Want to see a gazebo in your yard or garden? Are you considering buying one, but aren’t happy with the hefty price tag? You can save money on construction labor and bulk shipping costs by purchasing any of a large variety of gazebo kits ranging from $1000 to several thousand dollars, depending on your needs.

Gazebo kits come in pre-fabricated parts or in sections for you to assemble. Usually with just a level and a screw gun, you can put together a gazebo in an afternoon, a few days, or a few weeks, depending on how big and fancy your gazebo is. In some cases, you can do it all by yourself.

Gazebo kits are available as traditional gazebos, spa gazebos, patio gazebos, and many other styles. Don’t feel like you have to sacrifice taste or quality when assembling a gazebo yourself. Gazebo kits are available in a wide variety of materials, including different types of woods, metals, and even polymers such as vinyl. Wood gazebos usually come in pine, cedar, and American redwood. Pine is the softest and turns yellow with age. Cedar, being very solid and turning gray-brown with age, is the most common gazebo wood. American redwood is the hardest, darkest gazebo construction wood.

You can also buy aluminum, wrought iron, or PVC vinyl gazebo kits. On the downside, these materials are heavier and more expensive than lumber, and they don’t blend as well with nature. On the upside, metal and plastic gazebos are stronger and zero-maintenance, and they can be beautiful in their own right.

To assemble a gazebo using a kit, follow the directions and use the included hardware. Usually this involves laying the pieces out onsite and erecting the structure one piece at a time. Erect the posts and the lower part of frame first, followed by the walls, the upper part of the frame, the roof skeleton, and the shingles if applicable. Architectural flourishes such as moldings go up near the end of the assembly process. Top it off with the optional cupola or weathervane.

There are lots of options when it comes to building your own gazebo, and you don’t have to be a carpentry star to get really good results and once it’s done, you’ll be ready for some serious lounging.