Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I read majority of the reviews on here before purchasing this item. So many people had some really good ideas about how to fix some of the flaws. I wanted to share which ideas worked really well. First: Set-up. I wanted to mention that setting up process. Setting up wasn't that hard. My husband came to the yard with his tool box and I told him to put it away and he didn't want to believe me. But I was right. This gazebo requires ZERO tools. We had 3 people help build this and it still took us a few hours to complete. At one point, while we were in the middle of assembling it, a big gust of wind came and blew over one side of the partially built gazebo and since the metal is a little flimsy, it bent a tiny bit. But it wasn't too bad, we were able to bend it back and it's fine. Second: Security. As far as weighing this gazebo down, I took a lot of steps to ensure that it would stay put in my yard. I set mine up right in the grass (which I don't want to even think about mowing around!) but I wanted to make sure this gazebo would never blow away or topple over. It comes with 16 metal stakes. Each corner has 4 stake holes. So this is held down by 16 stakes total AND I purchased the sand bags (which I've linked to this review. I read a comment on here by someone who had a really great idea when it came to the sand bags. He/she took empty water bottles and filled those up with sand and then put them in the zippered sand bags so that the sand wouldn't get wet and create a foul odor. There is one bag on each corner (each bag has 2 zippered pockets - each pocket holds 2 poland spring water bottles nicely) so 16 water bottles of sand weighing it down. The sand bags also have a rounded out (metal rimmed) hole so they can be staked down as well, so that is an additional 4 metal stakes, and they are wrapped around and velcroed around each corner as well. So far it is holding up very nicely. Third: The canopy. I had an old EZ-up tent from years ago that I was using in the summer for BBQ's and whenever it rained, the canopy would pool up with water. I used to have to go out there with a broom and push the water off the canopy with the end of the broom stick. What a pain. So, I read another reviewers comment and he had a great idea! He suggested taking wooden sticks and sticking it through the metal bar on each wall of the gazbeo. I can't even tell you what an amazing idea that was. It has literally been pouring all night and all morning where I am and no water has been pooling on the roof of my gazebo at all! I found the wooden sticks at my local Home Depot (they were originally 8 feet long (2 or 3 inch thick I believe). I had them cut it in half for me. Such an inexpensive little fix (not even $2 per 8 foot stick and I only needed 2 of them). Don't be worried about the canopy, it has a little play in it so won't rip or tear. The canopy needs to be extremely tight to prevent water build up and this trick works perfectly. Fourth: Size. The size is the final area I will discuss. The size is pretty good. I feel like it looks small in pictures but it is a good size in person. It very comfortably holds 8 guests at once (could probably fit 1 or 2 more in there if you just get the right sized chairs (that chairs I have are pretty large). But you can see from my pictures that I have 2 tables (one table holds 6 people and the smaller table holds 2). I also really like that it has the little corner shelves on each wall. I plan on putting a battery powered fan on one shelf, I put my Beats Pill on the other corner and the last 2 corners usually end up holding side dishes (that can't be in the sun). The center of the roof has a hook for a nice outdoor chandelier (which I also purchased from Amazon - but somehow didn't manage to get a picture of it) and I strung up some battery powered lights on top too, which provide really nice lighting at night. Overall, I am really happy with this gazebo and would recommend it to friends. I probably would've given it 5 stars if I didn't have to make tweaks to it to make it perfect (like the wooden sticks). Also,as I mentioned above, the one bar did get a little bent during the assembly and so the metal is a tad flimsy. But overall, I am glad I purchased this one. It's perfect for BBQ's and provides a ton of shade. The canopy is thick and sturdy and it is nice and cool inside the gazebo. Ohuhu Canopy Weight Bags for Pop up Canopy Tent, Sand Bags for Instant Outdoor Sun Shelter Canopy Legs, 4-Pack