Build a Gazebo Out of a Recycled Satellite Dish

These huge satellite dishes were popular for less than ten years! Now they’ve been discarded in backyards and junkyards all over the country. They were bulky, complicated, and expensive dinosaurs that have become quite useless.  Until now!

Joan Jacobs, from Salmon Arm, British Columbia, Canada says, “This is my little haven. We’re kind of in the middle of a 6 acre field, quite private and quiet.  I’m really getting into this retirement life and the possibilities of things to make and learn..”

We built a gazebo using a 10′ satellite dish for the roof.  My husband and father had dragged the whole setup home years before and it didn’t get used. I offered to give it away until the day I saw one in a field on posts covering a large round bale for a cattle feeder. I’ve also seen the smaller ones used as a table umbrella and painted to look like a mushroom.

Vertical posts (7) are treated 8′ 4×4 landscape ties in concrete, and the dish rests on a frame at the top of the posts secured with metal strapping. We siliconed strips of screen between dish and frame. We put big washers inside and out with bolts and silicone where the hardware holes on the dish are.

The Gorgeous gazebo made from a surprising element!

Summer

Joan says, “The garden I have planted around it is about 18” wide and contains only white flowers…..4 varieties of Shasta daisies, white delphinium, astilbe, phlox “David”, iris, obedient plant, hyacinth, “Joan Senior” daylily, mini rose, snapdragons, white spring bulbs, white bleeding heart, echinacea, feverfew (matricaria), sweet woodruff, and silver grey foliage plants-varieties of dusty miller, variegated hosta.”

Feverfew, delphinium

The frame of the gazebo appears to be 4×4 posts with twing railings and screen enclosure. Joan has planted flowers all in white to accent the color of the roof.

Twig railing

Twig railings are made from maple upper horizontal pieces and birch uprights. There’s an electric plug in for lights  and music wired underground and practical artificial turf on the floor.

Joan says, “This gazebo is out at the end of our garden, near our fire pit, so is great to sit in to read , eat, or can be slept in as I have a wicker couch, some chairs and small tables. We dug a trench to our garage for underground wiring and also have a plug in for the lights and a stereo.

My son and I built a twig railing about 3′ high around 6 “sides” between posts, and I built a screen door for the 7th. smaller “side”. The horizontal parts of the railing are maple and the verticals are birch. The floor is about 8″ above the plastic covered dirt, made of recycled wood, and covered with “astroturf”.  Walls are all screened on the outside of the twig work, so bugs can’t get in. ”

Screen door detail with roots at corners

Shasta daisies–3 varieties, delphinium, white phlox

The gorgeous gazebo ceiling inside

Joan tells us, “The gazebo ceiling inside has thrift shop curtains, gathered on a finial and tacked to the sides. “Mood” lighting is installed under the curtains. The chandelier is fitted with PVC pipe ‘candles.’

On the inside washers we put pieces of wire to secure a string of mini lights for “mood lighting”, There is a wood finial on the top, fastened to and siliconed to another on the inside top where the largest hole is.

I have a brass chandelier hanging from the inside finial. Got the chandelier for $6 at a yard sale. It was missing some “crystals” which of course I had in my “inventory” ( not junk… check the first part of the word… INVENT).  A couple of the candle-like tubes which hold the lights were missing, so I replaced them with pieces of PVC pipe.

I found some semi sheer coral coloured curtains which I gather to a tight circle and tie around the center finial, then drape out to the sides and tack to the wood. The ” mood lighting looks quite lovely under the curtains.”

Winter

Joan says,”In the winter we wrap plastic around the structure and store garden chairs and tables. Now,I’m looking forward to more ideas!”

The gorgeous gazebo in winter

Additional interesting feature in Joan’s garden is this, part fence, part trellis,…totally cool!

Bedsprings in the garden for growing climbing plants—sweet peas, peas, beans,etc.

Can you think of anything else that could be done with these satellite dishes?

If so, please add your idea…

Thanks to Joan!

Myra Glandon brought Joan Jacob’s garden gazebo to our attention and we’re delighted to be able to see it.  Myra herself made a wonderful gazebo from another surprising thing,…see Myra’s gazebo here.

Thanks, Joan for sharing your garden with us and thanks, Myra for sending these fantastic photos to us.  ~~ Sue