Large Scale Central

Gazebo Project

Today was the first day without rain in the past couple of weeks so I decided to start on the new gazebo that will go into the center of the layout. I used string to layout the positions for the concrete piers at the eight corners. Here is the view looking east toward the new terrain I put in last month at Rico.

Had to think back about fifty years to remember some of the plane geometry and trig that I never thought I would use. I have to admit it did come in handy while outlining the octagon footprint. Here is the view looking north toward the Red Rock Canyon area of the layout.

The wet ground was easy to dig. The ground is so saturated that the holes started filling with water as soon as they were dug.

The weather forecast is for 5 to 8 inches more of rain between tomorrow and Monday. If I get a break in the weather over the 3-day weekend, I’ll use a shop vac to drain the holes, drop in the 12"diameter tube forms, and pour the concrete.

More to follow,

Bob

Bob,

That is crazy wet soil. Are you going to be able to pour concrete in that? Even if you shopvac it out will it just run back in?

Do you have plans for the gazebo for us as a spoiler alert?

Fun project. Will be great to sit in the shade while enjoying train visits at the Tulsa convention. BTW, send some of that rain over the Rockies. We can use it out west.

E-gads! That does look wet. Looks like a well thought out site, and a nice perch to run from. Good luck with Mother Nature this weekend.

Devon,

I’m not too concerned about water leaking back in after I vacuum out the holes. In fact, you can even pour concrete into standing water if you are careful not to mix the two. I’ve watched professional pours for deep piers that had several feet of standing water in the holes … they just pump the concrete into the bottom of the form and as it rises it pushes the water out the top. My holes are only two feet deep so I can easily vacuum them out.

As to the plans for the gazebo - I don’t have any. I ordered the gazebo from a manufacturer in Pennsylvania called Amish Country Gazebos. It is being shipped in kit form on a flatbed semi. It is a 12 foot wide, 8-sided, pagoda top structure. I ordered it pre-wired with interior lighting and a ceiling fan. I also ordered the screen option so we can set out in it without the mosquitoes eating us alive. Here is the computer-generated image from the manufacturer as I spec’ed out the design online.

Bob

Neat project Bob… Will be an interesting follow…

Awesome Bob that will be nice. Fun project and having it all done in kit form sounds like the way to go.

Had a few hours today between rain showers so I went ahead and poured the concrete foundation piers. It was wet and sloppy working conditions, but they came out okay. I sure don’t envy you guys who do concrete roadbed.

Halfway through the pour, a 53’ semi pulled up out front with the gazebo kit on board. They had to get a flatbed wrecker, back it up to the semi, and move the pallet out of the trailer and onto the flatbed wrecker. The wrecker then backed up my driveway and deposited the pallet. This thing is a monster – about 8’ x 10’ and 7’ tall. Here it is next to my mother-in-law’s Ford Escort.

I guess it will be a while before the yard dries out enough to start moving the pieces to the back yard.

More to come later,

Bob

Actually, the moisture will help the concrete to cure slower, making for a stronger base for your Gazebo.

The yard dried out enough to start moving the pieces from the driveway to the site. So far I have the floor done, the posts erected, and the the top trim that holds the posts in position. Here is a shot of me preparing to put the door frame in place. Kind of like assembling a structure kit, only on a bit larger scale. So far it has been relatively easy, but I’m not looking forward to putting the roof panels in place.

The saga continues …

Bob

That’s going to be gorgeous Bob.

Bob

How do you rate this kit? Well made and easy to assemble??

Looks great so far!

Sean,

Thus far I am extremely pleased with the quality and workmanship of the kit materials. I did quite a bit of research on the web about various gazebo manufactures and products before deciding on Amish Country Gazebos. The company is headed by the four Beiler brothers who grew up on an Amish farm. They have an impressive web site and a sophisticated printed catalog/DVD package that they will send you for free. I have to admit I expected this to be a bit of marketing hyperbole, but I was pleasantly surprised to get a personal e-mail from one of the brothers, Chet, when I made my first inquiry. I also got a couple of personal phone calls from another of the brothers, Leon, to arrange a delivery schedule.

Here is the link to their web site if you want to check them out for yourself: link

The pallet itself was a marvelously designed piece of engineering and all of the components arrived in perfect condition. Each section was individually wrapped. The subassemblies were well banded and secured. The 25-page instruction guide gives every step of the assembly process. All required hardware (screws, bolts, etc.) was included.

I probably could have saved a few thousand dollars by designing it myself and buying all the materials locally. However, it was worth the extra just to have all the tedious, time-consuming steps done for me. The list price was just under $11K, but I got in on last year’s pricing plus a 10% discount, so my final total was $9.5K. This included delivery and quite a few options: composite floor decking, two-tiered pagoda style roof, complete screen package, cedar stain, pre-wired electrical package, and an interior light/ceiling fan. I also spent a little extra to pour the concrete pier foundations, which are a bit of overkill, but a bit of good insurance since things tend to blow around a bit here in Oklahoma.

The kit was built and delivered on schedule. Quoted time was 4 – 6 weeks ARO; it arrived in 4. The only unexpected detail was paying the wrecker truck driver $125 to unload the pallet from the semi and place it in my driveway. Also I had to pull a local building permit ($30).

So far, I give the kit a full “thumbs-up”. I’ll update the review after assembly is complete.

Bob

My two youngest boys were here visiting today so I had plenty of help to get the roof assembled. Here is a shot of me putting the last panel in place.

All I have left is to put the shingles on the ridge caps, install the screen door, attach the screen panels to the interior, and install the ceiling fan/light unit. Hopefully, I’ll finish up this week. Here is a shot of my top-notch work crew in front of today’s progress.

The two on either side of me have helped on quite a few railroad-related projects in the past. They’ve grown a bit since we first started playing. Here’s a shot of us from over twenty years ago:

I’ll post one last update when everything is finished.

Bob

Awesome to see that they are still around and willing to help dad do the heavy lifting. I am loving the gazebo

What a great project for all concerned. They will remember this forever. Looks like a high quality project.

Well, the project is finally completed – except for the walkway and perimeter landscaping. After spending the past month dealing with record rainfall of near-biblical proportions, today was dry. At least as dry as you can be at 93 degrees and 80% humidity. Now that I think about it, I was probably wetter today than when I was working in the rain.

I finished up the shingles on the ridges and installed the cupola on the top. Here is what it looks like this evening.

I also finished the electrical wiring and installed the fan/light on the ceiling.

And, my wife picked out a table and chair set to finish thing off properly.

Now that it’s done, a few final comments. First, it took a bit longer to assemble than I expected. Partly because the weather didn’t cooperate and partly because I only have free time on weekends. Secondly, some of the pieces were heavy and difficult to position … especially the roof panels. Thank goodness I had a couple of my sons here part time to do some of the heavy lifting. Finally, I should have done this years ago. I love it.

And now … back to the trains.

Bob

Bob there is a serious jealousy factor. Very nice and great looking.

Your work if fantastic and certainly accented nicely with the ceiling fan and the table with chairs. Should give you years of pleasure, enjoyment and memories.

The Gazebo is beautiful!

The kit saved you a lot of time.

Time you now have to enjoy it (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)

Ralph