A lot of people start looking for a timber gazebo because they want a lovely covered area in the garden, somewhere to relax, entertain or create a proper outdoor living space all year round. What many people quickly realise is that there’s a huge difference between a cheaper, lightweight structure and a properly built gazebo, lean-to or pergola that’s designed to last years, not seasons.
At WoodMines, we build everything here in the UK, and we’re open about what goes into our structures because it genuinely matters. So here’s a simple guide, in our own words, to help you understand what to look for when choosing your outdoor structure & why our approach makes such a difference.
It all starts with the right timber
The roof frame on our gazebos, lean-tos and pergolas is made from C24 construction-graded, easy-edge, smooth pressure-treated Spruce/Redwood. This timber is slow grown in colder climates which gives it a tight, strong, uniform grain -basically, the good stuff that lasts!. Once cut, we sand the timber so it’s clean, smooth and free of any production labels or rough edges.
For the roof boarding, we use 20mm thick redwood tongue and groove. It’s fully pressure treated to match the rest of the structure and has a specially machined extra-long tongue, which helps prevent gaps forming during warm, dry weather when timber naturally shrinks. We test-fit all roof boards on our Imperial gazebos in the workshop to make sure everything fits perfectly.
On certain builds we also use a high-quality hardwood-faced 12mm plywood.
The shingles we use are Bardoline Pro S125 by Onduline which in our opinion are top of the range and are available in grey, red, brown or green, and supplied with eaves fascia trays.
Our standard posts are a solid 150mm thick, planed and sanded smooth with feature routed edges. They’re notched at the top for strength and we can cut them to your preferred height while keeping the pressure-treated ends intact. We use homegrown whitewood timber for these posts.
If you want something even more substantial, we offer upgraded 200mm posts. Our posts are not laminated or glued layers, but proper solid timber. Once shaped and finished, we apply an additional clear oil-based preservative, which you can also buy with your structure & we highly recommend
We also use high-quality fixings designed for ACQ treated timber, with hex drives for accuracy and torque, and a natural exterior coating that blends into the wood. Square-drive screws are supplied along with the driver bits you’ll need.
Built properly at our workshop before it even reaches you
We fully assemble every roof frame at our workshop, numbering every component, test-fitting the boards, and pre-fitting the bolts and screws (except those needed for the posts and braces). We photograph everything for you too.
Once we’re happy, we take it back apart and pack it into manageable sections, ready for delivery.
Delivery is always handled by our own vehicles and driver, so we maintain full control over timing and safe transport, and can keep you updated with a reliable ETA.
Most of our structures are freestanding and do not need fastening down. A standard 3m Imperial Gazebo without any extras weighs about half a tonne.
Knots & Splits
Timber is natural, and knots or small splits are completely normal. As the wood dries, it may naturally develop some splits & this doesn’t affect the structure at all. We always say: a split is not a fault; it’s part of what timber does. Want to know more, read our blog post about this!
https://www.woodmines.info/blog/timber-is-live-17
Why choose a WoodMines Structure
People come to us because they want more than a quick summer structure. They want something solid & that genuinely adds to their garden for years. People recognise the quality that we offer and value this. Our gazebos, lean-tos and pergolas are used for everything from outdoor dining areas and hot tub covers to garden bars, gyms, cosy outdoor living spaces and custom outdoor kitchens. Take a look at our customer gallery for some inspiration!
https://www.woodmines.info/customer-gallery
If you’re planning an outdoor project and want something built to last with no shortcuts, we’re always happy to help, whether that's a full installation (locally available) or one of our DIY kits. If you would like to learn more about how our DIY kits work and want to learn more about us, see the links below:
https://www.woodmines.info/about-us