Backyard Discovery assembly
The 100 mph wind rating is conditional. The condition is anchoring.
Backyard Discovery build a genuinely good cedar structure and rate it to hurricane-force winds WHEN ANCHORED AS DIRECTED. They also confirm, in writing, that anchoring is not included in their assembly fee. Those two sentences are the whole story.
A very good product with a gap at the end of it
Let us be clear about the structure first, because owners are overwhelmingly happy with it. Real western red cedar, generous hardware with spares of nearly every bolt, well-labelled parts, a 3D interactive BILT app that people genuinely praise, a PowerPort with real outlets in the post, and Pro-Tect testing to 100 mph. Reviewers in Florida bought it specifically for the wind rating and are pleased.
And then, at the very end, comes anchoring. Backyard Discovery’s own listing says the product MUST be anchored as specified, and that the wind rating applies when anchored as directed. Their manual includes the hardware to anchor into CONCRETE.
But when an owner complained that the crew who assembled his gazebo would not anchor it, Backyard Discovery replied publicly and plainly: anchoring is not part of the assembly fee. So it is possible to pay the manufacturer to install your gazebo and be left with a structure that no longer carries the rating you bought it for.
What people actually report
Pergolas and gazebos are very different jobs. An owner: "probably pergolas are easier."
| Model | Time | People |
|---|---|---|
| Beaumont pergola, experienced pairA carpenter and a helper did one in under four. | 4 to 7 hours | 2 to 3 |
| Barrington gazebo (hardtop)The manual says 12 hours. One couple took closer to 30. | a full day | 3 |
| Backyard Discovery’s own crewOn a 12x16. And they will not anchor it. | almost all day | 2.5 |
| Raising the roof sectionsOwners are unanimous. The instructions say so too. | the moment | THREE ADULTS |
| Peeling the blue film off the roof panelsAn owner timed it. Budget for it. It is not a joke. | 2.5 to 3 hours | 1 patient one |
| Staining, BEFORE assemblyNot included. And afterwards you cannot reach the faces. | a day | 1 |
Assemble the roof panels on sawhorses, not on the ground. An owner built his on the floor and said his back was not happy with him.
The anchoring problem, and the four things around it
The anchoring is the rating, and the factory install does not do it
Backyard Discovery rate these to 100 mph WHEN ANCHORED AS DIRECTED, and state on the product page that the structure must be anchored per the manual. They also state, in a published reply to a customer, that anchoring is not part of the assembly fee, and that this appears in their Installation Information Letter. Read that letter before you book anything. An unanchored gazebo is a fine gazebo right up until the day it matters.
Anchoring after assembly means moving 400 pounds
And this is why people skip it. An owner worked out the problem out loud: once the pergola is built, you have to mark where the feet sit, MOVE the whole structure to drill and set the anchors, and then move it back. It weighs 400 pounds. He concluded that he would take his chances and not anchor it, which is an entirely rational decision and exactly the wrong one. The answer is to plan the anchor points BEFORE the structure goes up, or to have enough people to lift it, which most households do not.
Tapcons need an UNDERSIZED hole, and even the factory crew got this wrong
A genuinely expert catch from an owner inspecting a paid installation. The crew drilled quarter inch holes for quarter inch Tapcons, and he found he could unscrew them from the concrete BY HAND. A concrete screw cuts its own thread, so the pilot hole must be SMALLER than the screw. A quarter inch Tapcon wants a three sixteenths hole. Drill it the same size and there is nothing for it to bite into, and your hurricane anchoring is decorative.
Concrete anchors break if you drive them dry
Another owner’s hard-won technique, and it is good. Drill an inch deeper than you need. BLOW THE DUST OUT PROPERLY, because packed dust is what jams an anchor. Use a little lubricant. And when the anchor starts to bind, back it off and drive it again rather than forcing it. He broke several before he worked this out.
On a wood deck, the hardware is NOT included
Straight from the manual, and easily missed. The hardware to anchor into concrete is in the box. The hardware to anchor into a WOOD DECK is not, and you buy it separately. Backyard Discovery also add, correctly, that you must ensure there is ample structural support under the deck before permanently attaching. A 400 pound structure with 100 mph of uplift on it is a question for the deck framing, not just the decking.
Seal or stain every board BEFORE you build. Everyone says this.
The single most repeated piece of owner advice on this product, and it is not in the price. Stain is not included, and once the structure is up you cannot reach the faces, the ends, or the undersides. Do it flat, on sawhorses, before a single bolt goes in. The one owner whose posts began delaminating had left them outside, unassembled and unsealed, before building.
Before it arrives
Read the Installation Information Letter if you are buying the factory install, and find out exactly what is and is not included. Owners report three surprises: stain, anchoring, and screen kit installation, all extra.
Decide your anchoring surface now. Concrete: hardware is included. Wood deck: buy the hardware, and check the framing beneath.
Buy stain or sealer, and plan a day to apply it to flat boards.
Check overhead clearance. The ridge caps SLIDE UP into place, so a tree branch or a house wall directly above can stop you fitting them.
And line up three adults for the roof. Not two.
Why this is the clearest case on the site
Because the manufacturer sells you a 100 mph rating and then tells you, in writing, that their own assembly service will not do the thing the rating depends on.
Because an owner who paid for that service found unscrewable Tapcons, missing bolts, two forgotten cover boards, and a gap he could see the sky through, and said afterwards that for the installed cost he had expected more technical knowledge than he got. His words: "Love the gazebo, it was worth every penny and structurally very impressive. But the installers..."
Because the anchoring, done right, is a small job with a real technique behind it, and it is the difference between a beautiful structure and a beautiful structure that stays where you put it.
And because the PowerPort means these gazebos end up with televisions, ceiling fans and conduit in them. Owners keep going. That is a customer relationship, not a delivery.
What an installer does
- Seals or stains every board flat, before assembly, while the faces are still reachable.
- Plans the anchor positions BEFORE the structure is standing, so nothing has to be lifted twice.
- Anchors it properly: correct undersized pilot for concrete screws, holes blown clear, anchors driven not forced.
- Supplies the deck hardware Backyard Discovery do not include, and checks the deck can carry it.
- Brings three people for the roof lift, which is the point every owner names.
- Peels the film, fits the ridge caps, and checks nothing was left out, which on this product is a real risk.
Get it built by someone who has built one before.
Tell us your ZIP and what you bought. Installers near you will quote you directly, and you deal with them, not with us.
Questions people ask
Does Backyard Discovery anchor the gazebo when they install it?
No. Responding publicly to an owner who raised exactly this, Backyard Discovery stated that anchoring is not part of the assembly fee and that this is set out in their Installation Information Letter. Since their own product pages say the structure must be anchored, and that the 100 mph wind rating applies when anchored as directed, this is worth resolving before you book.
Do I really need to anchor it?
Yes, and Backyard Discovery say so themselves. The wind rating is conditional on it. The practical difficulty is that anchoring an already-assembled 400 pound structure means moving it, which is why so many owners decide against. Plan the anchors before you build and the problem disappears.
Why did my concrete anchors come loose?
Most likely because the pilot hole was drilled the same size as the screw. Concrete screws cut their own thread, so the hole must be UNDERSIZED. A quarter inch Tapcon needs a three sixteenths hole. An owner found that a paid installation crew had made exactly this mistake, and he could unscrew the anchors from the concrete by hand.
Should I stain it before or after assembly?
Before, and every owner who has built one says so. Stain is not included, and once the structure is standing you cannot reach the board faces, ends or undersides. Coat everything flat on sawhorses first.
Can I hang a swing or an egg chair from the pergola?
Not without checking. The posts are built-up rather than solid timber, cedar over internal framing, which is normal engineered construction and structurally sound for what it is, but it is not the same as a solid beam. One owner bought a pergola specifically to hang a swinging chair and was told the structure would not take it. Ask first.
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