Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This is the second Gazebo that I have owned and the first with a metal top. The first one I owned was much lighter with a canvas top that wore out after two seasons and the replacement top was more than half the cost of the Gazebo. A very severe windstorm destroyed it. I did a lot of research before I selected this gazebo for it's weight/sturdiness, metal roof, and reviews I've seen elsewhere. So far it has not disappointed me and during a severe thunderstorm and high winds it barely moved. It arrived by freight delivery palletized in two of the most well-packed boxes I have ever received. They actually had a metal frame inside each box to protect the contents. The pieces were all carefully wrapped to avoid damage. Whoever designed the packing wanted to make very sure no gazebo parts would get damaged. Miraculously there were no missing parts. Like all assembly directions these days, they left a lot to be desired but the diagrams were clearly labeled and each individual part was labeled with a white tag like a price tag. Assembly was very intuitive. On parts where the orientation was important they even had little "UP" tags with an arrow to make sure you installed them correctly. I really appreciated that as I can't tell you how many times I've had to take something apart due to installing one part upside down because of ambiguous or incorrect directions. I built the roof in three evenings after work by myself. The next step to raise the roof to add the four support posts will require at least 5 people but more is better. I invited seven friends over on Saturday morning for coffee and donuts to help. Raising the roof to add the four support posts and attaching the eight curved support pieces took less than 15 minutes including squaring it up - I had a wrench and a nut driver per post so each team of two people could work quickly. Everyone was there and gone in an hour - 45 minutes of it was to talk and have their donuts and coffee. After everyone left I got out my hammer drill and anchored the four posts to the patio using a masonry bit and four Tapcon screws per post. It really solidified the structure. My criticisms and they are minor. I only had one threaded bushing weld break - easily fixed by drilling and using a sheet metal screw. Some sort of screening for the open section between the small cap roof and the larger roof would be nice. I will get some screening and frame out my own. The four center roof trim pieces are not attached at the top like the four corner ones. They stick up a little and expose the seam underneath. I am likely going to drill and add a nut and bolt to each one. All in all, this is probably the most satisfying "you assemble it" product that I have experienced. My expectations are not very high and I expect there to be missing or damaged parts and having to modify the assembly to make it sturdier - definitely not the case here. Buy this with confidence. You can get this cheaper on the 'bay from the same seller Mr. Pearl (don't hate me, I gave you a great review but I saved $80 there and got 'bay bucks to boot). One year follow-up: The gazebo easily survived the Chicago winter. I did go out and use a push broom to knock off the snow a few times more out of worry than necessity. Since the finish is dark the heat from the sun will melt the snow off the roof.. The paint finish is a little disappointing - it was definitely faded by the sun and became chalky dull dark grayish and no longer shiny. I could tell when I removed the velcro fasteners that were covering portions of the posts while removing the screens for storage at the end of last summer. Not unexpected as the back of my house has constant sun exposure during most of the day. I wish that the finish was a little better quality like used on aluminum siding. I would have been willing to pay extra. But the finish is holding to the metal with no signs of flaking or bubbling (maybe I'll try a product like armor-all used on cars to restore sun-fading?). If that is the stabilized finish and it stays adhered to the metal year after year I have no qualms. All in all we are enjoying the gazebo once again and did not have to struggle with a canvas top. I am still very happy with my purchase. Summer 2017 Follow up: The paint finish on the roof did not fair well by the fall of 2016. Bare spots down to the galvanized steel were appearing on the roof and were enlarged by the spring of 2017. The black paint finish became a chalky milky grey. I just finished painting the entire gazebo with black gloss Rustoleum (Almost 2 gallons at $30/gallon). It looks great and we'll see how this paint job fairs. Mechanically the gazebo is solid and minimal rust on a few of the arched support pieces. The screen curtains are surviving but I had to do a couple of repairs where the stitching of the curtain loops came undone and had to be re-sewn. Overall I am still happy with the Gazebo. I wish it came with a baked on finish that would hold up better like the finish on aluminum siding. Summer 2018 Follow up. The screen curtains were showing their age and became sun faded and brittle. I ordered a replacement set and installed them. The Rustoleum paint job weathered the winter with no issues. Still very happy with this purchase. Bill