex of the roof, will be. Add this last of all. Making sure each pole is tightly home in the hub, place a little sellotape around the socket to hold it in place. Move down to each of the joints between the poles and wrap a little tape around these as well. The poles tend to come loose as the framework is moved or lifted, and it is easier to tape the joints now rather than when the it has risen into the air and a pole has popped out.

Hub/Apex piece
You should now have a reasonably secure pyramid like the photo.

4. Put on the legs: The legs are made up of the Part 3 poles joined to the Part 4 poles. However, it is handiest if you just pop the Part 3 poles into their plastic corner sockets for now and leave the Part 4 poles aside for the moment. Note that the Part 3 poles should stand with the male part facing down.

With the Part 3 poles in place, you should now see a skeletal gazebo standing on four short legs. It is time to put the polyester cover over the skeleton!

5. Put on the polyester cover: Take the cover out of its bag and unwrap it. It looks like a large square with four long tails on each corner. At this stage, this large square needs to go on top of the framework and the long tail-pieces need to dangle down at each corner.

Lightly drape the cover on one side of your square, ensuring that the D-rings from which the guy wires are tied are located roughly at the corners of the side of the square you are working from. Now duck inside the framework and pull the cover over your head until the square ventilation piece is over the apex of the rafter poles. Be careful when pulling the cover, because it has trailing ropes and some metal parts. Don't hit yourself in the face or eyes.

Pull the cover tight so that each D-ring comes to rest at each corner. In pulling the cover tight, the framework underneath becomes more rigid. Your cover should now lose most of its creases. On the underside, tie the cover to the horizontal bars using the velcro strips sewn there.

Next, add the final Part 4 poles to the Part 3 poles, ensuring that the ends with the drilled holes in each Part 4 rests on the ground. You may tilt the gazebo over to insert the poles. It's a good idea to do this with another person standing by, as the legs may drop out again as you work around the gazebo. Fit the four plastic feet to the bottom of the Part 4 poles.

Each of the long, trailing parts of the polyester cover has a metal hook and another D-ring. The metal hook is used to anchor the cover tightly to the bottom of each leg. You should also use the D-ring to anchor the cover to the foot. The foot has four plastic hooks on it for this purpose. Remember too to use the velcro strips on the inside of the cover to join the trailing ends to the vertical poles of the legs.

Use the mild steel stay-pins included in the pack to anchor the gazebo to the ground by its guy wires. Also anchor each foot to the ground in the same way. Your gazebo is now completed.

6. Optional Siding: B&Q also sells siding for gazebos. You should choose the correct type of siding to match the model gazebo you own. The siding is simply added to the horizontal bars like a shower curtain, hanging from plastic hooks provided, and secured to the vertical poles using velco strips. One of the sides has plastic windows to allow in light. The image shows two sides fitted, one of which has windows.

Well, that's it! If you have and questions or comments, please add them in the Comments section.

Pass me back the gazebo, missus

Ding dong!

My father and I are discussing the plan for meeting my second cousin from Canada when my neighbour pokes the doorbell this Saturday morning.

"Hello," I say.

"Hello. Your canopy is...." She motions with a finger in a spiral, up-in-the-air kind of shape. "It's gone over."

"Has it?" I say. And idiotically go to the back window to confirm its absense from the back garden. There is definitely a gazebo shaped hole in the scenery.

The neighbour heads out in her car and my father and I trudge next door where the gazebo is in a comical, four-legs-in-the-air kind of position.

"Good job I tied it down, eh?"

"You did?"

"Well, with one rope anyway."

We dismantle and toss tubular bits back over the wall. The one rope and next door's washing line saved it from becoming a Wizard of Oz event. Only just.

Note to self: Tie the buggering thing down PROPERLY next time.

I have a picture in my head of my father and I sitting under the gazebo drinking tea when it takes off. Would have enjoyed that.

Related Post: B&Q Gazebo instructions

Pass me the Gazebo, missus

A little bit of sunshine has ensued and it hasn't rained much to speak of on the east coast for the past week or so. The Home section of Dunnes Stores is playing a blinder selling garden furniture, barbeques and gazebos. I could see burly husbands marching boxes of them out to parked cars in The Square yesterday. The wives were following up with shopping trolleys laden with bedding plants.

Our B&Q gazebo was unpacked from winter hibernation this morning. My father, who had called to show me his shiny new seven-year-old car, watched as I poked lightweight metal tubes together and made the magic of the summertime appear amidst bags of recycling drinks tins and plastic bottles which is our back garden.

The black cat put in an astonished appearance only briefly. Although he is becoming less wary of visitors if they are in the back garden (more room for him to escape if they should turn on him) he is still unhappy to see old men. The old man next door has had reason enough to chase our cats out of his shed in the past which I think is the source of Black Cat's phobia.

A note left on the counter this morning reads:

"If you have time, could you clean the litter trays?"

My work is cut out for me. At least I shall have a gazabo to relax in later today. I also have a new gas-fired barbeque, so if you hear sirens and see flashing blue lights this afternoon, you'll know what's happened.

No work til Monday.

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I'm green and purple

"Use less energy" the radio expert is saying on RTE this morning. There's a programme on about overhauling old houses and making them more energy efficient.

I'm doing my best to comply with the advice. It has taken me three hours to get socks on my feet and a pair of boots laced on from all the energy saving.

I was awoken rather rudely at 8.30am by the cat attacking my foot. This is at least the third time she's done this. From her point of view, she is minding her own business when a bare interloper about the size of herself starts impinging on her space. So out come the teeth and claws. The day started in our house by a loud "Jesus Christ!", the thumping of a cat onto the bedroom floor in flight, and the throwing of a pillow in her general direction.

It's raining this morning. Earlier it was damp, but not workmanlike. Now there is real workmanlike rain. It's falling completely vertically and is making little rustling noises on the black bags of empty beer cans we plan some day to recycle.

I took down the last of the gazebo yesterday. I had stripped off the cover some weeks ago with the vague notion of putting it back up whenever the weather improved enough to warrant it. Naturally when there was no wind, there was little sun. And when there was sun, there was no heat. So the skeleton of hollow metal poles was left there, generally in the way and looking like the remains of some skinny but rangey beast. Now the unbroken view of three thousand leaves of dandelions sucking up rainwater is a distinct improvement.

A phone call last night asked if I could help with a computer problem, so I shook off the energy saving and got enough clothing and footwear on so I can go to the guy's house later and look wise. At least it will get me out. As I've not met the man before, I have naturally put on my most purple of teeshirts and a matching purple tartan shirt. I may not be able to fix his computer, but I will at least put the sight out of his eye.

Not life and death

I dropped into work for half and hour after Nell's funeral to check everything was okay, then took some time to sit and contemplate the matter of life and death for the afternoon. The tent-like gazebo is not as securely fixed to the ground as I should like this time, as I was under orders to take account of a need for clean, dry clothes and keep it out of the way of the washing line. So it's kind of mated with one of the sheds to one side, and standing unsecured on concrete slabs on the other. Also, the breeze is noticeably stronger than on its previous outing.

In any case, a few creaks and occasional flapping noises notwithstanding, it was a hot afternoon in Dublin yesterday. The cats were being polite by sitting with me, but preferred the cooler, deeper shade of the shrubbery into which they returned after 20 minutes or so.

We had a solemn type of day what with everything.

Then in the evening time as I was coming out to the kitchen I saw the gazebo shudder and quake as it about to take off. For a second, I thought the wind had really picked up and the whole thing was heading away into the blue yonder. Then I realised the breeze was no stronger than earlier. Instead, our black cat was having great fun using the roof as a trampoline. He jumped from the shed roof onto the green vynyl and then pogo-ed at random about the place, causing the crazy rocking. All I could see between jumps was the tips of two black ears poking over one of the roof ribs.

I called the rest of the family to watch but he heard us moving about and knowing well that he was being a naughty puss he scooted to unforbidden territory down on the ground. Fecker. I had to tighten up a few bits, but no harm done. Must keep an eye on his antics in case he punches any holes.

You can always rely on a cat to liven things up.

Related post: B&Q Gazebo instructions