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Ah, January and this man’s fancy turns from Christmas to landscaping.  One thing that has always been on my “wish” list is a gazebo.  There is something about a gazebo that incites a feeling of romance (to me).  In the present a gazebo would be a great compliment to the house as both have a “Victorian” appeal.

I started last year looking into my options in this regard and have come to the point of deciding between buying a pre-fabricated one or making one from scratch.  I have to admit that I was somewhat shocked at the price of a fabricated one with a 10’ x 10’ costing close to $10,000!  The same gazebo from Pennsylvania would cost $3200 USD but by the time one factor’s in exchange, duty, taxes, freight it still costs around $6500 CDN.  It is still hard to explain why there is a $3500 price difference, especially since the raw material (wood) comes from Canada in the first place.  I have to assume that the average Gazebo engineer and assembler in the US doesn’t make 60 Grand per year and here they do??

Realizing that my pet project was going to cost me a bit more than my budgeted $1200 I decided it might be a good idea to check into permits before I went too far.  I called up the building department and was pleasantly surprised to find out that I would not need a permit as the floor area was less than 108 square feet.  Wow! This turned out to be a bonus.  I could save myself $75.  That would be better spent towards the cedar shake upgrade on the gazebo anyways!

Wait…”what do you mean where am I going to put it?”  “In my backyard of course!” “WHAT bylaws?…zoning?…setbacks?…huh?

It turns out that my dream has limitations as to where it can be placed on MY property.  I had planned on putting it in the side yard, close to the fence (property line) and opposite an existing deck.  It turns out that there is a zoning requirement that sheds, gazebos and the like be set in from the side property line 3 metres (approximately 10 feet).  The side lot is approximately 20 feet wide, so if I place a 10 foot gazebo 10 feet in from the property line, said gazebo is right against the deck/house.  That isn’t going to work!

I was only flustered for a moment when she went on to explain to me that this wasn’t the end of the world, that I simply had to ask for a minor variance.  She went on to explain that I had only to fill out an 8 page form and send it in to the committee of adjustments ( a group of people that decides whether or not resident’s requests to by-pass existing by-laws will cause any undue hardship to adjacent properties or the town).

As soon as I hung up the phone I went and downloaded the forms, filled them out, sent them in and waited for my approval.  Three days later a woman from the committee called me to inform me that she was missing something.  What could that be? Oh that!  It turns out that in my rush to get my dream underway I forgot to read ALL of the instructions that went with the form.  I especially missed the paragraph where it stated a certified cheque in the amount of $750 must accompany the request for the variance. $750!!!

So it turns out that the gazebo, although not requiring a permit requires a variance that costs 10x that amount. I asked what would happen if I went ahead and built without the variance.  I was told that if a neighbour complained I would have to remove the structure.  I don’t know why anyone would complain unless they were like my ex-wife who would call up just because she was jealous of the Jones’ gazebo.  Oh, yeah, I forgot about the jealousy factor.

Turns out that I have to go ahead and get the proper authority to proceed with my project.  The amount of money involved is too much to have to waste if there is a glitch later on.  I have reapplied for the variance, with $750 of my original budget now gone…with nothing to show for it.  If things go well, I will get the approval at which time I have one year to complete the project.

I started with $1200 towards a $10,000 project and now have $450.  That is why I am thinking of making this a DIY project.  I have also considered a reduction in size down to 3’ x 3’. Although this won’t accommodate the table and chairs as was originally envisioned, it will give me ample room to stand in the middle, alone and dream that what I have is bigger than it “really” is.  I have done that for most of my life.