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  1. #1
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    Gazebo structure strong enough to hang?

    Hi all:

    First off, I'm not sure i'm in the right forum for this question, please redirect if there's a better place.

    We have built a nice cedar gazebo last summer (a kit from Costco) and I thought many time about hanging a hammock under there, but I've been reluctant because I'm afraid to damage it.

    The gazebo is a Yardistry 12x12 cedar structure (see pictures attached), and seems really bulky, but I don't know if the forces applied by hanging a hammock would risk damaging it. The posts are 7x7, but they are empty in the middle (basically made up of 2x6ish stock assembled to make a post). I know from trying to run electrical in the posts that the top 12-16" part of the posts is "solid", as in, the void is filled with wood, with no gaps. It would allow me to bolt something in there with lots of grip.

    I'm not smart enough to calculate what forces get applied where, but I'd really like to hang a hammock diagonally between 2 opposite posts. What is everyone's opinion on this? Will I deform everything out of shape, or should the structure be strong enough to take it?

    Thanks in advance!

    Screen Shot 2021-01-24 at 4.20.45 PM.jpgScreen Shot 2021-01-24 at 4.20.53 PM.jpg

  2. #2
    LowTech's Avatar
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    I'm sure people don't want to be held responsible if it all goes south, but . . . based on the architecture I see in the photos I'd say that it looks like it has all the correct angles to be structural enough.
    I'd personally check how much wobble it has by attempting to rock it by hand in the direction the hammock would be hanging. If that is solid then it should be structural enough.
    If there are any doubts about how solid the top of the post is for mounting an eyebolt you could always run some form of "safety strap" around the whole post through the eyebolt. It would prevent the bolt totally pulling out.

  3. #3
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    If I was concerned, it would be compressive forces as the feet are likely not anchored.

    Depending on where you are planning to hang, you could add a beam that you hand from just so that there is no question of failure.


    Without exact specs - photos certainly appear that it is strong enough to handle the weight of a hammock.

    Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by knightshade View Post
    If I was concerned, it would be compressive forces as the feet are likely not anchored.
    These were just stock pics as there's currently 2 ft of snow out there just now. The feet are "anchored" with tapcons in the patio stones, so I doubt there will be much movement there.

    You raise a good point, maybe just having a beam shimmed between the posts when I hang to prevent them moving in too much would be enough to ease my mind.

    Quote Originally Posted by LowTech View Post
    I'd personally check how much wobble it has by attempting to rock it by hand in the direction the hammock would be hanging. If that is solid then it should be structural enough.
    Definitely no wobble there... this thing feels solid. I guess I paid so much for it I'm just paranoid I'll break it! LOL.

    Thanks @knightshade and @lowtech for you replies.

  5. #5
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    Why not just make a stand that you know will work and won't put your lovely gazebo in danger? DIY Tensa stands cost about $30 in materials and take about ten minutes to build.
    "God never sends us anything we can't handle. Sometimes I wish He didn't trust me so much." - Mother Teresa.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by wbJohn View Post
    Why not just make a stand that you know will work and won't put your lovely gazebo in danger? DIY Tensa stands cost about $30 in materials and take about ten minutes to build.
    Another great suggestion! Sadly, the house, garage, and shed are bursting at the seams with "stuff" for all our hobbies. Ideally I would avoid adding something new to the pile of "It barely fits there".

  7. #7
    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by HomerJ View Post
    These were just stock pics as there's currently 2 ft of snow out there just now. The feet are "anchored" with tapcons in the patio stones, so I doubt there will be much movement there.
    Hmmm, so this is not even a picture of your gazebo? I think most of the answers you got assumed these were not stock photos. The construction of the posts sounds highly suspect - 2 x 6s that are hollow. And tapcons in patio stones sounds extremely frightening. I'd suggest getting some actual photos, especially of the topcons in patio stones and the top of the posts. Your gazebo wasn't built for lateral loads - that's the reason I would be concerned.

    Looks like these Yardistry gazebos are about $2,000 USD, not including installation.

    https://www.yardistrystructures.com/...luminium-roof/
    "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson

  8. #8
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    Stock pics as in "from the manufacturer's website", but they are from my gazebo model, which looks identical.

    Not sure what is frightening about tapcons in patio stones as the goal is to prevent the base of the posts from moving laterally. If I were in tornado alley this would be a different story.

    Anyway, I can take pics tomorrow, but I figured they'd be the same as the manufacturer's, except worst quality since I'm such a bad photographer.

  9. #9
    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by HomerJ View Post
    The posts are 7x7, but they are empty in the middle (basically made up of 2x6ish stock assembled to make a post). I know from trying to run electrical in the posts that the top 12-16" part of the posts is "solid", as in, the void is filled with wood, with no gaps.
    While I agree the posts are hollow, I'm not sure about the assertion that the "top 12-16" part of the posts is "solid." I sure don't see anything about that in the installation manual (see attached). Also, those cross-beams look pretty flimsy!

    https://www.yardistrystructures.com/...m_Roof_ENG.pdf
    "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson

  10. #10
    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by HomerJ View Post
    Not sure what is frightening about tapcons in patio stones as the goal is to prevent the base of the posts from moving laterally. If I were in tornado alley this would be a different story.
    As I read the instruction manual (page 6), you're supposed to use concrete footings, not tapcons in patio stones. Maybe I'm just reading it wrong, but when the instructions say I need a concrete footer, that means to the proper depth (at least 2 ft, but probably 3 ft). A patio stone is going to be - what - three inches deep? I don't see how that pillar can survive the lateral forces of a hammock without pulling out the patio stones.

    Just giving you another perspective.

    https://www.yardistrystructures.com/...m_Roof_ENG.pdf
    "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson

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