A wooden gazebo for a summer residence or a country estate often becomes a favorite pastime. It is often asked: what kind of lumber is it better to assemble a structure from? A brief comparative analysis will help to understand this.
Arbor from a bar
A simple bar is obtained by sawing a log and dividing it into 4 equal parts. Each of them has a rectangular cross-section and flat edges – this provides relative ease of wall assembly.
The timber has other advantages:
- Low weight. It reduces the cost of delivery of material to the site.
- The gazebo does not require a powerful foundation; it is often mounted on columnar supports.
- Strength and durability. They are achieved thanks to a special impregnation.
- Versatility. The building looks organically in an ensemble with any building: a wooden cottage, brick or block house.
- The simple manufacturing technology of the material makes it very attractive in terms of price.
When choosing material for the construction of a gazebo from a bar, you should give preference to coniferous wood. As for the dimensions of the section, the optimal parameters are 100×100 mm for walls, and 20×45 mm for the enclosing lattice.
Arbor made of profiled timber
The material differs from a simple bar in that it undergoes additional machining. The outer face is made in the form of a semi-oval, the inner one remains flat. A groove is cut on the upper side, and a convex spike is made on the lower side. The pros and cons of the material are due precisely to the complex contour of the section.
Advantages:
- extreme ease of installation – the profile elements are assembled according to the thorn-groove system, like a children’s designer;
- no additional finishing is required – the timber is pre-sanded;
- uniform shrinkage of the building.
Disadvantages:
- in the process of drying, cracks appear – on the square beams they appear from all sides;
- during processing, channels are opened for the penetration of insects and fungus into the wood;
- profiled timber is much more expensive than usual.
Arbor from the gun carriage
This lumber is sometimes called a gable bar: it consists of logs hewn from both sides. The main advantage of carriage structures is their high strength, achieved due to a special lock connection (Norwegian): its density increases as it shrinks. Thanks to the side cuts on the carriage, the gazebo is more spacious than the log.
The gable has also disadvantages:
- the complexity of cutting the profile of the castle and assembly procedures;
- when the strong upper layer of the log is shrinking, wood decay increases;
- during the shrinkage of the structure, cracks appear on the sides of the logs.
Arbor made of round timber and wild felling
Buildings made of solid logs are perfectly combined with the natural landscape, log houses, and forest plantations. The only drawback is the rather high price of the material, but in many respects, the log gazebo is ahead of the previous options.
- Due to minimal processing, the logs rot less, they can last for several decades.
- Due to the preservation of the natural structure, the log house is a good heat insulator. Closed chopped gazebos keep warmth well in winter and pleasant coolness in summer.
- A log house is less demanding on foundation movements than other wooden structures.
Compared to the metal structure, a wooden gazebo always seems more lively and warm. Entrusting its manufacture to experienced craftsmen, you will receive an original and reliable building for recreation, which will decorate the site with its natural aesthetics.