Best gazebos [UK]: Top permanent, hexagonal, wind, and water proof gazebos compared and reviewed

We reviewed the All seasons 2.5m gazebo on our pop up gazebo page. That is a super pop up gazebo and the 3x3m pop up gazebo is no different. It is basically a larger and slightly more robust version when compared. You can assemble this in no time at all, in fact, less than a minute to be precise. The sides take a bit longer to zip on but overall you can be up and running in no time at all. Talking of the side panels. They really do zip up nice and easy. It’s a large gauge heavy duty zip designed to make it as easy as possible – a very nice touch.

Talking of the sides – these are constructed from the same 260g per m2 PVC which is completely waterproof and although I’m not a plan of plastic, the blue really looks lovely to me – that’s the one I bought. They are also the only weak point in my opinion. If you don’t peg them ( or can’t because you’re on a solid surface, they tend to allow more flapping about. I didn’t really have much of a solution than laying weights on the inside at the base. Not really ideal but better than the continual flapping.

What you’re going to like about this gazebo is the attempt to make great in the wind. The corner legs essentially have pockets designed to carry sand – as much as 10kg per corner which would take some incredible breeze to blow it away, more than adequate for the average decent blow.

Being only 1.8m myself, I walk under this with no problem at all. If you’re 6 foot and up it starts looking a bit close and you take a duck under the metal struts. Once you’re under those theres an extra four or so inches of clearance and suitable for almost everyone. The structure is tubular steel and well the cross sections very strong, holding the roof PVC nice and taunt.

The instructions suggest you need two people to erect this – I disagree. I had no trouble putting this up myself. Also, when I asked my brother in law to put it up a few weeks later, he had no problem either. Lifting each corner is not a problem alone, it just takes a bit of careful handling and balancing for the first leg extension and you’ll need to hold on, but it’s very much doable.

What you’ll discover once you buy one with sides, you’ll find yourself spending evenings in it, and the idea or a more fixed and permanent pergola will cross your mind. The other thing you’ll start thinking about is a table top heater or similar. That will really make your gazebo lovely in the evenings.

Pros:

• Genuine waterproof pop up gazebo with sides
• Excellent value for money
• Very quick to erect
• Good in a bit of wind
• Sides zip on nice and easy

Cons:

• Main complaint is the odd poor delivery and product failure – the design itself is spot on.

What you get is a cracking looking reasonably sturdy hexagonal gazebo with sides from Outsunny. They were a new name to me until I reviewed one of their garden swing seats which was very well priced and sensible quality for the money. Since then I have had them on the radar and this hexagonal gazebo is no different. It’s probably not the best build quality in the UK, but it does look absolutely superb and considerably better priced than very similar comparable gazebos with a brand behind them.

With the sides tied up it looks just as good as the sides all zipped up. I love the way the sides tie up with with what are essentially curtain ties – it hides up the mosquito net very well too. The hexagonal roof shape with a secondary roof looks the part. The rails add stability and look great too. Talking of those – this is steel powder coated so you should comfortably expect many years service. Overall the design and look really is right up there, personally I prefer the beige but brown is probably going to do better with inevitable staining over time.

With each side of the hexagon being two metres, this would make the widest point 4 metres. So you would need an area of about 4 by 4 to house this hexagonal gazebo. The actual area would be over 10m2 so in real terms as well as being a more attractive shape, it’s also bigger than the highly favoured 3m x 3m gazebos.

From an overall price perspective it’s a beautiful hexagonal gazebo and easy to see why it’s become popular very quickly.

Pros:

• Stunning design
• Very well priced compared to similar design branded hexagonal gazebos
• Pretty easy to erect
• Lovely design to hide mosquito net when not needed
• Very large

Cons:

• The odd weld not perfect

The AsterOutdoor 10×10 Gazebo is a super design with seriously heavy duty legs and frame. This isn’t your typical gazebo for a few hundred quid that’ll see you for a couple of Summers. This is a long term solution, one you could rely on to protect your inflatable hot tub and create a nice under cover area for long evenings.

The one thing that needs to be remembered with any gazebo is how to hold the thing in the ground in high wind. There’s pegs for softer ground but on harder ground I would use concrete anchors just to be sure. If there’s a serious bit of wind coming then you can take the canvas down. The white mesh side walls do a great job at keeping out mosquitos and to some extent would save you on a party evening if it did rain cats and dogs.

Given there’s not much more than the roof cover, wind with the quality of this construction simply isn’t a problem. What you’ll notice though is that a bbq under there will hold a fair bit of heat. A fire pit is probably even more ideal so long as you don’t overdo it with the logs – perhaps even a little portable fire pit. The other option if you want to get a long evening in the garden is to hang some curtains on a couple or three of the sides and go for a milder heating option like a table top heater. Many are using this gazebo as a bbq shelter it’s that large and reliable.

As for the construction, the four inch tubular legs are built to last a lifetime. The woodgrain effect is a nice touch but I’m not sure if I would have preferred to see them as a black powder coat like the rest of the framework. That roof framework is pretty sturdy and all comes together to meet at the top middle with simple slide in clips so minimal fuss on assembly too.

All in all this is a real gazebo, and probably the best gazebo in the UK if you aren’t worried about budget and if that is the case then you’ll probably want to look at one of the first two picks – you do get what you pay for almost always! The only thing you’ll need way down the line is a new canopy, other than that, this gazebo will be a great servant.

Pros:

• 4 inch tubular steel construction
• Sturdy roof
• Built for a lifetime
• Comfortable design that’s big enough for a bbq or fire pit area

Cons:

• Price point is beyond some people’s pockets

What’s not to like about the Outsunny Patio Gazebo? It’s sleek, sturdy, totally waterproof, the curtains look superb, its got a mosquito net that actually works, and it looks seriously luxury. Ah, sadly the drawback is the price. It’s a few hundred quid more than the already pricey AsterOutdoor 10×10 Gazebo. I have to say though, if you compare and look at the two, you can see why this sells far better.

there’s not much that can go wrong with this gazebo once you’ve got it erected. That’s a fair bit of work by the way and the kit itself weighs nearly 100kg – this is not comparable to a 5 minute pop up gazebo that gives you a Summer or two at best. This being a permanent type gazebo and the designer gives you fair warning to remove snow. That in itself should tell you they are expecting this to be around in your garden for a fair while…

The roof is polycarbonate. I’m not sure if you’re aware of this material but it can be a bit noisy when it rains. This is unavoidable but the pitch on the roof is reasonably steep which gives a bit of a deflection angle that dampens that noise a little. However, after mentioning the drawbacks, polycarbonate is extremely easy to source and cut yourself. So if you lose a panel, or fancy a change to a polycarbonate that lets in more light then you can do so with minimal fuss.

The previous reviews have been steel construction. This is a superior (in terms of longevity) gazebo from a material perspective. The fact it weighs nearly 100kg with an aluminium frame would have been considerably more to get the same strength from steel. As you put this up you’ll be impressed by the four inch pillars and the main ring beam are also far more solid that your typical gazebo. This is of course to support the solid roof but it still works out to be a gazebo that looks superb and will last many years to come. You’ll need a tall set of step ladders and expect to use up a whole day setting this up but don’t worry – very surprisingly the instructions are actually on point and if you’re intermediate this is a breeze, a beginner might want a hand holding pillars to start etc. If you don’t need something quite this large and impressive then I would recommend the next review which is essentially the same as this but much smaller (and less costly). Definitely the best gazebo in the UK this summer if you can justify the outlay.

Pros:

• Looks stunning -a beautiful design
• Built to last a decade or more, not like a cheap pop up gazebo
• Huge internal space
• Beautiful curtain side walls
• Strong roof that’s really waterproof
• Perfect in the wind as can be permanently anchored
• Black powder coated aluminium can and will last decades – same tech as aluminium windows.

Cons:

• It’ll just boil down to can you justify the cost

Outsunny have really tried to corner the gazebo market this year in the UK. I want to be clear I have no affiliation with them beyond a recommending service. It’s just in this case their product is excellent and worth recommending! The Outsunny 3 x 3 Meters Patio Aluminium Gazebo is a scaled down version of the best gazebo reviewed above. If you’re looking for cheaper or something that better fits your garden then all of the beautiful design and aesthetics has been passed down and scaled accordingly on this model.

So the first interesting thing is the weight and size of the metal roofing construction. If you know anything about roof calculations you’ll know that a 14m2 roof is going to take almost twice as much support as one 9m2 when factoring the distance of beams as well. This has resulted in a much more manageable kit in terms of weight for the 3m by 3m scaled down version. The larger gazebo weighed in at 91kg but this is just 41kg. I would say this a double edged sword. Firstly you’ll find it much easier to put up the smaller gazebo with the shorter distances, less weight, and lighter roof, but this is at the draw back of a significantly less substantial structure. Now don’t get me wrong, I do expect this to last very well, I just don’t think its quite as robust as the top pick, even though this looks equally superb. In fact from a visual standpoint, I think the squarer design to this one looks nicer anyway!

There’s no difference on the polycarbonate sheeting though, so you can still expect a long term waterproof solution from this setup. And I have to say after watching someone that recently post a video of how well this handles in a storm it’s a definite buy rating from me. If this is still out of budget then the next review will definitely work for you!

Pros:

• Super design
• Very well built
• Will last and can handle stormy weather
• Considerably cheaper than the larger version

Cons:

Not quite as solid construction as the top pick

After the last two quality Outsunny reviews this one comes back down into the cheap and cheerful range. The Outsunny 3 x 3 Meters Gazebo With Steel Frame is probably pretty much where you want to be if you don’t want a pop up gazebo and the steel frame work is definitely more sturdy. Whilst this isn’t a gazebo I would leave out all winter, it is definitely one I trust in high winds when compared to a pop up. The main reason being that you can anchor this to the ground with pegs or concrete anchors and trust the framework to hold up. Although with that said, it is not right to compare this framework to the quality of the tubular aluminium which is designed to last years on end. You do get what you pay for.

Unlike the last two reviews this gazebo only comes with a mosquito mesh. So you won’t get the same level of cover from the sides when it comes to rain or wind. It is definitely for fairer weather. That said, the roof is very much water proof so a rainy day won’t ruin the party. The two tier roof is a nice touch too. It allows decent ventilation and adds to the style.

Assembly is pretty straight forward. A few have complained its not the easiest but anyone with enough time and willing to get it right will get there, even if a little frustrated. The biggest problem actually if you look at the feedback is the expectation our side of the bargain. For a fraction of the price you get most of the functionality from this gazebo. The fact it’s a thin steel tubular framework means it’ll definitely not be as strong as a quality setup and it will rust. The bolts are also going to be far more tricky too. The trade off is saving hundreds of pounds. It’s definitely a case of pick your poison!

Pros:

• Super value for money
• Waterproof roof works well
• Pretty stable once pegged and fully erected

Cons:

• Not built to last more than a few years
• Being steel it will rust for sure.

So with the theme being quality or permanent gazebos I decided to throw in a bit of an alternative, you can call it an eye opener to the other different types of gazebo that will actually do the job better than a gazebo. That being a pergola which is for all intents and purposes the same as a gazebo but it’s generally fixed into the ground and designed more for shade than rain.

This one however is not so fixed to the ground, so I would classify it more in the gazebo range. However the feet are designed to be bolted into concrete or if you’re putting it on grass then you can use large pegs to hold it firmly in place. I have to warn, I am a bit of a worrier and if I intended this to be held in place long term I would much rather concrete anchors over glorified large tent pegs! Just a cautionary warning 😀

So what’s not to like about the Angel Living Aluminium Garden 3x3M Pergola, Gazebo? Nothing if I’m honest. I think I’ve seen about three iffy reviews of this all over the internet. Those being a couple of missed threads and bolts. Nothing that would make you change your mind given the large number of positive feedback online. If you look at the price point for a solid aluminium construction then you won’t get anywhere near this quality if it’s strictly a gazebo. So by far this is the best value for money.

Being aluminium you’ll be able to put this together on your own. The four inch uprights look really heavy but they aren’t, you’ll manage alone no problem. Just be weary of the joint and fixing them together. Put the bolts in at the same time and then fully tighten. The legs are split for packaging basically (and the cross beams) which is a bit of a shame as its more fixings to go wrong. You can’t really knock it though – the price point is pretty fair, especially with the way everything seems to have gone up these last two years.

You won’t get the same wind and rain protection from a pergola, but you could add sides as the structure is more than solid enough. Overall if you’re looking for a bit of rain protection and a way to be in a warm place (if you add some sides) then this isn’t a bad shout. Definitely worth having a look at my pergola page if you want some alternatives to gazebos.

Pros:

• Really strong construction
• Built from aluminium so will last forever
• Very well priced considering the quality
• Can add side covers to create more warmth

Cons:

• Better at shading from sun than rain