Gazebo Number One

[GGB]

Eddie, after I jokingly suggested that you put up a "pig" weathervane to honor Oscar, I remembered that Weathervanes of Maine had a lot of different figures. Sure enough, they have several "Oscars" to choose from. Here's my vote!

Medium Pig Weathervanes Archive

GGB

P.S. I'll chip in $20 if you'll put it up!

 

[bindian]

From the start, I had a color scheme in mind for the trim and cupola, along with staining the posts and ceiling. Part of me really likes these colors, and part of me thinks it's too subtle. I'm going to do a wait and see aproach to it until I stain the logs, and go from there.

Eddie

Eddie,
It looks kinda dull to me also. It needs something that "pops".
hugs, Brandi

 

[joeyd]

Eddie,
I've been reading along and enjoying both your work and your blog. I have to agree with Brandi. Something that good looking needs to really stick out color wise.

 

[weldingisfun]

My suggestion is to stay with the subtle look. :2cents:

 

[jinman]

Eddie, for what it's worth, I'd paint that cupola a darker or lighter shade that is similar to the color of the trim. With the stain, refinishing will surely be a pain in the tail and it sorta clashes with the brown trim, giving it an undone/unfinished look in my opinion. I like the idea of staining the cedar posts, but I'd surely just paint the cupola. I love your use of glass blocks. That gives it an unexpected classy look.

 

[sldva00]

Eddie, for what it's worth, I'd paint that cupola a darker or lighter shade that is similar to the color of the trim. With the stain, refinishing will surely be a pain in the tail and it sorta clashes with the brown trim, giving it an undone/unfinished look in my opinion...

If I hadn't read how you did the cupola, I would of thought you just slapped some plywood on it with a cutout for the windows. The color you have does make it look somewhat unfinished to me also.

 

[bindian]

Eddie, for what it's worth, I'd paint that cupola a darker or lighter shade that is similar to the color of the trim. With the stain, refinishing will surely be a pain in the tail and it sorta clashes with the brown trim, giving it an undone/unfinished look in my opinion. I like the idea of staining the cedar posts, but I'd surely just paint the cupola. I love your use of glass blocks. That gives it an unexpected classy look.

I think Jim hit it right on the nail head.
hugs, Brandi

 

[ronjhall]

Eddie:
You need a trip to Canton. Lots of big Weather Vanes on display.

 

[EddieWalker]

Thanks Ron, I forgot about Canton. The one that I like the best right now is $350 for Weathervanes of Maine. I've been looking at other websites, but they either don't have anything I like, or their prices are insulting. I've seen the exact same weathervane on a variety of sites range in price from the mid $300's to $1,200. It makes me wonder if anybody pays that kind of money for something without shoping around?

As for the color, the idea is for the cupola to look like a solid block of wood. That's why I made all the Hardi horizontal. Four sheets of plywood is a good analogy. It's the look I'm after. I want it to be rustic, and to fit into the outdoors, woodsy feel that I'm trying to create. If I did it darker, I think it would look futuristic or have a modernism feel to it. If I go lighter, I might be alright, but plain looking. I've considered other colors, like sage green, but then worry that it will draw the eye to it. My thinking is that I have so much going on with it, that no one thing should stand out. This way, instead of seeing just the cupola, or just the posts, or the metal brackets, you see all of it. To me, that is where the impact will be.

This is all theory. I'm still open to changing the color and painting it again. It's not hard to do, so I'm also willing to paint all four sides a differnt color and seeing what I like the best. I'm going to leave it as it is for now and when I'm all done with everything else, decide then. Or next year or when it seems like the thing to do.

In person, with the sun shining on it, and reflecting off of the glass, it's very nice looking!!!!

Thank you,
Eddie

 

[JDGreenGrass]

Brandi,

The peak of the Cupola, while standing next to it, is about eye level. Probably 5 and a half feet. I never measured it, but it's easy to get to when standing there.

I still have to buy and install the weather vane, so installing it should be pretty simple. I'm looking at eagles. There are some on ebay, and I've bought from Weathervanes of Maine, or something like that. All copper and as big as I can get it!!!!

When I started this gazebo, I was thinking that the one at Lake Marabou would be the same, but bigger. My posts on this one are on 8ft centers and I have in the neighborhood of 7 feet between them. I was going to make them on 10 foot centers at the lake. As I go along, I get new ideas. I've done one like this, so the next one is going to be totally different. It will be very similar to an emerald cut diamond in shape. Long and round at the ends. My thought is that I might be able to have weddings in it, and I want the middle section to be big and open. I have it in my head that the view and setting would be very unique, and if I build the gazebo like I have it pictured in my head, it will be something special.

Eddie

Very impressive work. You do it right Eddie.:thumbsup:

I liked this little bird feeder cupola enough that I bought it for a pretty penny. I bought it on the coast in Wells, Maine. Your gazebo has gotta be worth a million....

 

[USNative]

I really like the color Eddie, and I could see right away from the way its done that you wanted the outdoorsy rustic style. I think it looks fantastic & once the whole thing is finished I bet it will even look better. :thumbsup:

But like you said, it can always be changed if your not quite happy with it. I think your right in staying with it till you finish more and then see how it looks. Like I said though, I think once the other things are done it will look even better.

The design of the Gazebo alone has so much potential to look great with many color variations. IMO I think a small trim around the all the glass, something in perhaps a dark natural wood, would look really nice on that cupola.

Again, awesome job and I love it ! Keep on pluggin' away on that beautiful project and happy building.

 

[EddieWalker]

I spent a lot of time trying out different ideas on the cupola, but it always seemed to busy to me in my drawings. I tend to get carried away, then scale it back. I'm unsure if I scaled it back too far, or if simple is better? The cupola is a big feature, but just one of many parts, so I'm hesitant to draw any more attention to it until I have the logs stained and all the iron installed.

I really appreciate eveyone's suggestions.
Thank you,
Eddie

 

[nhkabotab7800]

plans to put a light up in the cupola?

Rick

 

[EddieWalker]

Yes. There is going to be two beams in the ceiling. The ceiling fan will hang from the beams, where they cross. My concern and solution is to put an outlet box on top of the beam and use a four prong twist on plug to create a sort of lamp. My problem is in how to change the light bulb when it's up there. I thought about one of those special tools to unscrew light bulbs, but I know they break and don't work real well. This way, I can just take off the entire lamp and replace the bulb. I want the bulb to be in the middle of the glass blocks, so once the beam is in place and the outlet installed, I'll measure the height and build my mount. It seems simple enough in my mind, but that's alway what makes me nervous.

Eddie

 

[Obed]

Wow Eddie! Great Job! I've been pretty busy and haven't followed many TBN threads other than my own the past few months. I saw this thread a couple days ago and have just finished reading it all. The gazebo looks awesome. I love the design of the roof. The brackets and the lone star lamps all seem to go together. The cedar posts are incredible. You have obviously put a lot of time into this project and it shows.

My wife has mentioned our building a gazebo at a certain spot on our property so your thread caught my attention. I'm amazed that you are considering building three gazebos. I would be worn out after building one.

Did you have anybody helping you when you built the rafters? That part looked a little tricky to do single handedly.

Obed

 

[EddieWalker]

I did the rafters on my own. The trick was getting the cupola set at the right height, level and centered. That took a few hours of adjusting, but once it was where it needed to be, the rafters went in pretty easily.

The next gazebo is going to be quit a bit bigger and fancier then this one. I've learned quite a few things on this one that I hadn't considered or realized until I actually did it. When this happens, I adjust and modify my plan for the next one. That will be on my lake, so it's really going to be special!!!

Eddie

 

[nhkabotab7800]

A light will look fantastic reflecting thru the glass blocks...sort of a light house feel...

just a thought but could you make it so the light could be lowered to change blub?

 

[EddieWalker]

I'm not making the progress that I wanted to on this, but I am still at it.

The cupula is up high enough that getting into it would be awkward with the beam installed, so I wanted to have the inside finished off before building the beam.

I used 1/2 inch Hardi backer board for the ceiling and walls of the cupola. It's what's used in showers for tile, and a really great product for wet areas. My concern is that since I did not vent the cupola, that it will trap moisture and create condensation. I'm fine with that, but don't want it to rot in there. I primed the Hardi with exterior Zinsser primer and then two coats of exterior latex paint.

Once the cupola was done, I built the beam. It has two purposes. One is to help hold the walls in. The basic design of a gazebo does this, but adding the beam just makes it stronger. The other purpose is to have a place to mount my ceiling fan and light for the cupola.

I used two 16 ft 2x6's mounted verticaly in one direction, then a single 16 ft 2x6 mounted horizontaly in the other direction. That gives me a solid, continuous board going in both directions!!!! I know it's obvious and simple, but in the planning of this, I had issues figuring this out.

I added metal brackets and put 2x4's in between the 2x6's to make it solid and give me a place to hide my wires.

Figureing out where the center of the one beam was so I could get the other beam centered "AND" squared proved to be a bit challenging. I sometimes do things backwards and create more work for myself. I measured from the cupola instead of from the outside width of the beam at first. That didn't look right, so then I did it from the outside in and got it right. You can see some of my markings in the last picture that show my confusion at figuring it.

Eddie

 

[USNative]

Really looks nice and the Hardi Backer Board and painting to prevent condensation damage up there in that Cupola was good thinking.

Looks like you are getting close to having that Gazebo done. Really Nice!:thumbsup:

 

[EddieWalker]

Nothing new to share except I took a picture of it while walking out to my deer blind this afternoon. I didn't realize that I haven't posted any pics of the whole thing since painting the trim and cuplola.

Eddie