Stuck on final design item advise greatly appreciated

[QingGuy]

Pool design is done, architect is also designing in an area for a Gazebo. Due to budget I'm going to do my "final" gazebo down the road so I do not have plans for that. It's been recommended I pour the footings now for my temporary gazebo (one of the larger solid roof Costco units), however, I'm not confident my final gazebo will have the same post foot print as the Costco gazebo. I agree with getting the footings in now to save cost and having to break-up pool decking down the road, however, I don't want to limit my options for my final gazebo based on the footings poured for my temporary unit.

Anyone faced a design decision like this?

Also, I'll be running power out to the gazebo too.

As I said this is my final decision so I'm hoping to make it quickly so we can get moving. Thanks in advance!

 

[jblizzle]

Do the gazebos at Costco even need a footer? Aren't they just light aluminum?

I think I would put in the footers where the future permanent structure will go.

 

[mrcarcrazy]

I don't know anything about costco, as we don't have them here....but on the footing convo, I'd plan ahead and pour footings for a permanent structure vs a temp. structure.

 

[QingGuy]

The Costco unit comes with concrete anchors that are rated to 63 mph winds. The neighbors who have been here longer than we have (1.5 years) recommended that I do footings for it vs. the cement anchors if I don't want to be fishing my gazebo out of my neighbors pool.

The other issue is, I'm not sure on the final design of my gazebo, I might change my mind after a year of using the backyard so I'm worried about committing to say a 12 x 14 four post gazebo when I may change it to an 8 post unit. Ugh!

Probably not many options other than, pour for what I think it will be and work around that.

 

[jblizzle]

Well, is it possible to just put in a very think slab so you can put the posts anywhere.

Honestly, you need to decide what kind of gazebo you want. Even if you install footings for the future, you are going to end up having cut off anchors where your put this temporary one.

 

[QingGuy]

Honestly, you need to decide what kind of gazebo you want. Even if you install footings for the future, you are going to end up having cut off anchors where your put this temporary one.

I think you're right, going to need to go with a "common" footprint for footing pour and then build my custom off of that.

Thanks!!!

 

[bmoreswim]

I would put in footer strips. By which I mean footers that are say 24" wide across the whole length of area that you might want to put a post. And you might need two or three rows of these footer strips. Very easy to do and not a lot of extra cost to put in large areas of footers so to speak. Just deeper, more rebar perhaps, and more concrete. They are digging with equipment so no real extra work there.

On mounting the current gazebo, I wouldn't worry about footers, but moreso about attaching the posts to the decking. It's not a weight issue likely, but an attachment issue for the Costco gazebo. As for hiding these holes later, I'd use large lead lag shields with lag bolts. Use an angle brace to go from the leg to the lag shield hole. Then when you remove the gazebo, unscrew the lag bolt, remove the lag shied and patch the hole. For patching, that depends on your surface. For non-painted surfaces, you can use dust from drilling the new gazebo holes, and spread it on top of caulk that you fill the holes with. It's a little trick contractors use to hide small holes or make caulked joints disappear. You also could drill out the holes to drop in the anchors used for a safety cover (Google Merlin safety cover anchor), which have the screws that go down into them and sit flush. If the edges of the surface around the anchor are slightly chipped, you can install the small brass flange that can come with them (though with the flange attached they sit slightly above the surface). The brass tarnishes within a few months and there is just the nice looking anchor mount showing. I'd try to limit the temporary gazebo anchor points to one per post though.

 

[QingGuy]

@bmoreswim - You are the man (I assume you're male, if not I apologize). Great info! Thank so much, I like this approach, covers me on both ends. 24 x 24 footings are running about $175, other than a little more concrete I can't imagine the cost going up too much.

Thanks again!

 

[bmoreswim]

I happened to "guess" correctly on footings for our future pavilion, but I also didn't use all the footings I had included either.

Good luck! Feel free to share pics as you go along.

 

[Kpag]

You could post a layout too. Everyone who has had a pool for a while could offer opinions on where someone might want their gazebo. We have one of those 12x12 hardtop gazebos from Costco as our "permanent" solution; we aren't allowed to build a "real" structure by our pool due to required setbacks. We wouldn't even be allowed to have our existing pool now!

 

[QingGuy]

You could post a layout too. Everyone who has had a pool for a while could offer opinions on where someone might want their gazebo.

Posted my design in my build post. Just signed off on final plans so a little too late for input, but I feel good about where I put it and I ended-up going with footings for a 14 x 12 unit.