Knowledge Center

From outdoor kitchen areas to cozy solariums, there are many uses for a permanent gazebo. However, choosing the perfect outdoor gazebo for your backyard can be quite a challenge. It can be a challenge to find the best gazebo, as they come in a wide variety of sizes and a huge range of styles. Finding the right outdoor gazebo for your backyard requires striking the ideal balance between aesthetics, functionality, quality, and price.

If this feels overwhelming, don’t worry! Below you’ll find a comparison of some of the most popular outdoor gazebos on the market. We’ve also provided our expert recommendations, so you can easily choose the best gazebo for your needs.

Best Deck Gazebos

If you're looking for a simple way to add style and shade to your deck, a freestanding deck gazebo is a functional and elegant addition to any backyard space. They offer an easy way to create a sheltered seating area or build a beautiful

If you live in an area that gets a lot of wind and snow, it’s important to choose your outdoor storage buildings carefully. Understanding wind and snow ratings and making sure you choose structures that are built for your climate will help you avoid some significant problems – like a roof collapse.

Not sure what these terms mean or how to choose a snow and wind rated building? No problem! The following guide will explain everything you need to know.

What Are Wind and Snow Ratings?

The term “wind rating” refers to a structure’s ability to withstand high winds, such as those caused by a hurricane, tornado, or microburst. A snow rating refers to the weight a structure can hold without the worry of a roof collapse.   

Wind loads are specified in miles per hour, while snow ratings are quoted in PSF (pounds per square foot).

Understanding Snow Load Density

Knowing the snow rating of a structure is only half the battle. It’s also important to understand approximately how much the snow that has accumulated on your structure weighs. While a light snow load typically weighs anywhere from five to 20 pounds per square foot, a packed snow load will weigh closer to 20 to 40 pounds per square foot.

If the packed snow contains ice, it could weigh between 40 and 57 pounds per square foot, and ice on its own weighs about 57 pounds per square foot. It's important to consider this when determining the snow rating you need. 

Snow Load Accumulation

Snow accumulation rates will also impact your structure's performance. For example, if your roof gets five inches of snow in one day, but then the weather warms up, and some of it melts before it snows again, then accumulation might not be a concern. However, if temperatures remain low and the snow keeps falling, it can quickly accumulate and potentially cause some issues. 

Snow Rating Considerations

When considering a building’s

Though lawn mushrooms are mainly harmless, they can be unsightly and some types can even sicken people and pets. Why do they suddenly appear on your lawn, and how can you safely get rid of them? Also, how do Arrow and Shelterlogic sheds help keep your yard mushroom-free? Check out our simple guide below to obtain a beautiful lawn sans fungi.

Why Are There Lawn Mushrooms in My Backyard?

Mushrooms appear when there is a high amount of organic material in the soil. Since fungi break down materials to make the soil fit for plants, they play a vital role in the world's ecosystem. If mushrooms appear in your lawn, there is likely to be significant organic material that needs to decompose. For instance, if you cut down a tree but leave a stump in the ground, mushrooms are likely to grow on the stump for years to break down the wood into soil.

Are Lawn Mushrooms Dangerous?

While most lawn mushrooms are harmless, some varieties are poisonous or hallucinogenic. Typically, mushrooms with white gills are poisonous while red-capped species can cause someone to hallucinate. Other mushrooms may look like tasty treats but can cause stomach aches when consumed. It takes a lot of experience to identify mushrooms for foraging, so never eat a mushroom that you see in the wild — even if it’s in your backyard. 

Every homeowner with small children or pets should remove all mushrooms on sight. Mushroom poisoning can happen to dogs and kids when they accidentally nibble or play with backyard fungus. Though a mushroom may not be poisonous per se, it can still make your loved ones suffer from a s

Once winter blows out and the spring buds start to peak from the tree branches, we tend to put the cold of winter out of our minds. Most of us prefer not to think about it until we start to feel a chill come back into the air during the autumn. However, people don't often realize that it is likely too late to store firewood effectively by this point. It is more likely to take much longer to cut and dry firewood. That is why it is best to think ahead, cutting most of your firewood in the summer.

In this article, we run you through why it is important to season firewood during the summer months, how to do it, and how to store it once you have cut and seasoned it. By the time we are done, you will be a summer seasoning pro.

Why is it Important to Season Firewood in the Summer?

Using summer gives you plenty of time to prepare compared to cutting and seasoning your wood right before the winter weather hits. There are also several other reasons why you should use the summer to cut and season your firewood. 

The heat

One of the biggest disadvantages to the summer months is also one of its greatest advantages. You might be sweating buckets while you are outside trying to chop down trees or find and collect kindling. However, the heat of the summer exponentially speeds up the entire process of seasoning. Unless you live in an area of high humidity, the dry air also helps to suck out moisture faster.

We should caveat this with a warning against heat exhaustion. The heat helps us season our firewood so much faster but can also lead to heatstroke and dehydration. Be sure to stay cool and hydrated when seasoning and storing firewood during the summer months by taking breaks in the shade as often as you need.

Free of winter snow and ice

As the autumn months close into winter, you get more chances of blizzards blowing through, ice patches freezing over, and other weather that will ultimately stop you from taking

Are you constantly feeling like you have too much “stuff”? If you’re like most people, the answer is yes! Whether you’re tired of cramming storage boxes under your bed, or you can’t fit one more thing in your closets, you’ll need to address your lack of home storage sooner rather than later.

You may have considered renting a nearby storage unit. After all, an estimated one in ten Americans is already doing it.

But is this the best option? Maybe not.

On-site garage storage is almost always a far better choice. If you haven’t considered purchasing a portable garage or shed, now is a great time to explore the possibilities. Here are a few reasons why this could be one of the smartest things you do this year.

Cost of Garage Storage vs. Self-Storage

Having a backyard pool brings so many benefits, like getting to enjoy the sun in cool water on a hot day. Completing the space isn't just about the pool, though. Think about how you enjoy your pool and the kinds of poolside cabanas that would make it even better.

A shelter for your pool allows you the opportunity to extend the amount of time you use the space while keeping you safe from a full day directly under the sun's rays. You might not want to get into the pool to enjoy the sun, either. Depending on how you like to use your outdoor pool space, the kind of shelter you build might change.

Solariums, gazebos, and pergolas all have great benefits as poolside cabanas. Which one is the best isn't an accepted fact but depends on how you use that space. Read through our highlights and descriptions of each one while considering whether you need shelter from the sun or more time to bask in it, among other factors.

Why Have a Poolside Cabana?

When you first design your pool area, you probably focused solely on the pool itself. You might have wanted a unique shape, an in-built pool, or something customized to the exterior design of your home. However, once you take a step back from it all, you might realize that something is missing.

The most significant benefit of a poolside cabana is the way it enhances the functionality of your space. A pool gives you the chance to exercise, to have fun, and to soak up some vitamin D. There is only so long that we can stay in the water and only so much direct sunlight our skin can handle at one go.

A shelter next to the pool can offer you protection from the sun if you choose a shaded

Summer will be here before you know it. Soon, you’ll want to spend a lot more time in your yard, getting fresh air and enjoying the outdoors. But right now, you’re probably looking out your window at your backyard space and thinking that it’s time for a backyard makeover. When you make a gazebo the centerpiece of your plans, you’ll open your backyard space up to infinite possibilities.

Whatever your style, a backyard gazebo can add to your backyard aesthetic and give it additional curb appeal. But a gazebo is more than just ornamental. It is a functional, versatile structure that provides shade, protection from the elements, and can serve a variety of backyard purposes.   

Once you start using your imagination, the possibilities are virtually endless. You can use the following guide to learn more outdoor gazebos find suggestions for how you can use them to upgrade your backyard space and get some inspiration for backyard gazebo ideas.

Backyard Gazebo Ideas to Create a Unique Outdoor Space

Traditionally, a gazebo is used to provide protection for a patio set or to create a backyard dining space. However, the use of a backyard gazebo has been greatly expanded by creative homeowners who’ve looked to maximize their outdoor living space.

A Gazebo to Transform Your Patio or Deck

An existing patio or deck is a practical place to install a gazebo, and the reason is twofold. First, since the patio or deck is usually right next to your house, it makes it a natural extension of your living space. Second, it means you don’t need to create a new base to install your gazebo, which means you will save s

ShelterLogic, Corp. Announces Acquisition of Bravo Outdoor Brands – QuikShade, MotoShade, ShadeTech, QuikChair, Solo, and GO

We plan to quickly integrate the full assortment of QuikShade products into our distribution network of 5 warehouses in North America. The new products will be made available with our distribution partners in Europe and South America. The QuikShade family of products are a strategic complement alongside our current portfolio of products.
James Raymond, CEO