Hot Tub Forum
Original => Hot Tub Forum => Topic started by: drober30 on February 21, 2005, 03:52:48 pm
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My wife and I have determined that an enclosed gazebo is a must for our setup. We would like to go with the
Cal Spa Lighthouse 12x16 (we like the online looks)
This will be over an $8000 dollar purchase and nobody has one we can see. Calling Cal Spa’s customer service I receive the same lady every time that has no interest in helping. In fact I think she was hired to say “you have to call your dealer”
I’m concerned because I looked at a vinyl gazebo and the roof had all kinds of gaps which would let rain in. The Cal Spa gazebo would also come with a metal roof or powder coat and their website shows just a little square of the color so it’s hard to imaging what that would look like as a roof on the gazebo. I would like to see how structural it is before spending 8k.
Anybody own a Cal Spa gazebo made out of Cal Select material?
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If your getting no where before the purchase ... maybe you should look else where!
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Sundance will be making some good stuff in the next 6 months or so. Hotspring already offers this type of product.
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Sundance will be making some good stuff in the next 6 months or so. Hotspring already offers this type of product.
... and you'll get real customer service from these companies.
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What Vinny said...
Check out the visscher line of gazebos. Great quailty with a variety of roof colors.
Visscher Options (http://visscherspecialty.com)
Steve
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there are other choices....what is it that you like about this unit....
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Id go else where too. If you can't get support before they even have your money what the heck are they going to be like after!!!! Sounds to me like a place I would not want to do business with.
Do you own a Cal Spa ??
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Gazebo works just came out with a new line of non-wood gazebos that look great!
I agree with the others here on Visscher, thier cedar gazebos will hold up as well (if not better) as the plastic ones with very little maintinance.
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there are other choices....what is it that you like about this unit....
I don’t own a Cal Spa... I like the Gazebo because it is made of the Cal Select (non wood material) and the light house gazebo I'm looking at is not just a box. It has a style to it and some neat lighting features already included that would look nice in the yard.
Thanks for the replies and I will check out the ones mentioned.
The vinyl gazebo that I did look at and was not impressed with at all for the money $11k was made by Caldera.
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What is cal select.....There are so many others out there that a very similar look to that one.....
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drober and all others that are on this thread,
Anything with CAL in front of it must be a problem. If you can't get support BEFORE you spend you hard earned cash, how in the world do you think they will be when you actually need their help? :'(
Reading all of the posts on Cal, is like going to bat without the bat. It sounds like a lose-lose situation. You lose before you buy and you lose after the purchase.
Sorry to be so negative on this, but experiences from many years put me in this state of mind. Ask anyone who owns one. I would be very, very leary here, with the gazebo purchase. If you like the CAL SELECT, but it from another manufacturer. Sorry again... :-[
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My disappointment is in the fact that I can’t see it built before buying it. This is probably true with allot of styles from any manufacture.
Gazebo Works seems to have a great market penetration.
The dealers are quoting pricing and said they will find out the answers to my questions. I mostly was frustrated with the customer service from the factory(Cal Spa) Same girl every time with a not so helpful attitude.
All the gazebo's I have looked at have very poor warranties
Cal Spa Gazebo - 90 days
Gazebo Works - No Written Warranty (this info obtained from the factory)
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What's a 'raised footwell?"
Oh, and around here the http://www.fencefactory.com/ offers some nice plastic gazebos.
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drober,
Why not pick a design that you like and call a few contractors to get quotes on building something? For the prices you are talking about for a pre-fabricated gazebo, I have a feeling you can have a better quality gazebo custom built. Just a thought.
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What's a 'raised footwell?"
Oh, and around here the http://www.fencefactory.com/ offers some nice plastic gazebos.
You see this allot on Caldera. It is the raised portion of the foot well allowing you to put your feet on it and keep yourself seated or designed for a place to keep your feet from wandering. Some incorporate foot jets into them.
csutton..
I don’t have the confidence or patience to have someone try to build a gazebo with working windows and such. Also I really don’t want wood.
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drober,
Aren't there any spa dealers that have gazebos on display? There must be somewhere that you can inspect the quality of the manufacturer.
I have absolutely no confidence in any of the Cal products. Take a close look at the Gazebo Works Too products, they seem to make a quality, sturdy gazebo.
Do not buy from a brochure,...see it, feel it, touch it. If you like it, BUY IT... ;D
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How does Redwood hold up?
I have seen a couple of gazebos but all made of redwood.
How well does this stuff weather in the snow and sun?
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drober,
Redwood is beautiful. The only problem with it is that is gets dark after a couple of years. It is wood, so there is maintanence on it. And it is definately less expensive than synthetic.
Tough call, Resin or Maintenence ??? ??? ???
Good Luck in your search. ;)
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How does Redwood hold up?
I have seen a couple of gazebos but all made of redwood.
I have sold many redwood gazebos. Without regular maint they fall apart.
My customers tend to find that oiling them on the sun side twice a year and overall once a year is a must to keep them looking good and holding together.
Redwood is only bug-resistant and rot-resistant until it dries out. That can be just a few years if you don't keep it oiled.
Also, it is a soft wood - closely related to pine.
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I just came back from a home show. Not much in the way of Gazebos but there was a person selling spas that also built custom spa enclosures.
It was made out of cedar and was fairly nice
(very expensive). The roof was fiberglass but the skylights looked like they were hacked into place. He could choose a much better way to do them.
I told this guy I was looking at the Cal Spa Cal select gazebos. He stated that a synthetic material like that would smell like plastic and he said like a little tyke’s playhouse in the summer it would heat up beyond comfort?
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I have never heard that..( the smell of the plastic)...but I will say that the Cedar is a nice choice if you go with wood...and there are some great choices out there....
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One problem with plastic is in cold weather is it might crack if banged or hit . Not much of a problem with wood but try to match a plastic gazebo piece 5 or 10 years from now. Might not be so easy.
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What about the composite skirts that are so common on spas now? Will those crack if accidentally bumped in cold weather?
Brewman
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What about the composite skirts that are so common on spas now? Will those crack if accidentally bumped in cold weather?
Brewman
The Cal Spa "Cal Select" gazebo I'm interseted in is made out of the same material as their tub skirting.
This gazebo thing has been way more work than the tub itself. I really dont want to deal with any type of wood.
I will contiue to try and get my questions answered from the factory and then make a decision.
If I do go with a Cal Select gazebo I promise a lengthy review of the good/bad.
I take it there are no Cal Spa dealers on this board that can help out?
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Check out a company called Sequoia Works (sequoiaworks.com). They have some very nice synthetic gazebos and are very responsive to inquiries. We have sold their products for many years.
CEO
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Sequoia Works looks nice but I would like a larger size than they offer. I'm after a 12x16
I think soaking in the tub inside the gazebo when it raining out will be great!
Can anybody tell me if a metal roof on a gazebo is loud when it rains?
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All metal roofs would be loud unless their insulated. I remember the first time I heard an aluminum roof in a rainstorm - it was deafening!
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All metal roofs would be loud unless their insulated. I remember the first time I heard an aluminum roof in a rainstorm - it was deafening!
Vinny,
I have heard a buildings(My Work) metal roof in the rain and that was what made me think of the question.
Do you mean that some metal gazebo roofs are insulated? Is that something I should be checking into?
When you refer to the aluminum roof was that on a gazebo?
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drober,
I've never been in a gazebo, but have been screen rooms with aluminum roofs. I am also going to enclose a portion of my deck with a screen room and asked around about metal roofs.
The answer that I got is if a roof isn't insulated with something - it will make noise. It makes sense, when I go out into my garage and its raining I hear the rain on the roof. A metal roof tends to make more noise than a wood and asphalt shingle roof. I am planning to use an aluminum skinned roof with polystyrene insulation in it.
Sorry, I really don't know anything about gazebos except they're very nice looking and wish I could get one!
Vinny
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The gazebos I have sold with metal roofs simply had a layer of plywood (rough-sawn, stained to match) on the inside, directly under the metal roofing material. It took care of the noise, and allowed you to step (very carefully) on the roof if needed for cleaning or maint.
This company also offers a line of non-wood models custom made to fit HotSpring and others.
http://www.sequoiaworks.com