Summer is approaching, trips to a country house or dacha are coming. On warm sunny days you hardly want to be confined within four walls; it is much more pleasant and healthy to breathe in the fresh country air. An attractive and easily implementable idea is to build a gazebo. For self-arrangement, the design made from pallets is best suited.
Such a simple structure will allow you to sit comfortably with a gadget or book, or place a container with a refreshing drink on a stable surface. Neither rain nor scorching sun will prevent you from having a pleasant time in the company of friends or while away the evening alone, enjoying nature.
Construction material
The direct purpose of pallets is to simplify the reloading and transportation of various goods: bags, boxes, boxes, etc. Pallets are durable, allowing them to be used for the construction of summer structures, for example, gazebos. They are durable, repairable, have a clear geometry, and are inexpensive.
Before use, the pallets are cleaned of dirt and dust and repaired if necessary. Restoring wooden containers involves replacing damaged boards, adding missing boards, and strengthening loose structural elements. A grinding tool will help you achieve a smooth surface quickly and easily.
The service life of a future building can be extended by treating wooden parts with special protective compounds that prevent the appearance of rot and the harmful effects of insects.
These products are sold at any hardware store.
Choosing pallets
Below is a classification of the most common products.
Euro pallet sizes
Pallets: 1 — “Eurosize”, 2 — “Eurostandard”
The length and width of wooden packaging can be different (for a certified Euro pallet these dimensions are 120 and 80 cm, respectively), the standard height is 14.5 cm.
Finnish and American pallets
Finnish pallet sizes
The length of the final pallet is 120 cm, width - 100 cm. When building a gazebo from American-style pallets, consider other dimensions: 120 x 120 cm.
American pallet sizes
Whatever choice is made, the advantages of such a building are obvious:
- The environmentally friendly material will not cause harm to health, will organically fit into the countryside exterior and provide comfort.
- The design allows sunlight and fresh air to pass through, creating a feeling of unity with nature.
- You can build a gazebo from pallets with your own hands. Even for a novice master it will take 2-3 days.
We build a gazebo from pallets
Preparation of material
Before you start making a gazebo from pallets, decide on its placement and draw a construction diagram. Once you decide on the size, it will be easier to calculate how much material you need.
The following is required before construction begins:
- Carefully inspect each pallet, clean and repair if necessary.
- If provided for by the project, then divide them into parts in advance.
- It is advisable to sand each pallet before use, and especially those parts that will be inside the gazebo.
- Do not neglect the use of antiseptic impregnation, which protects wood well from fungus and bacteria.
- After the impregnation has dried, you can immediately begin painting the pallets.
If you do not follow the recommendations described above, the gazebo will not be of high quality and will soon become unusable.
Advantages and disadvantages of pallets
Although the idea of making a gazebo out of pallets with your own hands is interesting, you still need to weigh the pros and cons.
The characteristics of the pallets are:
The material is environmentally friendly, safe for the human body.- The buildings and woodwork are very beautiful.
- They are easy to handle.
Please note that the use of IPPC marked pallets is not recommended as they have been treated with chemicals. It is PROHIBITED to use them as a building material!
Using pallets to build a gazebo in a dacha has many advantages.
Some of them are:
- The gazebo has an open design, so there will be excellent air circulation. This has a good effect on the atmosphere inside.
- The price of the material is low, but if you wish, you can even make pallets with your own hands. You can also buy used material at a reasonable price. But even new material is not expensive.
- The building will be environmentally friendly and safe.
Despite the huge number of advantages, there is also a big disadvantage. The wood has already been treated, but it is not designed for long-term use, and therefore you will have to coat it with antiseptic compounds from time to time to extend its life.
We build with our own hands
Regardless of which type of pallet you choose, the result will please you 100%. A gazebo will not only be a wonderful decoration for the site, but will also become a cozy place for gatherings with family, friends, and your significant other. The best part is that building a gazebo is easy and simple. Even if you are a beginner, you will only need 1-2 days to work. Now let's look at where we need to start.
First, you must create a plan that you will follow when making a gazebo from pallets.
You will need to do all of the following:
Select building material.- Come up with a design for the future gazebo.
- Sketch out a sketch and arrange everything in the form of a drawing.
- Construction of a gazebo.
- Creating a cozy atmosphere.
Choosing a place
Choosing a suitable location for the gazebo is the first and important step. The area will need to be cleared of stones and tall grass mowed. If there are uneven areas in the area, you first need to level it. This is very important if the floor will be built on top of the ground. But experts do not advise doing this, since such a building will not be durable. Ideally, you need to create a foundation on which the gazebo will stand. When the area is cleared, mark it using rope and pegs.
Project
And now it’s time to dream up and design the future structure. This requires ingenuity, since pallets can be used to make many elements that will help fill everything with coziness. Pallets are perfect for creating benches and tables, but all this must be immediately provided for in the plan. Ideally, the furniture should be made before the construction of the gazebo. When you have decided on all the components of a summerhouse made from pallets, you can move on to the next stage, or rather, develop a drawing.
Drawing development
Don’t worry about the fact that you are a so-so architect and don’t have the special knowledge to create a beautiful and correct drawing. In this situation, standard graphic editors will help you. The task is to draw up a detailed drawing with all dimensions, as this will help to correctly implement the idea. Develop a drawing taking into account the design dimensions. In the future, this will help when translating the project into reality.
Foundation
At this stage, actual construction begins. First you need to build a foundation for the gazebo. There are many types of foundations, and you can choose the one that's right for you based on how much time you're willing to spend building your gazebo. If you need to do it quickly, then blocks installed on compacted earth are the best option.
Laying brick pillars will take longer, but the longest method is to pour the pillars. Note that the last method, although labor-intensive, is the most reliable. Keep in mind that if the ground is soft, then a strip foundation is required, which will increase the construction period, since you will have to wait for the cement to dry.
When everything is ready, install a timber base around the perimeter of the foundation and secure it with screws. They can be fastened together with strapping. If you place a protective film under the base, you will protect the foundation from moisture.
Floors and walls
Now that you have a solid base for your pallet gazebo, you can begin installing the corner posts. They need to be installed not only in the corners, but also in the front to highlight the entrance. We connect the beams from above using strapping. Be careful that the posts are vertical, otherwise the gazebo may sway.
After installing and fixing the racks, you can begin to work on the top trim. It is recommended to strengthen it with corners to reduce the risk of breaks. After this, you can begin laying the boards on the floor.
If the project provides for an average size of framing, then after you make the floor, you can immediately move on to this stage. If not provided, proceed with the construction of walls. You can stack pallets in one row, or in several. Fastening is carried out using anchors or blind screws. Sometimes cloves are used, but this is not the most reliable method.
Roof
Lastly, let's take care of the roof. You decide for yourself what material to make it from. You can choose tiles, polycarbonate or roofing felt, each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages.
The shingles have a beautiful appearance, but they will take a long time to install. Ruberoid will not take so much time, but it looks... to put it mildly, specific. But polycarbonate in this situation is the golden mean. Of course, you can use the same pallets for the roof, but the option is not the best.
Finish
When the gazebo made from pallets is ready, you can begin the most enjoyable part - decoration. Now all that remains is to do everything to make the finished structure look beautiful and cozy. First, treat the floor with a product to extend its service life, and then you can paint or varnish it.
The walls can also be painted or left as is. Remember that if you want to change the color of the gazebo after construction, you will have to use either stain or wood paint. It will not only give the desired color, but will also emphasize naturalness.
Regardless of what quality of wood was chosen, the floor and walls will in any case have to be treated with a protective agent. This will prevent pests and fungus from damaging the structure. You can decorate it in different ways. For example, you can hang curtains on the windows, and place several flowerpots with flowers inside. A cute little table would be a great addition.
Design project
This stage opens up endless possibilities for creativity. The material chosen for construction is reminiscent of design elements, and accordingly, many design options are obtained.
This version of the gazebo illustrates that quite decent structures can be made from pallets, if only there was an idea.
Perhaps it will be a simple quadrangular house, “Baba Yaga’s hut” or a multifaceted gazebo consisting of six or more corners. Various modifications are available, limited only by the author's imagination.
Decor
Here, our gazebo made of pallets is ready. All that remains is to decorate it and make furniture. Pallets are an excellent material for creating tables and benches. Only for this you will still need a jigsaw or hacksaw.
Inside you can hang curtains, pots with climbing plants or just artificial flowers. Place mats or baroque on the benches to match the curtains. And be sure to provide light. Just don't forget about safety precautions! External wiring must be hidden in a metal sleeve. You can plant ivy, grapes or hops outside so that over time the plants will intertwine it.
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Drawing
After defining the architectural forms, it's time to put the gazebo design on paper. In this case, complete design documentation is not required, but it is highly desirable to make a drawing with structural sections of the structure.
Also, on the plan of the land plot, you can plot the contours of the future building to assess the general concept of landscape design of the territory. In the simplest graphic editors, you can make a 3D visualization of the gazebo and see what the structure will look like on the ground.
Construction
Basically, flight gazebos are not built over a large area, and therefore do not require the construction of a foundation, but if you decide to build a spacious structure, then a foundation is necessary. Most often, a pile-screw base is used , which will be cheaper than a tape base and easier to implement.
Step-by-step construction instructions:
- We level out the space for the future building as much as possible.
- In the absence of a foundation, a pedestal for the future floor needs to be made from boards. Such a structure will help avoid getting wet and dirty the pallets that will form the floor.
- We make the frame of the future gazebo from beams. The connection between each other occurs using cap screws.
All accuracy in work should be checked using a level. The pallets themselves are very even and errors in creating the frame can lead to further difficulties in attaching them.
- At the fourth stage we create the walls. To do this, pallets can be attached to the frame either in one row or in two. A double layer will provide greater protection from weather conditions, but the disadvantage is considered to be low penetration of sunlight. Fastening also occurs using cap screws.
- The walls have been erected and you can move on to the roof. If possible, it is better to equip a full-fledged pitched roof. In the case where the roof is also made of pallets, it is better to cover them with roofing material. You can simply limit yourself to an ordinary camouflage net.
Foundation
The choice of foundation is also carried out at the design stage and depends on the design features and the type of soil on which the structure is being built. You should not repeat the mistakes of the “reckless builder” from the parable, who built the house on the sand. For clay soils, a pile foundation is suitable.
A steel pipe with blades at the end will easily enter the ground and provide adequate structural strength in adverse weather conditions. Cartilaginous soils will require a simple strip foundation. This option will extend the construction by several days required for excavation and hardening of the cement mortar.
How to make a gazebo from pallets with your own hands
Advantages and disadvantages of pallets and products made from them
First of all, when deciding what to make a gazebo from at home, you need to pay attention to the advantages of each method. If we look at the option of installing a structure made from pallets, it is characterized by such positive qualities as:
- environmental friendliness, since these improvised means are made from ordinary wood;
- attractiveness, originality and a certain uniqueness, since it is quite rare to find such gazebos that are unlike other gazebos;
- ease of installation, because no special skills are required;
- ease of subsequent processing and care of the created product.
It is also worth noting that not all pallets and trays can be used to build gazebos. An exception to the general rule are products that bear the IPPC mark. It means that these parts have been treated with special chemicals that prevent them from being reused. Over time, such pallets begin to evaporate toxic substances that may be unsafe for humans. It is also worth pointing out that installing a gazebo from pallets and trays is not the best way.
The disadvantages of such construction are that after a few years the tree will require more and more care in the form of treatment with special substances against rotting, mold and microorganisms, painting, etc. In such a structure it will not be possible to hide from winds and bad weather conditions, since in essence it is a fairly open space.
DIY pallets or using purchased materials
Quite often, when a person decides to build a gazebo from pallets, he does not understand what materials should be used for this. In this regard, there are two options for solving the problem - purchasing finished products or producing your own future structural elements of the structure.
If you are completely focused on the low cost of constructing a gazebo, you need to find used pallets and pallets that are often free. In this case, you should be extremely selective - they can be significantly damaged. In addition, often after many years of use they give off a rather unpleasant odor.
The worst products can be used for other purposes in the country - for building a chicken coop, cages for rabbits, etc. It is almost impossible to remove bad odors from wooden products used in ports or markets. Therefore, it is best not to use them for installing gazebos. If this is done, even constant ventilation will not help for a comfortable stay in this building. If you make pallets yourself, spending money will not be very large. At the same time, it is worth stocking up on a lot of free time.
