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Patio Makeover Part 1

Hey there friends! Hope you are enjoying a wonderful summer season so far. We have been taking advantage of the warm sunny weather here in Tennessee and working on some outdoor projects.

The area behind my Youtube Studio was in terrible shape. This was the result of getting the area ready and flat so that we could deliver the YouTube studio to the lot.

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I really wanted to make it an outdoor oasis so that we could enjoy it with the kids over the summer and of course add more square footage outdoors that we could use.

As you can see there is no shade since our land used to be pasture land so I really needed something that would give us some shade during the hot summer months. I thought the best option would be a gazebo.

Since we have harsher weather up here and we are not protected by any natural elements we had to go with one that was pretty sturdy, however, there was much needed to be done before we were ready to install it.

As always you can enjoy the video version of this simply by scrolling to the bottom of this post.

My dad came up for a couple of days to help my husband with this process. First. they tilled and smoothed out the area a bit more.

Next, they added cement footings to the ground. We did not have the time or budget to pour a concrete slab or build a complete deck so this was our next best option.

They made sure each one was level first.

Then they poured cement. This was all done on the first day. They left them to dry overnight.

The following day they added black landscape fabric and gravel to the entire area.

And this is what the area looked like after they were done with day 2. At this point my dad had to leave and it was up to my husband and myself to complete the rest.

This is when we began the assembly of the gazebo. We decided to go with a 12 x 18 hardtop gazebo. The area is pretty large so we had to go with a large structure. This one also has 6 posts instead of 4 so there were 2 more points on the ground where we could fasten them and make sure the gazebo was secured.

If you have never assembled a gazebo before make sure to have at least 2 people for the job. There are several steps, but the instructions for this particular one are really easy to follow and it’s basically just repetition.

Since my husband has a full time job, this took us 3 evenings to complete. It can be done in one day if you’re really ambitious but I would suggest 2 days for this.

We started with the posts and built the frame. It comes with everything you need to build it, however, I do suggest to have a good drill for this. It will speed up the process a ton.

Next we installed the roof frame. You may need a few more hands for this part or at least some extra ladders like we used.

And then we began to add the roof panels. I love how this has a roof venting system. This allows for airflow and keeps the gazebo cool underneath.

The entire structure was made of metal and the more we added on, the more stable and secure everything became.

This is what it looked like when all of the metal pieces were installed. Each of the posts were also attached to the cement footings with bolts to secure it.

And here is what it looked like once the mosquito netting and the privacy panels were added. This was huge for us. We don’t have neighbors too close, but it is always nice to have the option of privacy. There are also a lot of bugs in the country and if we wish to eat in peace the netting is a must.

The great thing about this gazebo is that it comes with both of these, unlike other sites that make the netting and privacy panels an add on.

The last thing we did to the ground in order to clean it up a little more, was install a rubber weed barrier on the edge and add more gravel to connect the area to the Youtube studio.

All that is left is to add some furniture to the space. What do you think of it so far?

It’s truly a calming space out here. I feel like we notice the sky more. After all of this time I feel like we are finally making progress on our property. Everything has taken so long to get to this point so I am truly happy that I get to have a pretty space to finally look at and enjoy.

I truly miss having a “home” but this definitely lifts my spirits up as I can see some progress and an outdoor living space that we can actually enjoy as a family.

We found some outdoor lighting from our previous backyard makeover which we added as well and at night it is just so peaceful and beautiful out here.

If you are looking to add a hardtop gazebo to your backyard or patio area I would suggest looking at Domi Outdoor Living. They have great options is so many sizes and styles. They also run amazing sales and their shipping is super fast. Domi offers warranties on their gazebos and support if you need any help with your installation process.