We get no shortage of questions about cost at GazeboSpot. One of the most popular queries is what does an average gazebo cost? And rightly so, any type of gazebo is an investment into extending your living space to the outdoors.
How much a gazebo costs depends on what kind of gazebo you’re interested in purchasing or building. It also depends on the material that the gazebo is made of.
To give you the best analysis of how much you should expect to spend on a gazebo, we’ve provided you with cost ranges for different types of gazebos, build materials, and gazebos with extra features.
We’ve provided two cost ranges for each section, one cost range for building a gazebo from scratch and another for purchasing a gazebo kit.
Short Answer: What Does an Average Gazebo Cost?
There are a variety of factors that will impact the final price tag of a purchased or built gazebo. We get into those below.
But on average for a standard size hardtop gazebo, you should expect to pay between $4,000 and $8,000 on materials to build your own. If you purchase a gazebo kit that requires at least partial assembly, you will pay between $900 and $4,500.
What is the Average Size of a Gazebo?
In the cost range sections below, we’ve provided the cost to purchase a gazebo kit (that requires at least partial assembly) and the cost of the materials to build a gazebo from scratch. Both of these cost ranges are greatly dictated by the size of the gazebo.
The standard size of gazebos for residential recreational use is 12’ x 10’ or 12’ x 12’. You can comfortably accommodate around 8 people plus furniture in a gazebo of this size.
There are smaller models of course; 8’ x 8’ is a popular size for smaller yards. Manufacturers of residential gazebos tend to max out production at 18’ x 18’, which is large enough to host a gathering for extended family and friends.
The cost ranges below are based on purchasing or building a gazebo in the average size of 12’ x 10’ or 12’ x 12’.
Gazebo Cost Ranges: Material & Type
Hardtop Gazebos Made of Wood
Cost Range to Purchase a Wooden Gazebo Kit = $2,000 – $7,000
Cost Range to Purchase Materials to Build a Wooden Gazebo = $4,000 – $7,000
A gazebo with a wood frame and wood shingled roof is one of the most durable outdoor structures you can buy or build. As long as the wood is pre-treated and sealed, and you keep up proper maintenance as it ages, a wood gazebo will last you 20+ years down the road. If you’re building from scratch, the least expensive wood option is cedar or pine. Redwood is the premiere wood in the gazebo space, and it will cost you closer to $7,000 to purchase everything needed to build your own.
Cedar, pine and redwood are among the most popular options for commercial manufacturers as well because they’re especially resistant to the elements and have naturally mild yet distinct hues.
If you choose to buy or build a wooden gazebo, keep in mind that you’ll need to re-treat or repaint the frame a few times in the course of its lifetime so build that into your budget. But the upkeep costs are minimal compared with the decades worth of enjoyment.
Hardtop Gazebos Made of Vinyl
Cost Range to Purchase a Vinyl Gazebo Kit = $4,000 – $8,000
Cost Range to Purchase Materials to Build a Vinyl Gazebo = $4,000 – $7,500
Vinyl is one of the most popular materials for fencing and outdoor structures including gazebos. It’s popular because it’s basically the low- to no-maintenance version of wood.
Many vinyl gazebos are actually manufactured to look like wood. But unlike a naturally-occurring material, which will eventually decay and deteriorate, vinyl is plastic. The only real upkeep for a vinyl gazebo is wiping it down with a damp cloth from time to time.
Vinyl gazebo kits tend to be slightly less expensive than wood. They’re also lighter so the assembly aspect is less cumbersome.
Vinyl gazebos are fantastic options for anyone looking to purchase or buy a hardtop gazebo. We will give this one warning though. Vinyl gazebos aren’t the best choice if you live in an extremely hot climate. There are definitely hardtop gazebo options that don’t get as hot.
Hardtop Gazebos Made of Metal & Polycarbonate
Cost Range to Purchase a Metal Gazebo Kit = $900 – $4,000
Cost Range to Purchase Materials to Build a Metal Gazebo = $3,000 – $8,500
Unlike wood and vinyl, you start to see some serious discrepancies in price when it comes to purchasing or building gazebos made of metal. When we say metal gazebo, we’re talking about the frame being made of galvanized steel, iron, or aluminum, and the roof made of polycarbonate.
If you purchase a gazebo, the overwhelmingly most popular options are designs that feature a steel or aluminum frame and a roof with thin panels of polycarbonate plastic set into a steel grid. You can of course build this design yourself but you’ll have a much easier time finding a diverse array of plans for wooden gazebos than metal.
Bottom line, if you want a metal gazebo, you won’t be disappointed purchasing one that needs to be at least partially assembled. It will save you a ton of money including purchasing material and renting special equipment needed to work with steel, iron, aluminum and polycarbonate.
We 100% recommend gazebos made out of metal, especially powder-coated aluminum and galvanized steel because they are right up there with wood as far as durability. But like vinyl, they require only a margin of the upkeep.
Soft Top Gazebos
Cost Range to Purchase a Soft Top Gazebo Kit = $200 – $2,500
Cost Range to Purchase Materials to Build a Soft Top Gazebo = $3,000 – $6,000
A soft top gazebo has a wood or metal frame with a polyester or canvas roof. They are not meant to stay up year-round, even in warm climates. The best way to care for soft top gazebos is to store the fabric top during the winter or rainy season.
They are less durable, and require a little more tending to, but soft tops are great economical options. Even building a soft top gazebo will cost you less money.
If you’re purchasing a gazebo kit, you can get a nice gazebo for your yard for as little as $200. They are a fantastic alternative to the more costly and cumbersome to assemble or build hard top options.
The only additional cost for a soft top gazebo is the probability of having to buy another one again in a few years time. Even if you store the fabric top inside for half the year, it will still break down much quicker than a wood or polycarbonate roof. And then you’ll have to replace the whole gazebo.
If you’re convinced that a soft top is the way to go, we recommend you build the frame yourself to ensure the structure’s longevity and then you’ll just have to replace the soft top every few years.
Pop-Up and Camp Gazebos
Cost Range to Purchase a Pop-Up/Camp Gazebo Kit = $75 – $250
Pop-up (aka camp) gazebos are highly portable outdoor shelters that are meant to travel with you. They’re as suitable for a day at the beach as they are for a week on the trail. They’re inexpensive and are considered a travel accessory.
We’re not including a DIY build option in the cost range because they are an entirely different product compared with hardtop and soft top gazebos. Unless you are a skilled craftsman in nylon, polyester, plastic and aluminum (and have the right specialized tools at your disposal), we recommend that you purchase a pop-up gazebo.
For all intents and purposes, a pop-up gazebo is a tent for the day time. A tent is a fully-enclosed shelter that is designed for the primary purpose of sleeping.
On the other hand, a camp gazebo is usually open-air (although many do have mosquito netting as sides) and is much taller than a tent because it’s designed for standing.
They are foldable and are meant to be packed up in a bag when not in use.
Gazebo Cost Ranges: Extra Features
The two most common extra features of a hardtop gazebo that can bump up the average price are sliding screens and doors, and built-in bar and/or food serving surfaces. Because these are additional pieces for a manufacturer to make, they can impact (sometimes significantly) the cost of the gazebo assembly kit.
Sliding Screens and Doors
Many hardtop gazebos come with netting and curtains that slide along a track in the frame. This feature is pretty common and does not add much additional cost than a similar design without netting and curtains.
However, sliding screens and doors are structural components of an enclosed gazebo that add heft, time, and cost. Depending on the model, these costs can be significant because when a gazebo starts to creep into the sunroom category, you start to acquire all of the costs associated with adding a room onto your home.
The average cost to purchase a gazebo with sliding screens, windows, and doors is between $3,000 – $10,000.
Many of these options are designed to attach to an exterior wall of your home. These wall-mounted models are especially great if you’d like to install electricity in your gazebo, which is the ultimate upgrade for any outdoor recreational structure.
Bar
There’s more physical additions for a gazebo with sliding screens than a gazebo with a bar, but bar gazebos (aka grill gazebos) are still specialized in function and assembly. The good news is that some gazebos built for serving food and drink are actually on the less expensive end of the average cost range of a gazebo.
When this happens, it’s usually because the gazebo is built specifically to accommodate a grill and serving area which doesn’t necessarily require a structure with a large footprint. That being said, some bar gazebos are serious when it comes to housing the full array of options for a fun-filled adult night in. In some cases that also includes room for a hot tub.
The average cost of a gazebo with a bar is wide-ranging, from $900-$9,000.
Final Thoughts
One final note about the cost of purchasing a gazebo kit or building it yourself. For either option, you might want to hire a professional. It depends on how much time and patience you’re willing to invest.
To build a standard size gazebo, it will take an experienced small team (2-3 people) at least 1 full day to complete the project after the materials are on-site. Building a gazebo actually ends up being the quicker option in many cases because most people who purchase a kit decide to assemble it themselves.
Just keep in mind that this decision can sometimes backfire if you don’t have at least one more person helping you. In most cases, it will take 2-3 (inexperienced) people 6-48 hours to assemble a gazebo from a kit.
If you don’t have the help or the time, consider hiring a professional to build or assemble your gazebo. It will make your life easier and get you enjoying that gazebo life sooner.
Hey, I’m Joey. I’ve been cooking since I was a little kid and love everything about it. You can find my writing about food, kitchen appliances (such as blenders) and much more. Thanks for stopping by!
