Pound-for-Pound

Furniture showdown

The Best Grill Gazebo of 2026: Modern Shade vs ABCCANOPY vs PURPLE LEAF vs Domi, Steel Roofs Only

By The Smith Family, reviewed by Brad Smith · Independent, no paid placement · Updated October 15, 2026Prices checked October 2026

Some links here are affiliate links — if you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you (sometimes with a discount for you). It never changes which products we recommend — and we name the SKIPs to prove it.

A grill gazebo is a small roofed shelter, usually 8 by 5 or 6 by 8 feet, that stands over your grill with a shelf on each side. This showdown covers the ones with a steel roof, because that is the only kind your grill’s manual allows over the cooking area. It runs from about $349 to $899, so it is billed pound-for-pound: one winner, whatever the price, and one SKIP. If you want a gazebo to sit under rather than grill under, that is a different fight: the best hardtop gazebos. Need room for two grills and a bar? That is the extra-large grill gazebo showdown.

We read every pick’s Amazon listing signed in on October 15, 2026, with its own written reviews and its critical reviews, and each maker’s own page, manual and warranty. Nobody here has bench-tested a grill gazebo, and only one credentialed outlet has built one of these: Family Handyman, the ABCCANOPY. So the fight is decided on the owner record and on what the paperwork commits to.

Your grill’s manual decides the roof

Every grill maker we read forbids cooking under a combustible roof, and none of them uses the word gazebo. Here is what each manual says, read from the maker’s own document on October 15, 2026:

A galvanized steel roof is not combustible construction; a polyester canopy or a polycarbonate panel is. That is our reading of those words, and it is why every pick here has a steel roof and the fabric top is the SKIP. Two more lines from Weber’s Spirit manual matter under a gazebo. A grill is “outdoors” under “an overhead cover and no more than two sidewalls”, and “screened openings are not considered as permanent openings”, so zipped-up curtains or netting turn your gazebo into an enclosure. Older manuals differ: an early Traeger allowed overhead combustibles with 40 inches of clearance, and the current Woodridge forbids them. Read the manual for the grill you own.

The posts count too, and only one set burns

The side clearance in your manual is a distance to anything combustible. Aluminum and steel posts are not, so on five of these six the posts only have to clear the grill and your elbows. The Saxony’s posts are cedar, and Backyard Discovery’s own safety booklet says “Wood is NOT flame retardant and will burn. Grills, fire pits and chimineas are a fire hazard if place too close to your structure.” It gives no distance.

Its manual drawing does give the room: 73.3 inches between the cedar posts on the long side. A Weber Spirit E-325 is 48.3 inches wide (Weber’s own spec), which leaves about 12.5 inches on each side, against Weber’s 24. A grill narrow enough to keep 24 inches a side would be about 25 inches wide. The listing says the Saxony “fits most grills up to 70” wide”; it fits them, and the manual for most of them says not that close.

Three of the six print the opening between their posts: Backyard Discovery (73.3 inches), PURPLE LEAF (83.3 by 57.8 inches, on its dimension drawing) and Domi (83.86 inches at the base). Three print an under-roof height: Backyard Discovery (6 ft 2 7/16 in at the lowest beam), PURPLE LEAF (75.9 inches) and Modern Shade (6.9 feet). A Weber Spirit stands 60.5 inches tall with the lid open, so every published figure clears it.

Every warranty here excludes the wind its listing advertises

So treat a wind number as the maker’s claim about an anchored frame and buy on the anchoring. The snow figures are no easier: Domi (22) and Modern Shade (20) rate pounds per square foot, while Backyard Discovery (2,100 lb) and PURPLE LEAF (2,500 lb) print a whole-roof total, which grows with the roof and does not compare.

The anchors in the box are not always the ones the manual wants

Domi ships stakes and tells you not to use them. The 8x5’s parts list includes eight “Post Anchor” ground stakes and no bolts. Two pages earlier, the same manual crosses out a stake and says “IMPORTANT: Anchor is not recommended”, then asks for 15 × 15 × 15 inch concrete footings and 1/4-inch expansion bolts, which you buy.

Modern Shade ties the warranty to the bolts. Its manual lists 8 concrete anchors (the listing and its own page say 16) and says that if the anchoring step “is not properly completed, this will void the warranty.”

Backyard Discovery includes concrete hardware, not deck screws. Its manual: “The hardware to mount the structure permanently to a wood deck is NOT included.”

Read the rating, then read what it counts

Two of the most-rated grill gazebos on Amazon show you a number that is not theirs, so we read each listing’s own written reviews with Amazon’s “this variant” filter:

• Kozyard 6’ × 8’ shows 4.3 stars across 842 ratings. Its recent reviews include a beige 5 × 8 fabric canopy (“The top completely disintegrated in less than 3 years”); the grey hardtop has 2 written reviews of its own and the brown has 1. Its warranty runs 365 days and excludes rust, wind and snow. Not carded.
• Aoxun’s 8x5 grill hardtop shows 4.0 across 835, with 1 written review for this gazebo; its 5 × 8 sibling shows 4.3 across 601, with none. Aoxun gives four different warranty answers across its pages and stores. Not carded.
• PURPLE LEAF’s 6x8 shares its 4.6 across 252 with 20 other sizes, most of them patio gazebos; this size has 8 written reviews, all 4 or 5 stars. Carded, with that said on the card.
• Domi’s 8x5 is sold on Amazon by three different storefronts, each with its own pooled count (144, 111, 87). We wired the one with the most reviews of its own: 24, of which 8 are critical.

Model	Best for	Roof	Frame	Under-roof height (maker)	Opening between posts (maker)	Wind rating (maker)	Warranty term	Owner rating	Price
Modern Shade 6' × 8' Grill Gazebo with Power Strip (Black)	Best grill gazebo — zero critical reviews among 36 written for this listing	Two-tier galvanized steel	Powder-coated aluminum, 3.9 in posts	6.9 ft (maker page)	Not published	83 mph (listing) vs 50–62 mph (maker page)	2 yr (maker site) / 1 yr (manual)	4.7★ / 257	Check price →
ABCCANOPY 6x8 Grill Hardtop Gazebo (Gray)	The tested one — Family Handyman put it up, and Amazon sells it	Galvanized steel, with a gutter	Powder-coated aluminum, 3 × 3 in triangular posts	Not published	Not published	Not published	1 yr frame / 6 mo top	4.4★ / 78	Check price →
PURPLE LEAF 6' × 8' Hardtop Grill Gazebo (Gray)	The 5-year roof — and the clearances on its drawing	Two-tier galvanized steel	Powder-coated aluminum, 3 × 3 in triangular posts	75.9 in (maker drawing)	83.3 × 57.8 in (maker drawing)	Not published	5 yr roof / 1 yr frame	4.6★ / 252	Check price →
Domi 8' × 5' Hardtop Grill Gazebo, Gable Roof (Brown)	Value pick — the best paper spec, if you can live with the tail	Two-tier galvanized steel	Galvanized steel per Domi (one owner: boxes say aluminum)	Not published	83.86 in at the base (manual)	40 mph	5 yr structure (webstore)	4.1★ / 144	Check price →
Backyard Discovery Saxony 8' × 5' Cedar Grill Gazebo with Steel Roof	The wood pick — clearances printed, on posts that burn	Galvanized steel, 29-gauge (listing), single slope	Cedar posts and beams	6 ft 2 7/16 in at the lowest beam (manual)	73.3 in between cedar posts (manual)	100 mph*, if anchored as the manual specifies	5 yr, parts only	4.6★ / 616	Check price →
MASTERCANOPY 8x5 Grill Gazebo with Steel Frame & 2 LED Lights (Brown)	SKIP — a fabric roof its own manual keeps away from open flames	Polyester fabric, two-tier vented	Powder-coated steel	Not published	Not published	Not published	1 yr frame / 6 mo top	4.3★ / 3,471	Check price →

Prices move constantly — any Amazon price shown is as of the date noted and subject to change; tap through for today's number.

Best overall: Modern Shade 6’ × 8’ Grill Gazebo

The grill gazebo with the best owner record we found, read on its own listing. Of its 36 written reviews, none is critical, none is a Vine freebie, and one owner in western North Carolina writes that “It survived a direct hit by Helene here in the mountains of Western NC with no damage.” It has a two-tier galvanized steel roof on a powder-coated aluminum frame with 3.9-inch posts, two shelves, a center hook, swing-out hooks, a paper towel rack, and a power strip with two outlets, USB and USB-C. It is one of three makers that print an under-roof height: 6.9 feet. On Amazon it is sold by Modern Shade at $399.90 against a $549.99 list, which is also what its own store charges.

Not for you if: you want a maker whose paperwork agrees with itself. The Amazon listing says 83 mph; Modern Shade’s own page says “up to 50–62 mph”. The site prints a 2-year warranty labelled an “Official Store Exclusive”; the November 2025 manual says 1 year, so an Amazon buyer may hold the shorter one. The manual asks for three people and 6 to 8 hours; the page says 3 to 6. No opening between the posts is published, so measure your grill against it.

Winner

Our top pick

Modern Shade 6' × 8' Grill Gazebo with Power Strip (Black)

Best grill gazebo — zero critical reviews among 36 written for this listing · 48 sq ft · aluminum frame, two-tier steel roof · outlets + USB-C · 4.7★ (257 Amazon)

Your pick if you grill on a concrete pad, want a steel roof and a power strip over the grill, and will bolt it down with the anchors in the box rather than lean on a wind number the maker prints two ways.

4.7 · 257 owner ratingsacross Amazon · 2026-10-25 · global base · listing-wide base

Check price at Amazon →

Sold and shipped by Modern Shade · 30-day refund/replacement · read 2026-10-15

Picked before we checked what this link pays us.

Verified owner · Amazon

“I bought this to put on my deck for shelter over my grill. … It survived a direct hit by Helene here in the mountains of Western NC with no damage.”

Modern Shade 6' × 8' Grill Gazebo with Power Strip (Black)

Best grill gazebo — zero critical reviews among 36 written for this listing

Your pick if you grill on a concrete pad, want a steel roof and a power strip over the grill, and will bolt it down with the anchors in the box rather than lean on a wind number the maker prints two ways.

4.7 · 257 owner ratingsAmazon · 2026-10-25 · global base · listing-wide base

“I bought this to put on my deck for shelter over my grill. … It survived a direct hit by Helene here in the mountains of Western NC with no damage.”— D. Ball, Amazon · Verified owner

Pros

• Zero critical reviews among the 36 written for this listing, and no Vine reviews
• One owner's grill gazebo came through Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina with no damage
• Prints an under-roof height (6.9 ft) and a snow rating per square foot (20 lb)
• Two outlets plus USB and USB-C on a post-mounted strip

Cons

• Its own pages disagree with each other: 83 mph on the listing, 'up to 50–62 mph' on the maker's page; 2 years of warranty on the site, 1 year in the manual
• The 2-year term is labelled an 'Official Store Exclusive', so an Amazon buyer may hold the manual's 1 year
• The manual says 3 or more people and 6–8 hours; the product page says 3–6 hours
• No published opening between the posts, so measure your grill against the drawing before you buy

Check price at Amazon →

Sold and shipped by Modern Shade · 30-day refund/replacement · read 2026-10-15

✓ Safety: no active recallNo CPSC recall names Modern Shade (RecallTitle and ProductName both 0, checked 2026-10-15 against the CPSC recall API; control: the one gazebo recall in the database, BJ's Berkley Jensen 24745, found at the start and end of the check).

The tested pick: ABCCANOPY 6x8 Grill Hardtop Gazebo

The only grill gazebo a credentialed outlet has put up. Family Handyman’s Caitlyn Fitzpatrick had two carpenters build this exact listing: “It took the two carpenters I hired to put it together over three hours from start to finish, so it’s a project you want to carve out time for.” She adds that some pre-drilled holes “didn’t align perfectly, so it took some effort to make it work.” It is sold and shipped by Amazon at $599.95, with a galvanized steel roof whose gutter runs rain down the posts, on 3-inch triangular aluminum posts. Its 78 ratings are the only base here that is neither pooled with other products nor counting foreign reviews.

The catch is in the five critical reviews: instructions owners call horrible, especially for the roof, a buyer missing every roof connector, and no phone number that answers. ABCCANOPY publishes no wind rating, snow rating or clearances, and its warranty is the shortest here: 1 year on the frame, 6 months on the top.

ABCCANOPY 6x8 Grill Hardtop Gazebo (Gray)

The tested one — Family Handyman put it up, and Amazon sells it

Your pick if you want the one grill gazebo a named tester has put up, sold and shipped by Amazon itself, and you have a second person, two ladders and an afternoon.

4.4 · 78 owner ratingsAmazon · 2026-10-15 · early data

“This is a nice, attractive product that is pretty well made and easy enough to assemble if you're handy. It took me about 3 hours being meticulous.”— Jihan S., Amazon · Verified owner

Pro review “It took the two carpenters I hired to put it together over three hours from start to finish, so it's a project you want to carve out time for.”— Caitlyn Fitzpatrick, Family Handyman

Pros

• The only grill gazebo with a named tester behind it: Family Handyman had two carpenters build it
• Sold and shipped by Amazon, with one offer on the listing
• A roof gutter that runs rain down the posts instead of off the edge onto you
• 50 of its 78 ratings carry written reviews, all from US buyers and none from Vine — the only base here that is neither pooled nor global

Cons

• The tester's crew needed over three hours, and she reports pre-drilled holes that 'didn't align perfectly'
• Its critical reviews are instructions ('You need to be an engineer'), missing roof connectors and no phone number that answers
• Publishes no wind rating, snow rating, under-roof height or post opening
• The shortest warranty here: 1 year on the frame, 6 months on the top

What owners complain aboutAvoidable — read this first

Assembly: instructions owners call 'horrible', especially for the roof; one buyer missing every roof connector with no phone number to call.

5 of 50 written reviews are critical; 4 of the 5 are instructions or missing parts · critical reviews read 2026-10-15

Check price at Amazon →

Sold and shipped by Amazon · 30-day refund / replacement · read 2026-10-15

✓ Safety: no active recallNo CPSC recall names ABCCANOPY (RecallTitle and ProductName both 0, checked 2026-10-15 against the CPSC recall API; gazebo-recall control 24745 found at the start and end).

The 5-year roof pick: PURPLE LEAF 6’ × 8’ Hardtop Grill Gazebo

PURPLE LEAF covers the steel roof for 5 years and the frame for 1, and it prints the numbers you need to fit a grill: 83.3 by 57.8 inches between the posts and 75.9 inches to the roof’s underside. It is sold on Amazon by PURPLE LEAF’s own storefront at $699.99, less than its own store charges. All eight of this size’s written reviews are four or five stars, including “It is a perfect fit for my pellet grill/smoker.”

Eight is not a record. The 4.6 on the listing is shared with 20 other sizes, most of them patio gazebos, so it tells you about PURPLE LEAF more than about this gazebo. It has no wind rating, and its 2,500 lb snow figure is a whole-roof total.

PURPLE LEAF 6' × 8' Hardtop Grill Gazebo (Gray)

The 5-year roof — and the clearances on its drawing

Sold in 21 sizes on this listing (6×8 to 12×24 ft) — this card is the 6' × 8'. Check the size before you add to cart.

Your pick if your grill is wide and you want the roof warranty that runs longest — 5 years on the steel top — from a brand that sells it on Amazon itself, and you accept that this size has only a handful of reviews of its own.

4.6 · 252 owner ratingsAmazon · 2026-10-25 · listing-wide base

“This is a REALLY nice gazebo! It took my SIL about 5 hours to put together with occasional assistance from my daughter & another friend. It is a perfect fit for my pellet grill/smoker.”— Steven D Howard, Amazon · Verified owner

Pros

• 5 years on the steel roof — the longest term among the aluminum-frame picks
• Prints the numbers a grill buyer needs: 83.3 in between the posts and 75.9 in to the roof's underside
• Sold on Amazon by PURPLE LEAF itself, for less than its own store charges
• All 8 written reviews for this size are 4 or 5 stars; one calls it 'a perfect fit for my pellet grill/smoker'

Cons

• The 4.6 on the listing is shared by 21 sizes, most of them patio gazebos; this size has 8 written reviews of its own
• The frame gets 1 year, not 5
• No wind rating, and the snow figure is a whole-roof total
• The dimension drawing we read is on the bronze listing; the grey is the same size, so confirm against the box

Check price at Amazon →

Sold and shipped by PURPLELEAFSHOP · 30-day refund/replacement · read 2026-10-15

✓ Safety: no active recallNo CPSC recall names PURPLE LEAF (RecallTitle and ProductName both 0, checked 2026-10-15 against the CPSC recall API; gazebo-recall control 24745 found at the start and end).

Value pick: Domi 8’ × 5’ Hardtop Grill Gazebo

On paper the strongest gazebo here for the money: a galvanized steel frame and roof according to Domi’s own page, 22 pounds per square foot of snow, 40 mph of wind, and a 5-year warranty on the hardtop structure, at $348.99.

The owners tell a different story. Of the 24 written reviews for this listing, 8 are critical, and the sister listing has 9 of 20: protective film on every part that takes hours to peel (“Took them almost 5 hours just taking the plastic off it!”), dents on arrival, and screws “so small, most people’s hands can barely work with them”. One owner says the boxes were labelled aluminum while the listing says steel. The stakes in the box are the ones its manual says not to use. And it is sold on Amazon by Chinese trading storefronts with 77 and 65 percent positive feedback, while Domi’s 5-year term sits under a heading for purchases from Domi’s own webstore, which sells it for the same money.

Domi 8' × 5' Hardtop Grill Gazebo, Gable Roof (Brown)

Value pick — the best paper spec, if you can live with the tail

Your pick if you want a steel frame and a steel roof at the low end of the steel-roof range, with a snow rating per square foot, you will pour four concrete footings for it, and you can live with a seller that isn't Domi.

4.1 · 144 owner ratingsAmazon · 2026-10-15 · listing-wide base · global base

“Took them almost 5 hours just taking the plastic off it! total of 10 hours putting it together. Is sturdy, looks nice and works for what we needed, but man, was it horrible to just get it unwrapped.”— Kathy L Salow, Amazon · Verified owner

Pros

• A bottle opener, a center hook and two side shelves
• Rates snow per square foot (22 psf) and wind (40 mph) on its own page
• The listing's own detail table and Domi's page both say galvanized steel frame and roof
• Domi's own warranty runs 5 years on the hardtop structure

Cons

• The worst tail of the hardtops: hours of stuck-on film, dented parts on arrival, and screws 'so small most people's hands can barely work with them'
• The box ships ground stakes; Domi's own manual crosses them out and asks for 15 × 15 × 15 in concrete footings and bolts you buy
• Sold on Amazon by Chinese trading storefronts (77% and 65% positive), while the 5-year term is written for Domi webstore purchases
• The 4.1 on the listing is shared with other Domi gazebos; this size has 24 written reviews, 8 of them critical

What owners complain aboutDefect reports

Unboxing and assembly: protective film on every part that takes hours to peel, dents and damage on arrival, very small screws, instructions owners cannot follow; one owner says the boxes were labelled aluminum while the listing says steel.

8 of 24 written reviews for this size are critical (9 of 20 on the sister listing) · critical reviews read 2026-10-15

Check price at Amazon →

Sold and shipped by Fay outdoor life · 30-day refund/replacement · read 2026-10-15

✓ Safety: no active recallNo CPSC recall names Domi (RecallTitle 0; the one ProductName hit, 79022 'Hair Dryers Corrected by Companies', is a substring match, not this brand), checked 2026-10-15 against the CPSC recall API; gazebo-recall control 24745 found at the start and end.

Wood pick: Backyard Discovery Saxony 8’ × 5’ Cedar Grill Gazebo

The Saxony looks like a grill shack somebody built, and its manual prints both clearances: 6 ft 2 7/16 in under the lowest beam and 73.3 inches between the posts. It has a 29-gauge galvanized steel roof, steel bar tops, a PowerPort with three outlets and three USB ports, and a 5-year warranty. Amazon sells it at $899, against $1,199 list. Of the 72 written reviews for this size, 13 are critical, and they are about shipping damage, warped boards and missing brackets, not the structure failing.

The catch is the material. The posts are cedar, and as the arithmetic above shows, a full-size gas grill cannot keep its manual’s 24 inches from them inside this opening. Its warranty also excludes wind, counts rust as cosmetic, and makes a coat of sealant once or twice a year “a requirement of your warranty.”

Backyard Discovery Saxony 8' × 5' Cedar Grill Gazebo with Steel Roof

The wood pick — clearances printed, on posts that burn

Your pick if you want a wood grill shack that looks built rather than bought, and your grill is narrow enough to keep its manual’s side clearance from the cedar posts — measure first.

4.6 · 616 owner ratingsAmazon · 2026-10-15 · listing-wide base · global base

“We bought it to cover our BBQ. My son and husband put it together in about 3 hours. Its sturdy and well made. Looks great.”— Baerftn, Amazon · Verified owner

Pros

• Prints both clearances in its manual: 6 ft 2 7/16 in under the lowest beam, 73.3 in between the posts
• 5-year warranty from the maker, sold and shipped by Amazon
• PowerPort with 3 outlets and 3 USB ports
• 72 written reviews for this size, 13 of them critical — the tail is shipping damage and missing brackets, not failures

Cons

• The posts are cedar, and Backyard Discovery's own booklet says 'Wood is NOT flame retardant and will burn'
• A Weber Spirit E-325 is 48.3 in wide: in a 73.3 in opening that leaves about 12.5 in each side, against Weber's 24 in from combustible materials
• The 100 mph rating needs the anchoring in the manual, and the warranty excludes wind anyway
• More than twice the price of the steel-and-aluminum picks; the 4.6 is shared with other Backyard Discovery gazebos

What owners complain aboutDefect reports

Out of the box: damaged or warped wood, missing brackets and bolts, holes that had to be drilled out; one owner doubts the wood is cedar.

13 of 72 written reviews for this size are critical; none reports the structure failing in use · critical reviews read 2026-10-15

Check price at Amazon →

Sold and shipped by Amazon · 30-day refund / replacement · read 2026-10-15

✓ Safety: no active recallNo CPSC recall names this gazebo or a Backyard Discovery gazebo (RecallTitle 0; the one ProductName hit is 21747, Leisure Time Products Brutus swing sets), checked 2026-10-15 against the CPSC recall API; gazebo-recall control 24745 found at the start and end. Backyard Discovery's own safety booklet: 'Wood is NOT flame retardant and will burn.'

SKIP: MASTERCANOPY 8x5 Grill Gazebo

It is the most-reviewed grill gazebo on Amazon, at under a third of the price of the steel roofs, and its own manual says: “Do not use or store this item near open flames or flammable/combustible chemicals.” The listing says the 8 × 5 shade “provides enough space to set most kinds of grills.”

135 of the 351 written reviews for this colour are critical, and they are about the fabric: tops torn off in wind (“The bolts pulled right out of the metal”), canopies that hold water and sag, and owners who cannot buy a replacement top for this model. The top carries 6 months of warranty, may be prorated, and excludes wind.

MASTERCANOPY 8x5 Grill Gazebo with Steel Frame & 2 LED Lights (Brown)

SKIP: a fabric roof its own manual keeps away from open flames

Your pick if you only ever grill on an electric unit, take the top down before every storm, and treat the canopy as a one-summer part — because its own manual says to keep it away from open flames.

4.3 · 3,471 owner ratingsAmazon · 2026-10-15 · global base

“We had ours for approximately three months,had some high winds and the entire top was ripped off and I mean ripped. The bolts pulled right out of the metal.”— erin shannon, Amazon · Verified owner

Pros

• Under a third of the price of the steel-roof picks
• The deepest owner base in the class, 3,471 ratings
• Light enough (40.6 lb) that one person can take the top down before a storm

Cons

• Its own manual: 'Do not use or store this item near open flames' — while the listing says it fits 'most kinds of grills'
• 135 of 351 written reviews for this colour are critical: tops ripped off in wind, canopies that hold water and tear within a season or two
• Owners report MASTERCANOPY sells no replacement canopy for this model
• The top carries 6 months of warranty, prorated, and wind is excluded

What owners complain aboutLifespan

The fabric top: ripped off or torn by wind within months, holds water and sags in rain, wears out in a season or two, and owners cannot buy a replacement top for this model.

135 of 351 written reviews for this variant are critical · critical reviews read 2026-10-15

Check price at Amazon →

Sold and shipped by MASTERCANOPY · 30-day refund/replacement · read 2026-10-15

✓ Safety: no active recallNo CPSC recall names MASTERCANOPY (RecallTitle and ProductName both 0, checked 2026-10-15 against the CPSC recall API; gazebo-recall control 24745 found at the start and end). Its own manual: 'Do not use or store this item near open flames or flammable/combustible chemicals.'

Also read, and why they are not carded

• Backyard Discovery Rockport 8’ × 6’ (all steel, 4.8 stars across 64 ratings). The step-up if you want a steel frame and a published clearance (6 ft 1 1/4 in under the side beams), at more than three times the crown’s price.
• Sunjoy Hanscom 8x5 hardtop grill gazebo (sold out on Sunjoy’s own store when we read it). Its manual says “This gazebo is intended for decorative and sunshade purposes only, and it is not designed to withstand harsh weather, including high winds, rain, and snow,” and “Do not light any fires inside or near the product!”
• Kozyard 6’ × 8’ and Aoxun 8x5 and 5 × 8: ratings that are not their own (see above).
• Outsunny 8’ × 5’ double metal roof (26 ratings, one owner’s destroyed by Hurricane Melissa, no wind rating).
• Polycarbonate “hardtops” (Outsunny, Eagle Peak, Costway, Hanover): a plastic roof is combustible construction under the same manual wording, whatever the listing calls it.

The fire code, briefly

The International Fire Code’s section 308.1.4 bars “Charcoal burners and other open-flame cooking devices” within 10 feet of combustible construction, and its first exception is “One- and two-family dwellings.” It is written for apartments and condos, so do not let anyone tell you a 10-foot rule binds your backyard grill gazebo unless your city adopted a stricter version. Some have: San Antonio’s amendments reach a house that grills within 5 feet of an adjacent structure or neighboring property.

How to choose a grill gazebo

1. Read your grill’s manual first. Note the side clearance and the overhead rule. If it says no overhead combustible construction, buy a steel roof.
2. Measure your grill with the lid open, and compare it with the opening between the posts and the under-roof height. Four of these six makers print one or the other; for the rest, ask before you buy.
3. Keep curtains, netting and wood out of the clearance, and leave at least two sides open.
4. Plan the anchoring before the gazebo arrives. Concrete footings or a slab, and bolts if the box does not have them.
5. Buy on the owner record, not the star count. Read the reviews for the exact size you are buying.

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