Building a capital stone gazebo on a personal plot can be an interesting and useful experience that will increase the value of home ownership. For the construction of such a structure, you can use various types of natural stone. For the owner to comfortably use the summer pavilion for many years, it is advisable to carry out thorough preliminary planning: to determine the place, make a drawing or use the finished one, as well as choose building material.

The benefits of a stone gazebo

The stone gazebo is a very strong and durable garden structure. Popular materials for such structures are brick, rubble, granite, marble. To them are added wooden elements taken for decoration. Such a heavy structure requires a foundation on which it will be built. All elements are connected by cement mortar, and naturally occurring joints give the building an interesting look.

Did you know? Even before the invention of brick burning, most of the medieval buildings, from small houses to spacious and high knight's castles, were built from natural broken stone. Most often, the material was delivered to the construction site from afar, since the quarries were located in the mountains.

Stone or brick walls and columns are a very strong, slightly destructible structure. Such material does not need to be impregnated, like wood, does not require protection from rain, sun, frost or pests. But if there are wooden elements in the gazebo, then they must be reliably protected from moisture, moisture, and wood-beetle beetles.

The stone structure allows you to build an oven with a grill inside it. In this case, it is important to remember the need to design a chimney.

The design of the structure described also includes the floor. Although its installation is not mandatory, it is worth considering the difficult conditions for using the room, and especially rainy, slushy weather and humidity of the earth. The presence of coating on the ground will protect garden furniture from damage, and the owner will avoid unpleasant surprises in the form of puddles during heavy rain.

Did you know? Limestone is a good building material, porous and easy to cut. It has long been mined directly in the settlements, which is why under many ancient cities many kilometers underground passages (catacombs) were formed.

When making a specific decision, one should take into account the nature and cost of construction, the decor of the entire garden, as well as the location of the plot itself (soil quality, sunlight, humidity). It is worth evaluating, among other things, the type of flooring. You can choose chipboard sheets or wooden boards, pavers, stone, cement screed, concrete slabs, brick and even gravel.

Types of material

Stone refers to one of the basic materials used since ancient times in construction. It can have a different shape, depending on the type, almost always characterized by high strength. But it’s not always easy to work with. It is often used for the construction of walls, as well as in the form of pavers, plates, borders. The choice of variety will depend on the particular application.

Granite and marble

Both materials are hard rocks and can be successfully used for the construction of the summer pavilion. It is advisable to purchase a not too large fraction of the stone - it is easier to work with. Pieces of marble or granite with a size of 15 to 30 cm are most convenient for erecting a wall. Slacking with a diameter of less than 10-15 cm is considered a kind of gravel, which is most often covered with paths.

Rubble and boulder

A booth is usually cut into small fractions and used in construction. Its advantages include resistance to freezing temperatures and water resistance. This rather rough stone is most often used for the construction of buildings "antique". From it lay walls, stoves and hearths in the gazebos.

Did you know? Pergolas began to be set up in rest gardens in ancient Egypt, mainly among family members of rulers. Confirmation of this is the image of frescoes dating from 1400 BC. e., in tombs, on which there is a plan of the house, a scheme of the personal territory along with a gazebo.

As a rule, boulders are very heavy and large stones weighing more than 10-15 kg. They have a rounded shape and are not bad for folding walls, but are not very suitable for building columns. Work with this material is hindered in the sense that the higher the masonry level of the pavilion rises, the harder it is for a bricklayer to lay down each new fragment due to the difficulty of lifting.

Fake diamond

Modern industry produces artificial stone. This is an interesting material created from polymers and composites and imitating varieties of natural rocks. It is great for outdoor installations, as it looks good, is not afraid of moisture and sudden changes in temperature. From the side, such a building is very difficult to distinguish from a one made of natural stone.

Choosing a place for the gazebo and its drawing

First of all, the master needs to determine the future location of the building. The site should be carefully evaluated to ensure that it meets the needs of the site owners.

Arbor location requirements:

1. The best sites for outdoor structures are flat, which is very important for stability and drainage. You should not build a new structure in the lowlands of the courtyard, where water often accumulates after heavy rain.
2. Avoid construction near young trees, which in the future, when they grow, can interfere with the operation of the premises.
3. Close attention is also required to the distance that will have to be overcome when getting through the courtyard or garden to the pavilion. There is no need to place the building in uncomfortable places or near any potential hazards such as beehives or stumps protruding above the ground. They will encourage family members or guests to pave the shortest path, for example, through a flower bed.
4. You also need to choose a personal garden area that is compatible with the general purpose of the structure in question. For communication and entertainment, it is best to choose a territory located in the center of the property, for lunch and tea drinking in the fresh air - closer to home, so as not to carry dishes from afar and avoid the inconvenience associated with this. If the goal is a quiet haven for relaxation and reflection, it is recommended to give preference to the most remote place near the rear fence, bushes or trees.

After the owner determines the possible placement of the gazebo, you need to measure the length and width of the free area. This will help narrow down the options for choosing a project and see how the potential height of the structure will affect other elements located in the household (lights, wires, gas air pipeline). Be sure to take into account the space for the tracks, which will be needed to freely pass from the summer premises to other areas of the yard and garden.

Important! The owner of the territory must adhere to all the rules of the construction of the Russian Federation in private plots. It should be noted that for a city and urban-type settlement (village, village), the rules for the construction of structures can vary significantly.

Ready-made drawings and schemes of stone arbors of various configurations can be easily found in the public domain on the Internet. The easiest way is to choose the right option, having a preliminary understanding of the size and shape of the desired structure.

Step-by-step construction process

Work should not be started without prior preparation. First, choose a place where a gazebo of stone will be built. Then they prepare a project and plan what material will be used. It is worthwhile to purchase everything necessary for construction in advance so that you do not have to interrupt the process due to a lack of something.

Necessary materials and tools:

• stone, sand, cement (B-7.5, B-15 and B-20);
• plumb line, corner, water level;
• mason trowel and hammer (pickaxe);
• large capacity for mixing cement, bucket;
• formwork boards, materials for heat and waterproofing;
• iron reinforcement for concrete reinforcement;
• tool for joint stitching;
• 15 cm wooden timber for rafters and roof frames, boards;
• roof covering (slate, ondulin, tile);
• stain (impregnation), varnish and paint for outdoor wooden surfaces;
• brush, roller for painting;
• sledgehammer, shovel, hammer, screwdriver, chainsaw, nails, self-tapping screws, bolts and screws.

Foundation laying

The first and very important step will be the proper preparation of the foundation. Placing a gazebo on an unstable or improperly isolated ground may subsequently require the demolition of the entire structure. The foundation should be created carefully, without missing any of the stages - thanks to this, the owner will be sure that the pavilion is placed on a solid platform.

Important! Creating a reinforced concrete monolith as a basis is hard and expensive work, so you can fill an individual foundation in the form of a pillar under each support. The method involves digging small holes (50×50 cm), which are strengthened, then poured with concrete and, after drying, serve as the frame of the gazebo.

Stages of creating the foundation:

1. Training - First, marking on the ground. From one of the corners of the building, measure the length and width, and then indicate the points found with metal or wooden pegs. Between them pull a rope that will mark the boundaries of the building. Next, a ditch with a depth and width of about 50 cm is dug around the entire perimeter. In this case, first select the upper, fertile soil layer (humus) at a depth of 10–20 cm and transfer it to the garden.
2. Formwork - on the sides of the ditch, a frame of boards is vertically mounted so that it repeats the outlines of the future walls of the arbor. Then you should choose a soil layer (about 10-12 cm) inside the perimeter, where the interior will be located. At the end of the work, the construction from the booties should protrude above the dug hole.
3. First phase - the formwork is poured with the first layer of concrete so that about 10 cm is left to the side of the structure from the boards. B-7.5 cement is used to make the mixture. Then you should wait until the solution hardens and dries - it will take about a week.
4. Foundation insulation - after drying, the formwork is covered with liquid bitumen, which will protect the walls of the gazebo from moisture. Then lay a thin layer of thermal insulation (roofing material).
5. Second phase - will be carried out over a layer of roofing material. The solution fills the formwork to the top. The mixture is prepared from cement grade B-15 or B-20. A reinforcing mesh is embedded in the liquid concrete, due to which the further monolith will not shrink or crack. This technique will also increase the strength of concrete. At the end of the work, the surface of the solution is leveled with a spatula, constantly checking that it remains strictly horizontal (applying a water level). Finished formwork will protrude above the soil surface by at least 10 cm.
6. Vertical insulation - a week later, when the concrete is completely dry, the master removes the boards from the formwork, and then lubricates the sides of the platform with liquid bitumen. The remaining recesses in the soil at the edges of the formwork are covered with earth or sand.

Pillars and parapet

Next, the home master erects the aerial part of the garden pavilion. Depending on the chosen project, the options may be: pillars, a parapet between them and a solid rear wall, or three closed vertical planes and an open front part supported by two columns. You can build low walls in the form of a enclosing parapet around the entire perimeter of the structure. They can be made of stone, wood, slate, cellular polycarbonate (transparent or colored).

It is desirable that the columns have a sufficiently wide diameter, which allows to maintain a considerable weight of the roof. If the type of gazebo involves the construction of narrow pillars, you need to increase their number - for example, arrange not only in the corners of the pavilion, but also in the center between them. In the lateral plane where the doorway will be located, on both sides of it is worth installing two such supports.

Roof

You can build a very simple single-pitched roof structure, but gable or even tented look much more impressive. The roof can be made of ondulin or metal tiles, slate, boards, straw and cane. Wooden rafters, from which the roof frame is assembled, should be properly protected from fungus, mold, pests, as well as from harsh weather conditions.

Did you know? There are a large number of varieties of summer garden buildings, not only open and closed arbors, but also pergolas, benches and swings under a canopy. All of them are intended for recreation of people in nature.

First, thick beams (with a cross section of at least 15 cm) are laid on the opposite walls of the gazebo or they are made of them into a quadrangle resting on stone pillars. Design features depend on the selected project. Further, on this support, a frame of rafters is erected. The finished roof is covered with boards spaced apart at a small gap.

The distance between them depends on what material will be used as a coating. For slate, straw or sheets of ondulin, shalevy can be laid less often (after 30–50 cm), for tiles - thicker (with an interval of 15–20 cm). It is possible to make a roof only of wood, while taking a light bootie, which is nailed along the frame, with a slight overlap of the upper part to the lower.

Nuances of rough stone masonry

The work of a bricklayer with wild stone differs from the usual laying of bricks in that the material does not have a single shape. The master has to select the elements so that their planes more or less coincide. Large fragments that do not fit the masonry pattern are recommended to be broken with a heavy sledgehammer. Elements are fastened together by ordinary cement mortar (water, 1 part cement, 3 parts sand).

When the construction of the roof of the gazebo is completed, the master can proceed to the last stage of the work, that is, laying the finishing material on the floor. Then all that remains to be done after is to equip the interior of the room, plan the external and internal lighting, add furniture and accessories.