The Stones said “Give Me Shelter” and I agree.

I do a lot of outdoor cooking and I have used many different methods when dealing with the weather. Sometimes it was avoidance, and choosing not to cook on days when the weather was not expected to cooperate. I have use umbrellas, and I used a portable pop up canopy for years until it was destroyed in the fire. The canopy did a decent job, but was only a temporary solution and would need to be taken down, when the weather got really bad. I do have my propane grill close to the house, and still grill in almost any weather when needed, but that was not going to work for the Blackstone or my smokers.

This year I decided to purchase and install something more permanent. I purchased a kit from Costco. I purchased it site unseen, but it had good reviews and the price was decent @ 1599, which was $400 off the normal price, and it came with free delivery. It was massive, and came in 3 boxes and weighed 800 lbs.

Not being very handy, after delivery, I needed to find a way to get it installed. Several of my friends offered assistance, so I knew that was an option. I checked with Costco, and they wanted over $1000 to install. Checking the internet for companies that would perform the service showed similar pricing of $1000 and up. I decided to go it alone, with help from my friends when they were available. I do have 2 garages, an attached and a detached. In the detached, I opened everything and inventoried everything and verified it was all there before I started.

The instructions for the assembly were pretty good, and there were also videos that clarified some of the finer details of installation. I started with assembling the beams so I could determine specifically where I wanted it. I am lucky that I have a patio in place that was large enough to put the structure on.

Once I was able to get the frame up, with the help of a friend, I had to assemble the roof panels. The panels were very large, and had to borrow some tables to put the pieces on during assembly.

This portion of the install took about a week and included some rough weather, and I ended up having to shift a completed a roof panel over to allow my car to be protected from the expected hail.

Then the day finally came, when the two roof panels were completed and I had two friends that were able to come to assist. We made quick work of it, and the two panels were lifted and placed into position.

The next portion was to assemble cross bracing in the roof, and I was able to get two friends to assist with that portion as well. And the final step was to purchase some anchor bolts and get the structure secured to the patio. Another friend of mine, has a hammer drill and was able to complete that in short order, which included 16 total anchors, 4 per post.

The pavilion was better that expected, and is very large and very sturdy. I have cooked many things under it already, and it is also nice to have a shaded area for the backyard.