Costco Gazebo Review: Our Experience After 5 Years

Why the Costco Gazebo?

We did a major backyard overhaul five years ago. One of the top items on my wishlist was some kind of brood outdoor be room with comfortable seat. I wanted to lay on the couch and read a book in the shade while the kids played .
At first, I was thinking a arbor. But the more we talked, the mind of an actual ceiling sounded more hardheaded. This is Seattle, after all. It rains, even in the summer months .
I was strolling through Costco one day, when I spotted the cedar gazebo they had set up, It was love at foremost sight. I bought the last kit they had, borrowed my dad ’ s truck to get it home, and went to work getting the web site fix.

good for the record, this is not an consort station and it isn ’ thymine sponsored by Costco or Yardistry Structures. Just our own experience to help you out if you ’ ra considering getting one yourself .

What’s the difference between a gazebo and a pergola?

A gazebo has a fixed roof, while a arbor has an open roof, which can be left exposed or covered seasonally with vines or canvas .
many people hear the news “ gazebo ” and immediately think of a cutesy flannel octogon-shaped garden structure. But as you can see, they actually come in many different forms and styles .
Check out this post for a more in-depth look at backyard shade structures and patio covers, and how to choose the best option for your outdoor populate space .

Yardistry Gazebo

The model we bought is the 12’x12′ Yardistry Gazebo. For the past pair of years, the Costcos in my area have displayed a 12 ’ x14′ model in the stores in the spring. When Costco runs out for the year, you can often still get them here .

Preparing the Gazebo Site

If you ’ ve already got a nice level patio or deck, then great ! This will be easy .
If, like me, you want to put your Costco gazebo in a less than level position, you ’ re going to have some function to do. The spotlight we chose on the edge of our thousand seemed relatively flat until we got the flat out .

Without going into excessively much atrocious detail, we built wood forms and poured four cement blocks to support the cedar gazebo posts. Once the concrete was set, we built a edge for the patio using landscape stackers- and we had to build it up at least 18 inches on the fence side .
We lined the area with weed paper and filled it in with crush gravel to create a patio. The perplex comes up to the top of the cement blocks. I chose crushed gravel for the patio because it was a brassy alternate to pavers or cement .
I cover most of the patio with a plastic outdoor rug in the jump and summer, so it ’ s not a boastfully softwood that it ’ randomness annoy .
By the room, I am a huge fan of plastic outdoor rugs and I use them all the meter ! here ’ randomness more information on them and my exceed picks for 2022 ! If you ’ ra looking for an outdoor rug made from more traditional materials check out my post, 75 Outdoor Rugs Under $150 !
All this to say, building the corroborate and patio for the gazebo was a batch more work than putting the actual gazebo together .
We extended the patio out a few feet on one english ( circus tent of photograph above ), because we knew we wanted to add some kind of fireplace in the future .

Assembling the Costco Gazebo by Yardistry

Unless your friends want to come over and help for a several hours, we recommend changing the order of operations from what the directions suggest .

You can build each of the sections individually by yourself, and then have a work party to assemble the unharmed thing.

A few months after assembly, we bolted the gazebo toss off to the concrete pads. It ’ s hard for me to imagine the wind picking this thing up, but I sleep good at night knowing I won ’ t wake up and find that it ’ south blown into the pond .
This photograph was taken 5 years after installation .

Styling the Costco gazebo

immediately, of run, my Costco gazebo is not merely a gazebo, it ’ s an outdoor living room .
I added these inexpensive extra-long shower curtains from Amazon, an outdoor sofa, chairs, an outdoor rug, coffee mesa, chandelier, and outdoor fireplace, angstrom well as landscape planters. You can check out the finished Outdoor Living Room Reveal and shop the room here !

This will be our sixth Summer with it, and so far everything is holding up bang-up ! There are a few belittled corrode marks on the roof and one little snap in one of the cedar posts, but nothing besides concerning. I will probably stain it either this year or following to protect the wood .
I absolutely love my gazebo- I would say it ’ south one of the best investments we ’ ve made in our home and quality of life. It allows us to put the cushion outdoor furniture out in April and leave it until October ( not something we could do in this climate without a roof ! ) .
I gave it a Boho patio makeover this year. You can see the updates and shop the look here .

I love to spend time out there with friends after the kids go to bed excessively !
Oh and one last thing. We can hang a movie screen from the side of it for a backyard movie dramaturgy ! What could be more fun ? I promise a post on this soon, but in the meanwhile, here ’ s a very farinaceous picture .
Okay, I hope that helps if you ’ re on the argue ! Costco’s website is full of reviews excessively, and I ’ meter glad to answer your questions in the comments .

What is the best outdoor gazebo?

We ’ re partial derivative to our 12’x12′ model, of course. But Costco has featured other models in the past few years arsenic well. Some friends bought and assembled the 12’x14′ version final Summer and are very felicitous with it .
And my Aunt and Uncle just installed the 11’x13′ gabled pavillion and love it. So it ’ sulfur largely a topic of distance and budget .

Thinking About a Costco Pergola?

Come crack out this post about the different backyard shade structure options out there. If you ’ ra interest in a Costco arbor, this aluminum one looks decent and is sanely priced !

More Outdoor Living Ideas…

Patio Shade Ideas: How to Choose
Outdoor Living Room Reveal!

Backyard Lighting Ideas: A Simple Guide for Outdoor Living Space s
One-Weekend Patio Makeover