What's the cheapest way to build one of these? (gazebo)

Picture is for reference only. We don't need anything fancy and I was hoping to not have to build a concrete or wood foundation, if we could get away with having it sit on the grass. We want a structure similar to this, about 10' x 20', for family gatherings, etc.

We don't care what materials we use. We live in northern Ohio so we get lots of spring rains and snow can be heavy a few times per year. Our soil is loamy clay, heavy on the clay.

What's the cheapest way to do this?

What are your expectations as to the aesthetic qualities of the building?

Do you define cheap just by the amount of cash money you have to put out or do you consider your time and the time of your helpers in the equation?

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:What are your expectations as to the aesthetic qualities of the building?

It does not have to be Pinterest worthy at all.  It can be rustic. I don't want it to look like it'll topple over in a breeze, though.

Chris McClellan wrote:Do you define cheap just by the amount of cash money you have to put out or do you consider your time and the time of your helpers in the equation?

We have kids and friends who could help. I mean the least expensive materials, given our environment.

There's lots of barns and sheds being sold or given away on craigslist and Facebook Marketplace, in N. Ohio. Take one down and use beams and siding to build what you want. Can't get cheaper than that. ~Or watch Lowes very regularly. They very often have piles of cull lumber, at 75% off, for sale. And of course, buying directly from the many Amish sawmills in our area is much cheaper than buying at "english" lumber yards. ~Word of advice, you really don't want to build much of anything you want to last long, without some sort of foundation or using lumber impervious to water. We have plenty of rain and snow in N. Ohio and most woods sitting on the ground will rot fairly quickly. I've moved 40+ buildings to our farm. The oldest is 220 years old, most are Civil War era. They'll all last another 100+ years with the proper foundation and roof. Not much point in building cheap to save money, and then have to rebuild or repair in just a couple years.

That picture is similar to a gazebo or pavilion.



From this article:

https://www.homedepot.com/c/ah/how-to-build-a-gazebo/9ba683603be9fa5395fab901c5b2f155

Here are some plans from Etsy:

https://www.etsy.com/hk-en/listing/936936677/10x20-lean-to-pavilion-plans-simple-diy

These might help:

Where are you? We're in Richfield (they are rich fields) between Akron and Cleveland. So we aren't too far away from anywhere in N. Ohio. We can talk about, -building stuff, Fairies and gardens.

We have a lot of WWOOF'ers and IC'ers who come here. We're a generations old family farm that has developed into a rather large gathering place for the very extended area. Plus, we get folks from all over Turtle Island and the rest of the big blue marble. ~~~~As far as that goes everyone permish is welcome. Pick a date and we'll have a potluck. Maybe for Equinox. And you can walk the village. We've moved 40+ building from 6 counties over the years. We have an entire village in a time period 1820 to 1900. There's nothing we can't build, make, repair, restore in a non-electric world (which who knows, may be coming quite soon). We also have milk cows, beef cattle, meat and lay hens, rabbits, heritage pigs, ducks and such. And the occasional rescue. With registered border collies. And we run a large Farm School and homeschool. So maybe we can help suggest a thing or helpful two.

Jim Fry wrote:Where are you? We're in Richfield (they are rich fields) between Akron and Cleveland. So we aren't too far away from anywhere in N. Ohio. We can talk about, -building stuff, Fairies and gardens.

We have a lot of WWOOF'ers and IC'ers who come here. We're a generations old family farm that has developed into a rather large gathering place for the very extended area. Plus, we get folks from all over Turtle Island and the rest of the big blue marble. ~~~~As far as that goes everyone permish is welcome. Pick a date and we'll have a potluck. Maybe for Equinox. And you can walk the village. We've moved 40+ building from 6 counties over the years. We have an entire village in a time period 1820 to 1900. There's nothing we can't build, make, repair, restore in a non-electric world (which who knows, may be coming quite soon). We also have milk cows, beef cattle, meat and lay hens, rabbits, heritage pigs, ducks and such. And the occasional rescue. With registered border collies. And we run a large Farm School and homeschool. So maybe we can help suggest a thing or helpful two.

That would be awesome! We are a couple hours east of you. I'd come for the education and inspiration, my husband would come for the food.

I will try to PM you.


Thank you!