We love to be outside. There is a season in the Pacific Northwest that comes with a wee bit of precipitation – rain, mist, phantom droplets, and occasionally some snow. We also love to barbeque. After years of trying to stand in the fleeting covering of the protective overhang of the houses roof, we decided it was time for a proper covered area.
This is our design-build and style journey of the Pavilion. This is currently a project in process – updated to come.
A Concept Began to Take Shape
We had trips to the backyard with a tape measure, string, and various objects to mark what would be potential layouts. We drew on grid paper, aerial images, and marked up photos trying to decide what the plan was.
Eventually, we found inspiration in Forever Redwood’s Toledo Pavilion.
Before Day 01. The Permit Struggle Can be Real
Do your research. This is a common thread of mine as I’m a planner. There is some comfort in the development of project schedules and adequate float time. We happen to live in an area that requires permits if the structure is larger than 200 square feet. That sounds like a lot, but when we marked it off in our backyard, it didn’t fully contain everything we wanted to – outdoor kitchen and lounge area. Our permit process was also classified as a Deck. So, for our pavilion we are requesting approval for a deck – makes sense, right? Welcome to permitting. The permit desk is typically a friendly place. We had a fantastic experience – they are not there to deny you, they are there to help and make sure you and your contractor are building something safe and to code. You may need to solicit the support of a registered architect or engineer depending on what you’re doing.
#01. Here We Go!
Time for some big toys! The existing regional rock retaining wall and a stump were quick to go. We did this project in early Fall, trying to sneak it in during the dry (smoke) season before the rains came.
#02. Scope Creep
Bye-bye concrete slab. Part of our patio concrete slab was removed to make way for the new – we had thought to cut holes in the concrete for the pavilion posts but realized that wasn’t going to work. Day 02 and we’re off on our concrete calculations – scope creep.
#03. Working with a “River”
So much for sneaking in the project before the “atmospheric river” decided to unleash itself on us. It does highlight the critical importance of the need for drainage – especially in an area with concentrations of glacial till and clay. We did manage to get the concrete cleared away and some measurements to ensure the back of the retaining wall was parallel to the house and symmetrical with the fire pit retaining wall.
#04. Retaining Wall and Drainage
After a couple of days of leveling, adding base course, tamping, and laying Belgard Weston bricks, we have the start of our wall. Our Pavilion area is starting to take shape. With some landscape fabric and new drainage in behind, it was a productive couple of days.
We placed a fabric wrapped drain pipe behind the wall. There was a mess of drain pipes under the existing concrete slab. It took more time than anticipated to trace the pipes and test existing. Quite a few of the old pipes were full of dirt. We dug them up and replaced with new ones.
#05. Posts Are In The Ground
Setting your posts is critical to your structure! Make sure to dig deep holes – ours were buried 4 feet deep, about 25-percent of the total post. It’s a good idea to keep your lines up so as you set the post you can make sure you stay square. You want to have the opposite sides of your structure be the same distant apart. Adjust your lines as needed as you set your posts.
#06. Beam Me Up
Stole that heading from Nichole. Now that the posts are set its time to start putting the beams on and getting the roof put together.
#07. Scaffolding Needed.
Slow going on putting up the brackets and getting some utility work done. Ended up with enough space on the fuse panel, but the next project is going to require a larger panel. A fortuitous conduit run through the garage to crawl space courteous of the a/c unit made running electricity to the back side yard relatively easy.
#08. We have a Roof Frame
We’re making some progress now – those black simpson ties are looking fantastic. The white plastic tube (lower right near post) is where the downpipe will connect.
#09. Rafters
Rafters are up. The rafters were placed to align with each other. Because we have 3 skylights on the one side, those rafters are 24 inches apart. We split the different with the rafters on the ends.
#10. Tongue-and-Groove and Roofing
Tongue and groove cedar was placed across the rafters. This gives an excellent look up through the rafter. Once finished, architectural shingles to match the house were installed.
We got some Ply Gem skylights from a local supplier. They are slightly larger than some of the big box skylights. Adding in a little extra framing hides the trim on the skylight.
#11. Mud (Concrete) Day
We opted for concrete to match the existing concrete that we had. We contemplated pulling it all up but that seemed like far too much work. Pavers would have been nice but concrete has it’s own appeal. A pump truck made short work of getting the concrete to the backyard and saved time and many heavy wheelbarrow loads. As you can see in the photo, using plastic sheeting protects your wood columns and anything else nearby like say a house or retaining wall.
#12. The Grand Reveal
And here we have it – a backyard pavilion. There it is – There were a lot of lessons learned along the way, but we ended up with something to keep us dry during the wetter seasons.
Have a major backyard project in your future? Check out more of our lessons learned, contractor series, retaining walls, and other sections. Drop us a comment.
