Safety and anchorage
Over a tonne of stainless steel, and it comes free.
An unweighted gazebo is a dangerous thing. In a gust it lifts, and when it lifts it takes the legs, the walls and whatever is underneath with it. We have seen enough of them go to be completely unsentimental about this, which is why weights are not an optional extra on our website.
What comes on every gazebo, at no charge
Two stainless steel weights on every leg, fitted before we leave site. Not sold as an add on, not quietly left in the van.
2 x 2m
4 legs
8
stainless weights, free
3 x 3m
4 legs
8
stainless weights, free
3 x 4.5m
4 legs
8
stainless weights, free
3 x 6m
6 legs
12
stainless weights, free
Why weights and not pegs
Pegs only work in firm ground, and most of the places people want a gazebo are not firm ground. Patios, driveways, car parks, market pitches, school playgrounds, roof terraces: you cannot get a peg into any of them.
Soft ground is worse in a different way. A peg in wet lawn feels solid when you put it in and pulls straight out under load a few hours later, which is precisely the moment the wind has got up. Weights do not care what they are standing on, so weights are what we build the whole system around.
Where the ground does take a peg, we will often use both. But the weights are doing the work and the pegs are the bonus, not the other way round.
When you need more than standard
Standard anchorage covers the large majority of jobs. Add to it when:
- The site is open and exposed, with nothing upwind of it
- You are near the coast or on a seafront
- You want all four sidewalls on, which catches far more wind
- You are on a roof terrace, where pegs are not an option at all
- The forecast has turned and there are gusts in it
Extra stainless weights are £6 each and you can add them in the quote builder. If you are unsure, describe the site when you enquire and we will make the call, because we are the ones who have to stand behind it.
Our position on wind
We would rather tell you no than put up something unsafe. If the forecast for your date looks genuinely bad we will ring you and talk through the options: drop the sidewalls, go down a size, move it to a sheltered part of the garden, or move the date. If none of that works, we will cancel and you will not be charged.
This is not us being cautious for the sake of it. A 3 x 6m gazebo with four walls on is a large sail, and once one of those gets away it does real damage. Nobody has ever thanked us for going ahead in a gale.
Rain, on the other hand, is entirely fine. That is the whole point of the thing.
Safety questions
How do you stop a gazebo blowing away?
Weight, on every leg, every time. Each gazebo goes out with 2 stainless steel weights per leg at no extra charge, fitted by us before we leave. A four leg frame carries eight and a 3 x 6m, which has six legs, carries twelve.
Do you peg gazebos into the ground?
Only as a supplement, never as the main anchorage. Pegs are useless on patios, driveways, roof terraces and any hardstanding, and they pull out of soft ground after rain, which is exactly when you need them most. We design around weights so the same system works everywhere.
What wind speed is too much for a gazebo?
As a rule of thumb we are comfortable up to around 24mph with full anchorage and the sidewalls managed properly. Above that we will talk to you about dropping walls, downsizing or moving the date. Walls make an enormous difference: a fully walled gazebo acts like a sail, so in gusty weather the safest thing is often to take a wall off rather than add one.
Will you cancel if the weather is bad?
If we think it is genuinely unsafe, yes, and you will not be charged for a gazebo we decided not to put up. We would rather lose the booking than have a structure come loose at somebody's event. Rain on its own is not a problem at all, that is what the thing is for.
Do you have public liability insurance?
Yes, and we can send the certificate over before you book. Village halls, schools, councils and corporate venues usually ask for it, so just say when you enquire and we will include it. Say so in your enquiry if you need it urgently.
Can you put a gazebo on a roof terrace or balcony?
Often yes, and we do a fair number in London. Pegs are obviously out, so it is weights only, and we will want to know about access and whether there is any load limit on the surface. Tell us it is a roof job when you enquire rather than when we arrive.
Weights included. Always.
Build a quote and you will see them listed, free, on every gazebo.
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