Summer gazebos in Almaty

A summer gazebo is defined not by size or material, but by the absence of a closed enclosure: there are no walls or they are nominal. These can be railings, a lattice, an insect net or a removable curtain. If air passes freely through the structure from all sides, you have a summer structure in front of you.

In everyday use, an open gazebo and a summer gazebo mean the same structure. In this article these terms are used as synonyms.

A summer gazebo differs fundamentally from a glazed one. There the walls are made of glass, and the structure can be used all year round, but in summer it has to be ventilated and shaded, otherwise it becomes unbearably stuffy inside. A winter gazebo is an insulated enclosure with heating, essentially a small house.

The summer one is built more often for one reason: it is cheaper than both and is assembled in a matter of days. This option suits a dacha, the yard of a private house and an out-of-town plot where an open-air dining area is needed without major investment. Summer gazebo designs are usually simple, and building a summer gazebo takes from a few days to two weeks depending on the material and size.

Summer gazebos for the dacha are ordered most often: there the structure is needed for the season, not year-round. A summer gazebo at the dacha solves two tasks at once — it gives shade during the day and turns into a dining area in the evening. But summer dacha gazebos are no different in design from city ones: the difference is only in logistics and in the fact that in winter no one keeps an eye on the structure at the dacha. More on siting it on a dacha plot — on a separate page about gazebos for the dacha.

An open gazebo has three cooling mechanisms at work:

• cross ventilation: the wind passes through the openings and carries away the heated air;
• shade from the roof overhang: the sun does not heat the surface of the table and floor directly;
• the free outflow of heated air upwards: hot air rises and escapes through the open perimeter.

In an enclosed structure hot air builds up under the ceiling, and by evening it is stuffier there than outside. This is a familiar situation for anyone who has sat in an unheated house on a July day: the walls accumulate heat and there is no ventilation.

A common mistake owners make is to board up an open gazebo with siding or polycarbonate around the perimeter to keep the wind out. After that people stop sitting in it in the heat: the structure turns into a greenhouse, and all the advantages of the summer layout are lost.

What to do instead: close off only the windward side and only with removable elements. This can be a solid panel, a heavy curtain or a soft window that comes off in a few minutes. The height from floor to the underside of the roof and the width of the openings affect ventilation more than the total area of the gazebo. The higher the ceiling and the wider the open openings, the faster the heated air escapes.

The choice of roofing material determines how comfortable the gazebo will be on a hot day. Let us look at the main options.

Transparent honeycomb polycarbonate lets light through, but with it the heat as well. Under such a roof it is stuffy even with the walls open: infrared radiation heats the floor and the table.

Bronze and milky honeycomb polycarbonate absorbs part of the solar radiation and gives soft shade. This is the best compromise for those who want to keep the light inside without overheating.

Corrugated sheeting and metal tiles do not let light through at all, but they become scorching in the sun and radiate heat downwards. If there is no ventilated gap between the roofing material and the lining, it will be unbearably hot under such a roof even in the shade.

Soft roofing on battens is a more easygoing option. It does not heat up as much as metal and is noticeably quieter in the rain: the drops do not drum on the sheet.

A ventilated gap between the roofing material and the lining is a must in any variant. Without it, the heated air stagnates under the roof and warms the interior space. The roof overhang is made with a margin: the wider it is, the later the sun reaches the table and the better the protection from driving rain.

A slope and snow load are needed even for a summer gazebo — it stands on the plot all year round. For Almaty the design snow load is 150–200 kg per square metre, so the roof slope is made from 25 degrees, and the rafter system is calculated with a margin.

The hottest time in Almaty is the second half of the day, when the sun shines from the west. In summer the daytime temperature here can reach thirty-five degrees, and it is the western sun that creates the main discomfort.

The west side is closed off in one of these ways:

• with a solid screen of wood or metal;
• a heavy curtain;
• with greenery on a trellis (grapevine, Virginia creeper, clematis);
• by turning the gazebo so that the western sun hits not the dining area but the solid part of the structure.

A northern orientation of the opening gives even light without direct sun. This is the best option for the table: the food does not overheat and those seated do not squint.

Ideas for a gazebo in the yard of a private house usually run into the same limitation: there is little free space, and the structure is placed where there is room left rather than where the shade is. It is better the other way round — first see where the shade from the house and the fence falls in the second half of the day, and plan everything else around that spot.

Shade from mature trees works better than any roof. But if the branches overhang the roof, that is a risk: falling limbs can damage the covering, and the foliage clogs the gutters. The branches are trimmed back, or you keep a safe distance from the tree.

The wind rose matters too. The draught should run along the table, not into the backs of those seated. The direction of the prevailing wind on a specific plot is checked at the site visit: in the Almaty foothills it changes noticeably from one neighbourhood to another, and the general rule does not work here.

The distance from the kitchen and from the grill is thought through in advance: carrying food more than twenty paces quickly becomes tiresome. But you should not place the gazebo right up against the grill either — the smoke and sparks will interfere with dining. The setback from the plot boundary is made such that the roof slope and the drainage stay on your own side.

Fabric curtains are the cheapest way to shade the western side. They can be taken down and washed, and put away in the cupboard for winter. The downside is that they do not protect from rain and wind.

Soft windows of PVC film 500–700 microns thick are a more serious solution. They are transparent, fixed with clips and let you use the gazebo from April to October instead of the usual summer months. For winter the film is removed and stored rolled up in a warm room — in the cold it stiffens and may crack.

Mosquito nets on removable frames around the perimeter solve the insect problem. Air passes freely, while mosquitoes and midges stay outside. During the day the frames are taken off, in the evening they are put back. Outdoors, fumigators and candles are of little use: the wind carries the smoke away and the insects return. A net works mechanically — it simply does not let them in.

You should not place the gazebo right next to an irrigation ditch or standing water. Dampness attracts mosquitoes, and constant moisture speeds up the rotting of wooden elements. A pergola with greenery on a trellis is a beautiful solution, but living shade takes several seasons to grow, and in the first year it will not save you from the sun.

Wood is the classic material for summer gazebos. The posts are made of timber 100x100 mm, for large spans — 150x150 mm. Unlike uncoated metal, wood does not become scorching in the sun, and it is pleasant to touch even in the heat. Rounded logs are used for country-style gazebos, but that is a more expensive option.

A steel frame of profile tube with an anti-corrosion coating is the fastest and most low-maintenance option. It does not need painting, it does not rot and requires no care. Production of such gazebos includes welding and painting in the workshop, and on site the structure is assembled in one or two days.

Brick and stone are excessive for a summer gazebo. That is an all-season structure requiring a foundation, insulation and heating. For a summer version they only make the project more expensive.

The floor is made of 36 mm board on joists with a 3–5 mm gap, so that water drains off freely. Waterproofing under the joists is mandatory, and the floor itself must be ventilated from below. A board 36 mm thick withstands the weight of several people without sagging.

The antiseptic treatment is applied in two coats before assembly, not after. Only this way does the compound reach the end grain and the joints, which cannot be treated later. Only galvanized fasteners are used: black screws rust and leave streaks on light wood that cannot be washed off.

Almaty is located in a 9-point seismic zone, so the corners of the frame are reinforced with plates. This requirement is taken into account when building summer gazebos in the region, regardless of the material of the load-bearing structure.

What you can economise on and what you can't

You can save on size: a 2x3 m gazebo, if you just need to put a table. On the floor under a canopy, if the gazebo will stand on a slab. On the complexity of the roof: a single-pitch version is cheaper than a gable one. On the frame material: profile tube with an anti-corrosion coating is cheaper than 150x150 mm timber.

You cannot cut corners on the foundation, on the cross-section of the posts, on the treatment of the wood or on the fasteners. These are the elements the stability and service life of the structure depend on.

Not even a light canopy is placed straight on the ground or on a couple of bricks. The structure warps as early as the second season: moisture from the ground rises into the posts, rot sets in and the geometry is thrown off. A pile or pier foundation solves this problem.

Building in stages is a workable way to stay within budget. First the frame and roof are assembled, and the nets, soft windows and seating area are added the following summer. This way the structure works from the first season but does not require large one-off outlays.

The most expensive mistake is redoing the roof when it turns out that it is impossible to sit under transparent polycarbonate. Replacing the roofing material costs about as much as half a new gazebo, so the choice of covering is worth thinking through before the work begins.

Built-in table and benches are more convenient than movable furniture for several reasons. They do not wobble on an uneven floor, are not blown away by the wind and do not get wet in the grass in the rain. A gazebo with a table and benches is ready to use immediately after installation, with no need to buy extra furniture.

Capacity depends on the size of the structure:

Benches around the perimeter free up the middle and seat more people than separate chairs. The gap between the bench and the table should allow you to stand up without moving your neighbour.

A gazebo with a seating area is planned differently from a purely dining one: the swing, armchairs and the spot for the grill are placed to the side, away from the walkway, so that those at the table do not get in each other's way. If the gazebo is small, the seating area is moved under the adjoining canopy, and only the table is left inside.

Gazebos with benches around the perimeter and gazebos with a table and benches in a single frame are the most common request. Such furniture is made from the same board as the floor and treated with the same compound, so it ages together with the structure rather than fading separately.

Lighting and sockets are planned before assembly rather than chased in afterwards. The wiring is run in corrugated conduit under the floor or along the frame, and the switches are brought out onto a post. If this is not done at the construction stage, you will later have to run extension cords across the grass — inconvenient and unsafe.

A canopy-gazebo on a steel frame 2x3 m is put up in 3–5 days, an open timber gazebo 3x3 m — in 10–12 days, and a steel frame with polycarbonate 3x4 m — in 7–10 days. Larger structures take up to 12–15 days. So an order placed at the height of summer is ready by the end of the season, but it is better not to delay: production is busiest in May and June.

It is more convenient to place an order for the next season in winter. At that time there is no queue, you can calmly agree on the summer gazebo design and get the structure ready by the start of the season.

You cannot buy a summer gazebo as a ready-made product off the shelf: even a standard size has to be fitted to a specific plot, and the making of summer gazebos begins only after the measurement. So ordering summer gazebos is simpler than buying them: first a visit and measurement, then the estimate, and only then the workshop. The time difference compared with buying a ready-made kit is a few days, but the structure fits in place rather than being adjusted after the fact.

For the crew's arrival, the client needs to provide access for unloading materials and agree on the installation spot. That is all that is required — the installers take care of the rest.

An open gazebo does not need winterizing: snow and water run off on their own with a roof slope from 25 degrees. Only the removable parts are taken away — mosquito frames, curtains, textiles and soft furniture. A gazebo with soft windows requires more effort: the film is removed and stored rolled up in a warm place.

In spring the fasteners, the board ends and the points of support on the foundation are checked. If cracks or signs of rot have appeared anywhere, they are treated with antiseptic and reinforced. The coating is renewed every 2–3 years, more often on the south side: ultraviolet light destroys the protective layer faster.

PROFI-DOM builds open gazebos in Almaty and the region — in Kaskelen, Talgar, Issyk and Uzynagash. We deliver summer gazebos for the dacha there too; out-of-town delivery is charged as a separate line. The site visit for measurements within Almaty is free. Our own production lets us control quality: we saw the timber and weld and paint the metal ourselves. The structure comes with a 5-year warranty.