Well thought out gazebo designs take into consideration the effects of wind. Unlike a deck that usually sits close to the ground, gazebo designs stand roughly 12 feet high with a roof at the top that acts like a big sail. Some gazebo designs use a solid guardrail that also catches the wind.

The wind that buffets both the roof and a solid guardrail really torques on the corner posts. Gazebo designs that don't take these considerable wind forces into consideration can result in either posts that snap off or the soil giving way around the posts - causing the whole structure to tip. In this section on gazebo designs, I run calculations using accepted ASAE guidelines to provide recommendations for post embedment depth based upon soil type, post size, post spacing, gazebo size, and above ground height.

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