Kozyard Alexander 12' X 12' Hardtop Gazebo, Aluminum Metal Gazebo with Galvanized Steel Double Roof Canopy, Curtain and Netting, Permanent Gazebo Pavilion for Patio, Backyard, Deck, Lawn (Brown)

This is a great product, well designed, built, and reasonably priced. We put it together ourselves. Truthfully, it was time consuming - approximately 10 hours to assemble - but the directions were very well put together and easy to follow. It is very stable and the size is as advertised. We can't wait to get the furniture in it and have everyone over for an evening of drinks and fun.

First the con's:There are literally hundreds of screws nuts and bolts that one has to stick into places. This is probably the most time consuming part of the project. I think it took me an hour just to assemble the 4 cross beams with the curtain rails. It would have gone a lot quicker if I'd had someone helping me.One of the screws had a sharp edge and I cut myself a couple of times. I would have eliminated it, but I was concerned I would need all the screws I got.One of the screws had a messed up Allen hole... or what ever it's called. I couldn't get the Allen Wrench to go into it. I put it aside and intended to use it as the last screw.Not all of the pieces had identifying labels. Only one of the M1 pieces had a label. I used it last so that I would remember which pieces where M1. Half of the curtain rails had labels... you have to identify duplicate pieces by their appearance. At first, this was troubling as I thought I was missing parts. It turned out, I was not.Pros:With literally hundreds of screws, nuts, and bolts, I was surprised that I had issues with only 2. What's more, there were enough extra screws, nuts, and bolts that I could have tossed those 2 in the trash and wasted no more time on them. I eventually did loose one of the nuts, but again, there were so many extra that loosing one nut wasn't an issue.I gave it 4 stars for assembly simply because there were so many screws, nuts, and bolts. Assembly was actually very painless. I did most of the assembly by myself... with the help of ladders and lawn furniture, in about 10 hours. There were a couple of places where I had tightened a screw or bolt prematurely, and aligning a latter screw or bolt was more difficult. But I quickly learned to wait to tighten the screws and bolts until everything is assembled.... which it says clearly in the assembly instructions.Speaking of assembly instructions... I found them to be easy to follow. There were sufficient detailed pictures. Each step clearly stated which parts, and which screws, or bolts you would need for that step.For the most part, I used only one tool. There were a dozen or so screws that require a Philips head screw driver, but everything else required just the allen wrench.With literally hundreds of holes for screws and bolts to go through and match up with a nut or threaded hole on the other side, I was surprised that none of them had any real alignment issues. I thought I read reviews that said people had to re-drill holes. When I did run into an alignment issue, I looked for the neighboring screw or bolt that was binding, loosened it, and adjusted the piece until my alignment was fixed.The roof was a particularly interesting section for assembly. I used four #2 Philips head screw drivers to help hold pieces in place and align the holes. As there was frequently an edge that was binding somewhere, the screw drivers acted as several extra hands.With literally hundreds of pieces, I was originally worried that I'd get to the end and find that I had lost a screw, nut, or bolt, and that I'd have to run to the hardware store and buy one that doesn't quite match the others. I got to the end... put in my last nut and bolt and saw that I had about 20 extra.... extra spaces, etc. Loosing one, breaking one, stripping an nut or bolt... wouldn't have been a problem.The coating goes around the edges. Having worked with standing seam steal roofs before, I know they are quite dangerous to work with... for the installer. The edges are usually very sharp, and you have to be very careful not to touch them with your bare skin... lest you wind up with a big cut. But... on these roof panels, the entire piece is coated, including the edges. As far as I can tell, none of the edges was sharp. Because I was working alone, I had to man-handle the pieces, frequently touching the edges with my hands, arms... even my neck. Except for the one screw above that I've already mentioned, I didn't suffer any injuries.

The product arrived sooner than expected on two different days. We were almost overwhelmed by the number of boxes and parts contained therein. We took inventory and eventually found that all the parts were there. I was assisted in the assembly by my neighbor, who was a construction manager, and by his 12 year old grandson who is extremely adept at assembling intricate puzzles, including Lego projects, and who is extremely talented at understanding complicated assembly instructions. As indicated the assembly took 2-3 people and 10-12 hours. The framework assembly went quickly and was fairly easy. However, when we started on the roof panels we were frustrated by the double-stick tape intended to attach the spacers and snap brackets. We eventually chucked the tape and used Locktite Super Glue instead. We then finished the project relatively quickly. All in all, although it was more challenging than anticipated, it was an extremely rewarding experience. We are greatly pleased with the outcome. The gazebo adds charm and warmth to our back yard deck area. We had selected this particular gazebo model because of the many favorable reviews and the expectation of a quality product and we are not disappointed. Thanks.

****UPDATE TWO YEARS LATER************This gazebo has been through 2 winters and 2 summers. One of the guys who helped put this one up, liked mine so much he bought the 12x12 gazebo for his yard. The first winter I had it, the winter was a rough one. We had a continuous onslaught of heavy snow followed by ice from it all melting. I remove the netting and the curtains for the winter, which is a relatively easy process. But last winter I got lazy and didn't remove the curtains. They survived!The weather has definitely given a range of "tests" - from feet of snow, to below zero temps, to rain storms, to high wind days with gusts of 50-60 mph. The gutter had to be cleaned out because while it is a great idea, it catches all the leaves, twigs, and buds from my tree. I think the water drain hole could be a little larger too, but it doesn't prohibit water from draining so I still think the gutter is one of the best features. The roof itself hasn't leaked. But I did have to seal a few spots, and I do mean a few, where water was dripping from the screws. It was an easy fix. I used a clear marine grade silicone sealer. The mosquito netting did get a beat up last summer so it will need to be replaced for this season. That was partially my fault but I'm not sure if it's the quality or just the nature of mosquito netting. I don't see a 10x12 size offered on Kozyard's site so I may have to get the 12x12 and retrofit it somehow. It probably will work out fine. Otherwise two years later and going strong! I'm looking forward to another summer under the gazebo.____________________________________________________________________________The shipping was on time and right when they said. I received two boxes on a wooden crate. The FedEx freight truck driver was nice enough to roll them into the backyard since he couldn't exactly drive an 18 wheeler down the alleyway. The boxes were securely taped and glued shut. The boxes themselves were made of thick cardboard. Also, the packing material was abundant so nothing would get damaged en route. Once opened, I discovered a couple of thin connection pieces buried beneath bigger pieces had gotten bent; or so I thought. But when it came time to install them, I think they may have purposely done this to demonstrate that they can be bent to maneuver into their respective places. If not, well, it worked out fine. They ended up being straightened out anyway. The mosquito netting and privacy curtain is essential in my book. (The ones at the uppermost roof are a nice touch too.) The inclusion of both was part of the reason I went with this gazebo.Assembly was an interesting 10 hours of labor. Including one "lunch" break. Be prepared to take a whole day at least for assembly. From 9 am to 7 pm is how long it took 3 people. I'd say if you can, have at least 3 people for this task. Two to handle all the pieces, screw all the bolts, and use as an additional hand to hold the roof in place when attaching it on top. And then the other person is also needed to help interpret the instructions. LOLAs detailed as the manual was, you seriously need to study it beforehand. Once you understand the logic of how it's put together (with mostly diagrams), you will not have to work as hard during the assembly. BUT IMO, it would have helped to have some color or bold lines to help distinguish certain areas within the diagrams themselves. As well, pay close attention to the diagrams. A few times we initially missed details that were essential to understanding what went where as we tried to decipher the diagrams.In my opinion, the roof was probably the most difficult. Our biggest issue came from the roof brackets that fit on the panels. As soon as we slid the panels on the frame they kept popping off. Could of been user error but after struggling a good 30 mins, we gave up and installed the panels w/out them. The panels still fit together fine, so I'm praying there will be no issues in the long run. Oh, others reported leaking around bolts or seams so the inclusion of a rubber silicon was an appreciated addition. I used it as the directions suggested, as well in spots where the panels didn't lay flush, or I could see a little light showing through. Honestly, there were only two places where that happened though. So all in all the panels appear to be pretty solid and snug. I may use the water hose and run water over it just to see if anything does leak.But all in all, it's a very handsome gazebo. Seems to be very sturdy. And one of the guys helping put this together works in construction. He also commented he thought it a well built gazebo. So far, I'm very pleased!

Sturdy structure. 12x10 is a perfect size. Construction was slightly difficult. Following directions is important. Must work slowly and methodically. Patience is required. This gazebo compliments any deck or patio. Very happy with this purchase.

Prend du temps a assembler et préférable d'être habile manuellement

The predrilled holes are not very accurate, especially in the roof. It is so bad that the screws are unable to fit, so the roof is still unfinished. I’m not sure what I can do to fix this.