Hi
First of all apologies if this is in the wrong area.
This is a 2 part question...
Last Christmas we bought a gazebo made of powder coated steel that we intend to have on our deck as a permanent structure.
I followed the assembly instructions well and have screwed the posts to the decking boards using the supplied plastic brackets.
The frame is good and has stood well to a good number of high wind storms although it does sway a bit.
Now after some research it seems that to stabilize these posts you have to cement into the ground but I can't really do that as my decking is raised 70cm from the ground. After more research I have found a possible way to stabilize it without having to take up any boards, put the posts in a big planter with rocks (for weight) at the bottom and fill half way up with cement, you can then fill the other half with soil and have some plants around the post. Do you think this would work?
2nd part is the roof has caused us alot of issues.
1st issue when the fabric is on and it rains it pools up in certain areas and has stretched the fabric.
2nd issue is because the water pooling has stretched the fabric whenever we get a slight wind it flaps and makes alot of noise in the wind.
3rd issue is because it is stretched and the wind pulls on it it can actually pull on the roof frame that is not as well made as the frame.
So we want to get rid of the roof all together which gives a flat surface. I want to put a plastic roof on top and I will elevate it at the back with wood blocks to create a small incline for water to drain off.
I will need to secure it somehow so maybe I can drill into the steel frame or run wooden blocks on the sides and drill into that.
What do you think is the best solution here?
Thanks for reading
James
