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If you’ve made the decision to upgrade your outdoor living space with a new outdoor structure, you may be considering the addition of a gazebo. You likely have come across many different styles of gazebos on the market: a hard-top gazebo, soft-top gazebo, grill gazebo, pop-up gazebo, etc., and you may have settled on picking a hard-top gazebo – but there are still many brands to choose from!
Below, you will learn more about three of the best hard-top gazebos offered by three different companies: Yardistry, Backyard Discovery, and Sunjoy. The information below will help you compare and contrast to determine which of these best gazebos best fits your needs and wants.
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Summary Table
| Category | Winner | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | Yardistry and Backyard Discovery | Best inside-the-post dimensions |
| Roof Material | Yardistry | Aluminum roof won't rust |
| Frame Material | Tie | The frame material for all three gazebos is cedar wood |
| Wind Resistance | Backyard Discovery | Backyard Discovery gazebo is rated to withstand winds up to 100 mph |
| Snow Load | Slight Edge to Backyard Discovery | Backyard Discovery gazebo can withstand up to 6,500 pounds |
| Included Components | Slight Edge to Backyard Discovery | All gazebos come with all components, except Backyard Discovery has concrete anchor screws |
| Additional Features / Accessories | Backyard Discovery and Sunjoy | Backyard Discovery has PowerPort feature; Sunjoy has ceiling hook and built-in rail system |
| Price | Sunjoy | Our review found that Sunjoy has the lowest price out of the three gazebos in this review |
Summary:
All three of these brands offer great hard-top gazebos that can be an excellent addition to your outdoor space!
Although Backyard Discovery comes out on top in several categories, it is hard to declare a clear-cut winner because Sunjoy wins in a critical category on price, and Yardistry wins in a key category of roof material. So, the right gazebo for you will come down to which categories are most important to you.
Note: please see the comparison section below to see the specific gazebos that we compared for this review.
What is a gazebo?
Dating back 5,000 years ago, a gazebo is a freestanding, outdoor structure that is often built in the form of a hexagon or octagon. However, in many cases, you will find that rectangular and square structures referred to as gazebos as well. Outdoor gazebos have a pitched, dome-shaped roof that offers shade, weather, and UV protection. A gazebo is open on all sides, but some may have railings around the sides. Outdoor gazebos are great for a wide range of entertainment and relation needs for your outdoor space, and they can be placed in the middle of the yard, on the patio, or on the deck.
Popular Gazebo Manufacturers
Many companies design, manufacture, and sell gazebos that you can use in your backyard. However, for this post, we have compared three of the most popular brands that you will find at a wide range of retailers like Amazon, Home Depot, Lowes, Costco, Walmart, and more. These brands are Yardistry, Backyard Discovery, and Sunjoy.
Yardistry Overview
Yardistry was founded in 2007 in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Yardistry offers a variety of outdoor structures in different styles, including grill gazebos, as well as numerous accessories, such as bar stools and privacy walls.
Backyard Discovery Overview
Backyard Discovery has been in business for more than three decades, producing high-quality playhouses, swing sets, outdoor structures, grill gazebos, and outdoor leisure items. The corporate offices of Backyard Discovery are located in Pittsburg, Kansas, with numerous distribution centers located throughout North America.
Sunjoy Group Overview
Sunjoy was founded in 2001. The company introduced hardtop gazebos in 2006 and indoor furniture in 2017. It introduced technology known as “Assembly in Minutes” in 2013 for quick and easy gazebo set-up. Sunjoy offers an assortment of indoor and outdoor furniture, structures, décor, and canopies. Based out of Singapore, Sunjoy also has a design team based in the United States.
DIY Pergola Kit Feature Comparison
We have selected three quality gazebos, one from each company, to compare. These were selected due to being similar in size to get as close as possible to a like-for-like comparison. We note that there is a wide variety in the dimensions of gazebos on the market. Below are the three gazebos that we compare in this post:
This comparison focuses on the following key features, which we think are the key features that you should examine when evaluating a gazebo:
Dimensions: While we tried to pick gazebos that are the same size to make an even comparison, it is nice if you can get a little more space from one compared to the others. Important note: the dimensions in the product names (ex: 14 x 12) is the size of the roof, not the size from post to post.
Roof Material: The quality of the roof material will affect the longevity of your gazebo.
Frame Materials: It’s important to buy a gazebo that uses quality frame materials so that it can endure the outdoor elements for many years.
Wind Resistance: As a stand-alone structure, you need to make sure that the gazebo you buy can withstand the winds of your outdoor area.
Snow Load: If you live in an area with snow, make sure you buy a gazebo that can withstand snow on its roof.
Included Components: Its important to know which components are included with the purchase of your gazebo, and which ones you will need to buy separately.
Additional Accessories / Features: A deciding factor for you can be the additional features that come with a gazebo. We highlight the extras that you should know about.
Price: Last but not least, price is going to be a key factor. Knowing the price difference between the brands will help you balance the difference in cost verse the differences between the other features of the gazebos.
Dimensions
Winner: Yardistry and Backyard Discovery slightly ahead of Sunjoy
Reason: Two to three people or more could easily fit under the roof of any of these three gazebos, along with two chairs or more. However, the Backyard Discovery and Yardistry gazebos win the dimension category due to offering the most and similar amount of space inside the posts of the gazebo.
For this aspect, we once again focused on making this a simple, but useable, comparison. So, we focused on the inside-the-post dimensions for all three brands to give a sense of the truly usable space underneath the gazebo. Again, we note that the dimensions listed in the product name (ex: 14 x 12) are the roof size. Additionally, the dimensions listed below are length x width x height (from ground to first overhead horizontal beam).
Yardistry: Inside-the-post dimensions: 11.9 ft. x 9.9 ft. x 7.2 ft.
Backyard Discovery: Inside-the-post dimensions: 11.8 ft. x 9.8 ft. x 7.1 ft.
Sunjoy: Inside-the-post dimensions: 11.1 ft. x 9.2 ft. x 6.5 ft.
Roof Material
Winner: Yardistry
Reason: All three of these brands have highly durable roof materials, but we give the Yardistry gazebo the edge in this category due to its aluminum roof because aluminum will not rust (which can be a must-have if you live in an area with heavy rain and moisture).
Yardistry: The Yardistry outdoor gazebo has an aluminum roof in a Coffee Brown color that is rust-resistant.
Backyard Discovery: The Backyard Discovery gazebo is equipped with a 29-gauge insulated steel roof that reduces heat transfer by as much as 20 percent. This gazebo features a hip roof design that is brown in color with black accents. The steel roof panels are resistant to corrosion and dents.
Sunjoy: The Sunjoy outdoor gazebo has a durable powder-coated matte black steel roof that is rust-resistant. Unlike the other structures, this one has a 2-tier roof design.
Frame Material
Winner: Tie between all three.
Reason: The frame material for all three gazebos is cedar wood, which means it offers the same average rating value across all models.
Yardistry: The Yardistry outdoor gazebo frames are made with 100% premium cedar lumber that comes pre-stained, pre-cut, and pre-drilled. The company recommends applying a waterproof sealant annually, with the first coat being applied after three months, ensuring the structure is water resistant.
Backyard Discovery: The frame material of this gazebo is 100% cedar wood, which the company promotes to be naturally resistant to decay. The frame is pre-cut, pre-drilled, and pre-stained.
Sunjoy: The Sunjoy gazebo comes with a premium cedar wood frame that is pre-cut and pre-drilled. It offers a natural-looking finish.
Wind Resistance
Winner: Backyard Discovery
Reason: The gazebo offered by Backyard Discovery is the clear winner in terms of wind resistance, as it has been rated to withstand winds up to 100 miles per hour, which is greater than the wind resistance rating for Yardistry and Sunjoy.
Yardistry: The Yardistry outdoor gazebo has been tested for wind gusts up to 65 miles per hour, given that the structure is properly anchored to a solid foundation outdoors. Each post comes with two post mount brackets to anchor the structure to a solid surface.
Backyard Discovery: The Backyard Discovery outdoor gazebo has been tested for winds up to 100 miles per hour when the structure is properly anchored to the ground. Durable steel anchoring brackets are provided.
Sunjoy: The Sunjoy gazebo has been rated to withstand up to 31.1 miles per hour of wind when properly anchored to a solid foundation outdoors. Although anchoring plates are included.
Special note: To ensure your outdoor gazebo is able to withstand high winds as rated, the structure must be properly anchored to a solid foundation, such as concrete. Without proper anchoring, the gazebo is unlikely to hold up to the rated wind resistance.
Snow Load
Winner: Slight edge to Backyard Discovery over Yardistry
Reason: The Backyard Discovery gazebo stands out in this category by being rated to withstand more snow than the other models, with Yardistry being a close second.
Yardistry: The Yardistry outdoor gazebo has been rated to withstand up to 36 pounds per square foot of snow.
Backyard Discovery: The Backyard Discovery gazebo has been certified to withstand up to 6,500 pounds (38.7 pounds per square foot) or 30 inches of snow.
Sunjoy: The Sunjoy gazebo has been rated to hold up to 22.5 pounds per square foot.
Special note: The weight of snow can change based on the amount of rain that falls afterward, the humidity, and several other factors. Therefore, it is typically recommended that accumulated snow be removed from the roof of the gazebo as soon as possible.
Included Components
Winner: Slight edge to Backyard Discovery
Reason: Each company ensures the gazebo includes everything needed to assemble the gazebo from the ground up and make installation a breeze. However, the one thing that gives Backyard Discovery the edge is that the company provides concrete anchor screws to mount the gazebo to a concrete surface. No other brand provides anchor screws.
Yardistry: The Yardistry outdoor gazebo comes with aluminum roof panels and cedar wood frame posts. Post mounts are included, as well as any hardware needed to assemble the gazebo.
Backyard Discovery: The gazebo by Backyard Discovery comes with an insulated 29-gauge steel roof and cedar wood frame. Powder-coated brackets and hardware, as well as external anchoring brackets, are included as well as concrete anchor screws (no wood anchor screws are provided if you plan to mount the gazebo on a deck or other wooden surface.)
Sunjoy: The Sunjoy gazebo comes with a two-tier steel roof and premium cedar wood frame system, as well as anchoring plates with covers.
Additional Accessories / Features
Winner: Tie between Backyard Discovery and Sunjoy
Reason: While the impressive PowerPort is offered by Backyard Discovery, the Sunjoy features a ceiling hook and a built-in rail system.
- Yardistry: Unfortunately, the Yardistry outdoor gazebo doesn’t come with any additional accessories or features.
- Backyard Discovery: The Backyard Discovery gazebo comes equipped with an exclusive and removable PowerPort. This PowerPort features three USB ports and three electrical outlets that can be used on any post to power lights, charge cell phones, and more.
- Sunjoy: The Sunjoy gazebo features a built-in rail system, making it easy to attach privacy curtains or mesh netting to combat mosquitoes and harmful UV rays for year-round use. This mosquito netting is sold separately. The Sunjoy outdoor gazebo also comes equipped with a ceiling hook that allows easy suspension of lighting.
Price
Winner: Sunjoy
Reason: The Sunjoy gazebo is offered at a great price because it is several hundred dollars cheaper than the Yardistry and Backyard Discovery gazebos. However, we do note that prices may vary at different retailers.
Yardistry: The Yardistry outdoor gazebo is available on the Yardistry website for $3,074.
Backyard Discovery: You can shop for the Backyard Discovery gazebo on the company’s website, where it is available for $2,799.
Sunjoy: The Sunjoy gazebo is available for purchase on the Sunjoy website for $2,159 at the time of this writing.
Where Can you Buy These Gazebos?
You can buy each of these gazebos from the brand’s website. But if you are looking for a deal, you may find lower pricing at a wide range of retailers. These retailers include places like Home Depot, Lowes, Amazon, Costco, and many other places where you shop for outdoor items.
Final Thoughts
Winner: Too Close to Call
These three gazebos are great options for your backyard! We don’t think you can go wrong picking any one of these, but you need to make sure the characteristics of each gazebo match your expectations. Backyard Discovery comes out ahead in several categories, with Yardistry tying or coming in a close second place in many of the same categories. However, Sunjoy comes out as the clear winner when it comes to price.
