10 thing you must know about gazebos before you...

10 Things You Must Know About Gazebos, Bali Huts and Decking Before You Purchase

By Matt Buchel

Matt Buchel is the owner of Tropical Lifestyle and he has been in the building industry for 16 years. He has owned building related businesses for 10 of those years ranging from building maintenance through to manufacturing and installations. He currently leads the team at Tropical Lifestyle, Australia’s largest and most innovative manufacture of Gazebos and is available for contact at anytime on 1300 788 929.

Tropical Lifestyle manufactures and ships Gazebos all over Australia and can design or customise a Gazebo to suit your exact situation. Tropical Lifestyle also offers 100% money back guarantee on DIY kits and if you present Tropical Lifestyle with any written Gazebo quote that is Apples for Apples, and if Tropical Lifestyle can’t match it they will give you your new Gazebo for free.

A recent study found that a whopping 93%

of homeowners that had purchased a Gazebo claimed it added significant value to their home and 98% said it massively

increased their outdoor lifestyle.

“ ”

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Dear Friend and Subscriber

Every day I am asked many questions about Gazebos, Bali Huts and decking. There is nothing I like more than helping you make the right choice so the Gazebo, Bali Hut or decking you choose suits your lifestyle and home. I need you to print this information out and read it carefully as it will help you make the right choice when purchasing your new Gazebo. Even go as far as reading all this information twice to make sure you don’t miss a single detail.

Where should I put my new Gazebo??

Ok, this may sound simple but the very first thing you need to decide about your new Gazebo is where it will go? You can choose from any of the following:

§ Front yard;

§ Back yard;

§ Over the roof of your house;

§ Down the side;

§ Attached to house; or

§ A combination of any of the above

You probably have some idea where you would like your new Gazebo to be placed at your home but may not know a few of the more unique ways you Gazebo can change your lifestyle.

Did you ever think rather than having a flat patio out the back of the house you can have a lovely pitched roof Gazebo with a waterproof join, so you can walk in between your house and your new outdoor entertaining area. Imagine how great it will feel to be under a beautiful timber frame Gazebo with a nice pitch roof giving you a feeling of openness. Mounting over your roof is only one of the many options available.

Another option may be to place your new Gazebo in the back corner of your backyard surrounded by plants, even perhaps with a Water Feature or a pond with a table and chairs. You can wander out in the afternoon, sit down, relax and enjoy the peace and quiet your back yard and your new Gazebo bring.

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Or what about placing your new Gazebo not so far from your pool, perhaps on the timber decking or pavers surrounding your pool? I know myself when a Gazebo goes next to a pool it creates a whole new space, you can swim then get out, sit in your nice shady Gazebo overlooking the ripples of the pool after you have been swimming, lay back, relax and enjoy it.

I have only listed three of the areas at your home where you may like to place a Gazebo. You will most certainly have other great ideas, it’s just a matter of you acting on planning to have a Gazebo and making it a reality. We can help you make the right decision before you make your final decision.

How do I know what style of Gazebo to choose?

With so many differently styles of Gazebos it can be confusing to decide which one is best for you. You may want to match your house, you may want to create a themed area in your garden or you may even want to do a combination of both.

If you are matching your house, a recommendation I like to make is to choose a roof that is the same colour of your house roof. This only works if your plan is to match your house perfectly, for example you may have a Colorbond roof, you can then choose the same style and colour of Colorbond, and you can choose no gutter or to have a gutter and fascia.

Another option for your new Gazebo is to create a themed area. This is very popular! You can choose a Bali Hut, Modern Shingle Gazebo or an African Gazebo. The range of Gazebo choices is huge, but don’t get confused, it is easy to narrow it down to the exact type you may like for your home by simply starting with just your favourites. When creating a themed area to make it even better you can add plants, pebbles, water features and statues to match your chosen theme. When you do this it helps you create a perfect themed environment for your new Gazebo.

Is there a shape that suits my area better than others?

There are many shapes of Gazebos for you to choose from. Square and rectangular are the most popular and 6, 8 10 or 12 sided Gazebos or Multisided Gazebos are great. Many people use 6, 8 10 or 12 sided Gazebos or Multisided Gazebos over the top of their concrete water tanks.

Single Gazebo

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Generally any type of roofs can be fitted to any t ype of Gazebo. So if you like say a Bali Hut and want to have a 10 sided Bali Hut 5.0 m across it can easily be done. Square and rectangular Gazebos will give you the most space inside as the corners are at 90 degrees to each other, so if your plan is to put a spa along with a table and chairs under your Gazebo, you may be best to go with something like a 5 x 4 rectangular Gazebo or perhaps a 4 x 4 Gazebo will suit you better. If you want to have just the spa underneath you can go with a 2.4 x 3.0 Gazebo, the extra 600mm one way will give you extra room around your spa and make it feel much more spacious when you are sitting in the spa.

If you need your Gazebo to fit into a tight area and you are limited by the space you have available and you need your new Gazebo custom designed for example, you may need a Gazebo 4.088 x 3.78 with roof overhang on one side, if just 50mm and on the other 3 sides over-hang of 300mm any good manufacturer will be able to create the exact Gazebo you need and not even charge you extra.

When making the choice for the shape of your new Gazebo ask yourself two questions:

1. Where is my new Gazebo going to be in my yard?

2. What will I use my new Gazebo for?

Once you work out the answers to these two questions, everything will just fall into place. A good manufacturer will guide you through this process.

How do I choose the floor type for my new Gazebo?

Once you have chosen the type and shape of your Gazebo, you can choose your floor type. Once again many options are available and they include:

§ Concrete – There are many styles available ranging from plain concrete, stamped concrete, stencilled concrete and polished concrete. Many concreters have a great range of finishes and can match existing concrete you may have or extend existing concrete you have at your home. When concreting it is highly recommended you do it after installing your Gazebo, the reason for this is you will get a much stronger structure if the posts can be concreted directly into the ground (provided the posts are suitable for this).

§ Pavers – Pavers are great as a floor for you new Gazebo. There is many to choose from and you can either have them installed or install them yourself. You can choose from clay pavers, sandstone pavers, concrete pavers or pavers with designs. The choice seems almost endless with colour, texture and design. When choosing pavers, just like concrete, it is best to choose something that will either match your existing

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pavers or if you are going for a themed area you may like to do a contrast to your existing flooring around your home. Of course if you have plain concrete near the back of your house, you can use whatever colour or style you like when choosing pavers.

§ Tiles – You can use tiles under your new Gazebo but normally you will need to put down concrete first then lay the tiles on top. Tiles are very low maintenance and usually very easy to clean, but they can be quite expensive after the costs of tiles, concrete and laying are considered. They could be the most expensive option for your new Gazebo floor.

§ Timber decking – Timber decking is available in either pine or hardwood. Timber decking will match your new Gazebo nicely, after all the frame is made from timber. An important thing to remember is that pine is normally more cost effective and withstands weather well.

Pine timber sometimes has a reputation as being inferior. In fact this is not the case; you see pine is carefully grown in Australia and New Zealand as a business, so when a large pine tree is cut down, another is planted. Pine trees grow quickly, so there is a large supply. Therefore the price is low and pine can be treated, so it becomes termite proof and rot proof.

Hardwood on the other hand is grown mostly in sub tropical or tropical climates, it takes a long time to grow thus the price is higher. Hardwood also takes longer to fit to a timber deck, as only specialised tools will screw or nail hardwood. Therefore in most cases hardwood decking may be hand nailed or hand screwed and this takes time and adds to the cost if you are getting a Gazebo installed.

One of the greatest advantages of timber decking is the ability to go over all types of terrain and surfaces, for example you may have a slopping block and not want to go to the expense of adding a retaining wall, getting fill in and levelling the area out. However when you choose a timber deck with your Gazebo, the addition of longer posts in your Gazebo and support posts at the correct interval under your Gazebo will end up with a beautiful natural looking deck over the top of an unlevel ground.

Another advantage of timber decking is going over and refreshing an existing area. In general you can actually have timber decking sit over any existing surface and in tight spots you can actually have your deck just 38mm above the previous surface. For example you may want to put timber decking out the back of your home under your new Gazebo attached to your roof, there is concrete already in this area and removing the concrete can cause damage to your home, will cost heaps and will tear up your yard and garden surrounding the area the concrete needs to be removed from. So by fitting a timber deck over this area you have saved thousands in removal costs and while time consuming (when done correctly), fitting the timber decking over the top of the existing surface is a great idea to make a tired old concrete area new and exciting.

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Don’t forget there is also a wide range of handrails you can add to your Gazebo when ordering for safety or for looks.

How do I know if my Gazebo will be water proof? I want to put my table and chairs underneath and don’t want them out in the weather.

Most Gazebos are water proof: tiled roofs, Colorbond and modern roofing. You may also wonder if Bali Huts, African Gazebos and Koda pavilions are waterproof.

Starting with Bali Huts: they are 100% water proof when done correctly. Some Bali Hut suppliers actually do cost cutting tricks to reduce the quality of their Gazebos. One of these tricks is to adjust the thatch spacing and when this cost cutting trick is done, when you first get the Gazebo, the thatch will be waterproof but after just a few months it will start to leak. Why?? The thatch simply is overlapped wrong,

Of you are offered a Bali Hut with thatch at over 80mm spacing – DON’T BUY IT!

Why? Well you are dealing with a company that has slashed their quality to reduce prices so you think you are getting a good deal but you are not.

All Bali Huts are not equal

The difference is like buying a car. You could have 2 cars that from a distance look the same, both the same age, one has done 190,000 kilometres but is cheaper, while the other has done a respectable 50,000 kms. The first instant while you are standing at a distance is to go, “Wow look how cheap that is! Let’s get that one!” But once you approach and start to look a little closer you start to realise there are oil leaks, there is no log book, the seats are worn out, spare tire is missing, there are lots of stone chips in the paint, a scratch down the side you can see has been touched up and you think to yourself, “But it is so cheap! Its 20% less than the other car!”

Then you go check out the other car. Nice and clean inside, no real signs of wear and tear, the log book is in the compartment, you open it up and it has been serviced at correct intervals, it’s got a spare tyre in the back.

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Ok so its 20% more but you know you are a savvy buyer!

You know you are saving and you know you are paying extra now, but longer term it works out much better for you and you will be thousands ahead. You have a little think, you put down the deposit in the more expensive car and you have made choice based on value. You know you have gotten excellent value.

The same is true with Bali Huts. Spaced out thatch, spaced out rafters, thinner posts, shorter posts, no crown, no staining, no delivery, no engineering and made by a backyarder in his back yard (don’t laugh its true), poor quality fasteners, 2 pages of instructions, cheap thin thatch, the list goes on.

Yes it will be cheaper but you will be paying for it in the future. To combat this, don’t go cheap: buy from a quality manufacturer such as www.tropicallifestyle.com.au or if you do want to go cheap, go to my website www.diybalihut.com.au where we have cheap models to match all the cheap competitors, but we will only drop our quality so low. We still give you correctly spaced rafters, detailed instructions, good quality instructions over 35 pages, long and thick thatch.

I will tell you up front: we do spread the thatch on our www.diybalihut.com.au range, however I make a special point of being very upfront with www.diybalihut.com.au customers so they know exactly what they are getting for their money. Mind you, I must say when I explain to customers exactly the difference they always opt to go for our proper Bali Huts sold by my company www.tropicallifestyle.com.au.

Are African Huts waterproof? African Huts are essentially waterproof, but only 99% water proof. What this means is that if you have say a spa as well as a table and chairs underneath, in general you will be able to sit underneath even in rain, but sometimes in heavy rain, water can get through. To combat this we import thicker tiles and this seems to help as they are specially made to our specifications.

Koda pavilions are 100% waterproof. Many people ask if they are and yes the answer is 100% waterproof. We actually have the covers made out of marine grade material, so you can sit underneath in pouring rain and not get wet. The Koda Pavilions are a very stylish looking Gazebos.

I hope that helps you and explains about the waterproofness of Bali Huts, African Huts and Koda pavilions.

DIY Bali Hut

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http://www.diybalihut.com.au/�




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Every other Gazebo available when built correctly is 100% water proof.

So this means you can leave your valuable outdoor setting underneath and it is totally out of the weather. Whenever you are ready to escape from the real world and want to relax in your Gazebo, you can without the fuss and extra hassle of needing to drag you furniture out and set it up before you can sit down.

How to be 100% sure your Gazebo is engineered for you area

When choosing your new Gazebo it is important to make sure the structure has been engineered.

Each area has a different wind rating, ranging from N2 with the lowest up to C3 (cyclone 3) or sometimes higher. The wind speed is normally checked by an engineer if the engineer does site specific engineering drawings for you (normally at an extra cost). Or you may already know the wind speed for your area.

One more thing that may affect your engineering is footings. Your Gazebo can be mounted in a few different ways:

1. Posts concreted into the ground (when posts are treated correctly).

2. Mounted onto existing slab or tiles with stirrups. Stirrups are normally an extra charge and not included with most kits.

3. Mounting onto footing with stirrups. Mounting onto footing with stirrups is done mainly with untreated posts, such as hardwood posts, as they are not rot and termite proof. Whereas round treated posts and square cypress posts are ok to go directly into the ground.

If stirrups are used, generally your new Gazebo may also need some bracing up top. You may like the look of bracing or may prefer no bracing. No matter which way you mount your Gazebo, be sure to confirm it is engineered to suit your wind conditions.

How do I choose the type of materials for my Gazebo?

Gazebos can be made from steel or timber. There are some really cheap Gazebos from hardware shops that are made from flimsy steel and shade cloth, but if you are reading this now I figure you are not in the market for a throw away Gazebo.

Steel Gazebos and patios are generally made of thin steel. The posts and rafters, if any, are all very thin and while they will not fall over, there is an ever increasing trend towards timber framed Gazebos.

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Timber framed structures. There are three types of timber used in constructions of Gazebos: Pre Primed Timber, F7 Structural Pine and Hardwood.

§ Pre Primed Timber is generally quite expensive but does come in some great shapes, such as ladies waistcoat and pre-rebated to suit handrails. Generally if you want to have your new Gazebo built out of pre primed timber, expect to pay more. The only real advantage is the timber is a little smoother. Our summerhouse range is all built out of pre primed timber and the rest of our range is built from F7 timber.

§ F7 timber is a structural grade of timber – it has to meet certain structural requirements before it can be classed as F7 timber. It is kiln dried of moisture, so unlike most timbers will have very limited amount of imperfections. The timber must pass certain tests to achieve its rating, it is always treated against termites and against rot, it is generally the timber engineers who will specify to use in your new Gazebo. Most Gazebos are made from F7 structural pine (when they are made correctly). Some companies cut corners to save costs and they will normally go for a low quality pine that is not very good quality, so they can basically give you a cheaper price but a lower quality Gazebo. Watch out for this trick.

§ Hardwood – Hardwood is available in many varieties probably the most well know is Merbau. Merbau or Kwilla as it can be sometimes known, comes from Indonesia and in most cases takes a long time to grow and is subject to government rules and regulations before it can be exported and leave Indonesia. As a rule, Gazebos are not made out of Hardwood unless specifically asked for by the owner. The exception to this is some of the imported Gazebos from Indonesia. But be warned: the imported Gazebos from Indonesia do not meet any Australian standards, are not engineered and they are not treated. These Gazebos are actually designed for humid climates such as Thailand and Malaysia, where the moisture content in the air and the temperature is much higher. When these types of Gazebos are imported into Australia, since there is such a change in humidity, they generally split badly and won’t go back together correctly. There is talk of the structures imported from Indonesia being totally banned from Australia, as they are not engineered to suit Australian conditions. Don’t risk you hard earned money on one of these structures as you will be disappointed.

What paint or stain finish is best for my new Gazebo?

When you choose your new Gazebo you may want it painted or stained.

Staining is the most common finish as it brings out the grain in the timber of your new Gazebo and looks great. Be careful though many companies will cut corners here and will use a stain with a solid colour, generally a cheap brand name you have not heard of before. They will apply with a brush or with a spray gun outdoors or in their backyard. Most manufacturers operate out of a backyard or tiny little 200 sqm factories that they

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share their cutting, storing and painting area with. Imagine how cramped it will be and imagine the damage that can happen to your Gazebo.

A good manufacturer will use an expensive stain to ensure a long lasting great look and they will have invested the up-front money in a state of the art spray booth. The difference is the same as if a car had been sprayed by your mate in the backyard using a cheap spray gun or you paid a little extra and a proper spray painter sprayed it in a spray booth with heat lamps. If a company claimed to be large and claimed to be a manufacturer don’t you think they would invest in state of the art technology so you have an excellent finish for you new Gazebo?

When painting your Gazebo the process is much the same as staining. If you are taking a stained product and changing it to a painted product, any good manufacturer should be able to do this to your Gazebo easily without any fuss or hassle maybe, a small extra charge may apply. In fact any great manufacturer should be able to take the existing colour of your house, track down an exact match and paint your new Gazebo to match, even so far as matching handrails or posts to the paint colour of your home. When choosing where to purchase your new Gazebo be sure to dig deep and understand exactly how your new Gazebo is produced. If it is in a tiny factory and they are claiming to be a large manufacturer, ask yourself what else are they stretching the truth about?

How easy are DIY kits to install?

Install or DIY is always a personal choice. If you have limited skills and limited time you may wish to go with the installed option and in some cases you may wish to purchase a DIY kit and install some of it yourself and then later on, get a tradesman to help you.

You may like a turnkey service. A turnkey service is great when you are doing a timber deck and Gazebo and things get a little complicated i.e. the deck is bigger than your Gazebo and is on a multilevel, this can be done in a kit form but unless you are really handy, it may be worth paying for an install.

Generally when allowing for an install, the costs price is normally about 30% of the cost of your kit. This can vary depending on the type of Gazebo and just like everything else related to Gazebos.

The thing is they don’t as they are not large. They don’t have a team and they simply don’t have the room in their tiny factory. They are a tiny operation, so

you the paying customer get average results at best.

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You do get what you pay for!

If you get the cheapest installation cost, you will basically be forcing the contractor to cut corners so he can feed his family. You may feel good at the end of the job or you may be like the many that have been down this road before and are disappointed in an inexperienced installer who will always charge less than an installer that installs every day. When using an inexperienced installer you will basically be paying him to learn and as is so often the case he may not know what he is doing and will need to bluff his way through the job to complete it. A good Gazebo manufacturer will have a team of pre qualified experienced installers Australia wide. An installation at the back of Bourke will be just as easy as an installation as 10 mins from their factory.

When choosing to go DIY with your new Gazebo or install it yourself, the most important question you need to ask is “what type of instructions will I get and how detailed are they?” Most companies offer maybe only one or two pages of instructions, perhaps one or two offer DVDs, but let’s face it who wants to walk in and out of your living room trying to fast forward and rewind a DVD to find the snippet of information your require? A Gazebo manufacturer with their systems in place will have a detailed instruction booklet – I take great pride knowing that our Gazebos go out with detailed instructions, about 35 pages worth, offering lots of pictures with easy to follow instructions.

All you will need to do is sit down and read the instructions then go out and put your Gazebo up. A good manufacturer of Gazebos should also have a team in place to help you with technical support i.e. a dedicated person who will answer your questions. If you decide to purchase your Gazebo from a husband and wife team or a one man band, you will find not only will they have limited instructions available like 1 or 2 pages but they will be getting lots of questions and phone calls and as they are only a one or 2 person operation they don’t have a team of people around them, so they will be constantly under pressure and unavailable to help you with any technical advice.

How do I customize my Gazebo?

When choosing the Gazebo style that most suits your needs and style you may want to customise it. Say for example you may want a certain roof type with a certain type of posts and a certain type of handrails, these components may be mixed together from pictures you have seen or you may have taken a photo while on holidays. A good manufacturer should have the ability to easily customise your new Gazebo for you, using decorative timber in-fill or timber bracing fabricated a certain way to match your house or

12 x 4 Bali Hut

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colour to match your house. When choosing your new Gazebo make sure you ask if it can be customised to suit your exact needs and desires.

I hope all this information helps you in your Gazebo choice. Of course at Tropical Lifestyle we can help you with all aspects of Gazebo design and installation Australia wide.

The Tropical Lifestyle Super Store is located at 9 Upton St, Bundall and we are proud to have the largest display of Gazebos in Australia. Currently 32 gazebos covering all different styles are on display. We manufacture each Gazebo just for you in our 2,000 sqm factory which is located half way in-between Brisbane and the Gold Coast at Ormeau. We also have a specialised parts manufacturing facility in Sydney close to Windsor.

I have created specialised departments for each process of your Gazebo fabrication project, starting from sales consultants who have previous hands on experience in building and designing Gazebos, to our Quality Control team that checks your requests before your gazebo goes into production.

After our QC, your Gazebo starts its new life starting from the finest timbers available that are suitable and engineered for Australian conditions to our fabrication department which takes up a massive 500sqm of our factory (our fabrication area is twice the size of the majority of our competitor’s entire factories). Such a large area allows our fabrication team to have plenty of room to customise and build your new Gazebo, no matter what the design is or the size you would like.

After fabrication is completed and checked, your Gazebo heads across to our finishing department where quality is checked, before entering our 5 x 10 pressurised spray booth where your paint or stain finished is applied using the finest materials under controlled conditions and heat lamps (we are the only manufactures in Australia with this facility so our finish is second to none).

Your new Gazebo will then be rolled out into our drying zone and once dry it is handed over to our team of dispatchers who will pack your Gazebo carefully for transport, whether that be 10 mins away or across the other side of Australia.

Our logistics department then ensures your new Gazebo leaves with all parts included and is taken by the shortest possible route to your location. Your Gazebo arrives packed on pallets wrapped in plastic and carefully strapped together which can easily be removed by one or two people. Complete instructions are included in a sturdy container along with the galvanised fasteners you require. You can now sit down, relax, read your

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instructions and begin to install your new Gazebo. All the time knowing you have the back up of dedicated staff on a 1300 number if you need technical advice.

Or if you have chosen the install option, your installer will arrive with your new Gazebo and begin erection at a time to suit you, no matter where you are in Australia.

Whether you have chosen DIY or install, once complete, your new Gazebo will be an added value to your home and an added value to your lifestyle, now is the time is to sit back and enjoy. At Tropical Lifestyle we have the team to make your Gazebo project easy.

To order your new Gazebo contact the team at Tropical Lifestyle on 1300 788 929 today.

Yours Sincerely,

Tropical Lifestyle Australia’s largest Superstore of Gazebos, decking, bamboo fencing and more.

9 Upton St Bundall Gold Coast QLD Australia


Ph 1300 788 929 Fax 1300 788 924

To contact us via email fill in the contact form online at www.tropicallifestyle.com.au

P.S. Present my team at Tropical Lifestyle any written Gazebo quote and if it is Apples for Apples, and Tropical Lifestyle can’t match it — we will give you your new Gazebo for free.



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