Hello. I have a very large gazebo that we are moving to an area under a set of large trees. We have dug out the ground to around 20cm and filled it with hardcore. There are 6 large 14cm by 14cm legs for the gazebo to sit on the ground. Given the large roots, we couldn't go deep on the footing for the 6 points. How would people tackle this. I have heard about maybe ground screws or metal plates with rebar rods on the end. All thoughts are welcome. Picture attached.
Footing for large and heavy gazebo in soil with large roots.
- Thread starter darrenh
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How deep can you go?
How deep?
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Your posts are about 6" square and I would suggest a 12" square concrete pad.
30cm would be suitable depth. Where you cannot achieve that, double the width and put put mesh or crossed rebar in.
Unlike a fence, it will not have a strong sideways force, unless wind blows on the open front
For elegance, you can use a small wooden form so the top of the concrete, visible above the ground, is not much bigger than the post. You need the post to be above ground level to reduce damp and rot. Your metal shoe will help. You can get steel studding to bolt down the shoe and press it into the fresh concrete before it sets, using the shoe as your guide. Dome the top of the concrete to throw off rain.
You could hammer rebar into the ground before pouring the concrete to give a bit of extra pullout resistance.
If you want, you can paint the shoe and the visible concrete to blend in with the timber stain. I use "Bitter Chocolste" masonry paint and a dark brown stain. The paint, and a metal preservative primer, applied before assembly, will also protect against rust. I am in a coastal location and use stainless nuts, washers and studding to resist salt spray.
30cm would be suitable depth. Where you cannot achieve that, double the width and put put mesh or crossed rebar in.
Unlike a fence, it will not have a strong sideways force, unless wind blows on the open front
For elegance, you can use a small wooden form so the top of the concrete, visible above the ground, is not much bigger than the post. You need the post to be above ground level to reduce damp and rot. Your metal shoe will help. You can get steel studding to bolt down the shoe and press it into the fresh concrete before it sets, using the shoe as your guide. Dome the top of the concrete to throw off rain.
You could hammer rebar into the ground before pouring the concrete to give a bit of extra pullout resistance.
If you want, you can paint the shoe and the visible concrete to blend in with the timber stain. I use "Bitter Chocolste" masonry paint and a dark brown stain. The paint, and a metal preservative primer, applied before assembly, will also protect against rust. I am in a coastal location and use stainless nuts, washers and studding to resist salt spray.
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I should think 6 of these - the 1.5T ones- would be fine - wack some MOT in some holes that go deep enough to get firm ground, and set these on top so the bracket is level with the surface. https://easypads.co.uk/ You'll be able to level them up easily. Should they ever move underthe trees, you could give them a tweak.
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I wasn't really suggesting them because of their future adjustment capability - more it's a very easy way to convert a 140sq timber post in to a concrete pad. They are incredibly easy to install because you don't have to worry too much about the precise height of the initial installation - there or thereabouts is good enough, and then you can level up on the screw jacks using a laser.
It weighs 2.2 ton .. so I feel it does need to be anchored to the ground. The opening is facing the wind and wouldn't want it shifting back 2 metres into the neighbours! Someone suggested a ground screw?
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