Unstable gazebo

[Craftsman_88]

So I am not sure where to put this but I have a problem. Well its not my problem but I am trying to help out. My friend recently built a 10'x10' gazebo with a hip roof. He sunk 4 4x4's 2' in the ground and cemented them in. Then built decking and header joists and truss's. Thats the current state of the building. The decking is stable however the roof is unstable. Well shaky but not like it will fall over. I am no contractor but to me it seems like it needs additional support like a railing to stabilize the posts. Well really I think more support should have been done before the truss's were built. But too late now. I know this is not to code, but here no permit is needed for this structure. Would installing tension cables in a X shape at the roof help stabilze the structure at this point? Would appreciate any help!

 

[nehog]

Pictures would help.

Most buildings are not stable until they are completed. When I did the 'carport' on the side of my shop it was unstable until I put in some cross-braces. They were simple, 1x3 at 45 degree angles to the roof. Got those in and it then was solid as a rock.

 

[Big-Foot]

Yeah pics would help.

Cables will help the structure hold it's shape, however, the cost is in having to readjust tension periodically. Also the tension may be hard on the joints - which won't be a problem usually until the structure has aged some and the wood has lost some of its strength.

 

[Steevo]

There are a lot of ways to design a gazebo, and without knowing what type of design this is, it is hard to give advice.
Pictures will help greatly.

When I built a gazebo, the roof was simply 2x6 rafters that met in the center, where they were all nailed to an eight-sided block of wood (8x8 with corners sawed off).
They sat in Simpson 4x4 to 2x4 brackets on top of the eight posts around the perimeter. Between each pair of posts at the top was a 4x6 header that tied all of the posts together
It was the roof sheathing that then stiffened the entire assembly, by locking the eight triangles together.

 

[rslaback]

I think what you are saying is that there is a deck and a roof and no railing. This is causing the roof to be able to twist on the poles. If that is indeed the case, my suggestion would be some fairly short diagonal bracing from the poles up to the roof on both sides of each post. Kind of like this but smaller.

 

[Craftsman_88]

I think what you are saying is that there is a deck and a roof and no railing. This is causing the roof to be able to twist on the poles. If that is indeed the case, my suggestion would be some fairly short diagonal bracing from the poles up to the roof on both sides of each post. Kind of like this but smaller.

I have saw these before and thought they were for appearance purpose only. I will have to recomend them to him. Yes you are right the posts are twisting. However the sheathing for the roof and shingles are not complete yet. So it still could stiffen. Thank you for the siggestion though! Looks like my Saturday just got busy!

 

[bczygan]

Triangulation in all three axis is the answer. You can get triangulation in a joint if the joint is large enough and pinned in more than one place. Otherwise you need bracing. This can be accomplished by sheeting as when a roof deck or wall sheathing is installed. It can be a diagonal brace as shown above or a decorative lattice that does what the diagonal brace does, but with a more beautiful effect. It can be done with a railing and balusters or a pierced panel. A joint with one small point of joinery acts as a hinge.