The Fraser

Yes — either. The bar installs on the left side or the right side of the gazebo (viewed from the front, with the tub entry facing you). It cannot sit on the back — the back panel is fixed, and the bar is designed for a side run with clear access for the stools.

The choice is made on the day of installation. Walk round the garden with the install team before they start and tell them which side — most customers pick the side nearest the kitchen door or the BBQ, so the walk with drinks is the shortest. If you're self-building, the decision is yours at the build stage; the components aren't side-specific until assembly.

Yes — but it costs an extra £750, and we want to be transparent about why. To supply a third louvred side, we have to break into another gazebo to pull the extra louvre set; that second unit is then effectively short a louvre panel. The £750 covers the real cost of that, not a margin grab.

Honest framing on whether you should: the bar is genuinely useful as a social anchor — it's where non-bathing friends sit during a spa night so nobody's marooned on a deck chair. If your use case is more private (a home with no regular guests, a quieter spa practice) and you value the extra airflow/view, three louvred sides makes sense. If hot-tub parties or BBQs with friends are part of the plan, keep the bar. Call us before ordering if you want the 3-louvre spec so we can flag it on the crate.

The Fraser takes a hot tub up to 228 × 228 cm in cabinet footprint, and it's designed specifically around 7 ft (213 cm) tubs. That covers the vast majority of our acrylic hot tub range. At 7 ft there's comfortable clearance around the cabinet for climb-in, for the cover-lifter to swing, and for anyone walking around the tub.

At the 228 cm ceiling — an 84″ cabinet — the tub still fits, but clearance around the shell is tighter. Fine for climb-in; less comfortable for top-mount cover-lifter arcs on the largest models. If you're unsure, measure the cabinet exterior (including any corner radius) and call 01293 824 094 before ordering. We'd rather have that conversation than ship a shelter that's a squeeze.

Yes — and that's intentional. Peak height sits just under 3 m, specifically so a top-mount cover lifter still operates cleanly inside the gazebo on a 7 ft hot tub. You don't have to pick between "shelter" and "easy cover handling"; both work together.

One caveat: cover lifters vary in their lift arc. Most mainstream top-mount lifters on 7 ft tubs fit without drama, but if you're running an unusual aftermarket lifter with an especially tall swing, check its arc against the 3 m ceiling before ordering. Our team can talk you through whether a specific lifter clears.

Usually no. Peak height is just under 3 m and the Fraser is a freestanding garden structure — both of which place it comfortably inside the thresholds where most UK households don't need planning permission. In most gardens you can put the gazebo up without paperwork.

The honest caveat: planning rules vary by local council, and there are edge cases — listed buildings, conservation areas, AONBs, or sites close to a property boundary — where the usual thresholds don't apply. We're not planning officers, so if any of that sounds like your situation, check with your local council before ordering. A quick call to planning is free and definitive.

Either is fine — but it has to be solid and level. A purpose-poured concrete slab works; an existing level patio works (provided it's in good condition, not cracked or settling). What doesn't work: grass, sand, soft ground, loose-laid pavers, or a slope.

Minimum size: 3.05 × 3.05 m — the gazebo's own footprint. Build clearance: 3.5 × 3.5 m of clear space so installers can set ladders beside the gazebo to fit the roof. Ideal slab: 3.5 × 4 m, with the longer side on whichever side the bar will sit — so the stools land on hard surface rather than lopsided on grass, and can slide in and out cleanly.

Don't forget the 15–20 cm roof overhang beyond the footprint on every side — if you're siting close to a fence, wall, or your neighbour's boundary, offset the slab inward so the overhang doesn't cross the line.

No — most customers leave the Fraser freestanding and it's stable by weight alone. The composite is deliberately heavy, which is exactly why it holds its ground in a British gale where cheaper entry-tier rattan-style or folding gazebos get lifted.

Only a minority of very wind-exposed sites (open coastal plots, exposed hilltops, gardens with long fetch and no windbreak) choose to bolt down. Mounting points are built into the base for exactly that purpose. The one thing to flag: anchoring requires a kangaroo / SDS-Max demolition drill to go through concrete, and that drill is not included in our install service — you'd need to hire or borrow one. If your site is genuinely exposed, build that into the plan before delivery.

The Fraser is fussier than a hot tub on levelling. A hot tub tolerates up to 2″ of drop across its length and the water will still sit properly. The gazebo isn't about water — it's about the decorative edging strips that cover the raw roof edges. If the base isn't flat, those strips won't line up and installers end up cutting them to fit, which looks visibly uneven.

House rule of thumb: put a 1 m spirit level on the slab. As long as the bubble stays within its confines across the base, you're fine. If the bubble rolls past its marks, the slab isn't level enough and needs relaying or screeding before the gazebo lands. We'd rather you do that once, properly, than have installers try to compromise on site.

Two honest differences. First, zero maintenance. A wooden gazebo wants a coat of stain or varnish every year or two — miss a summer and it starts greying, catching damp, swelling at the joints. The Fraser is composite: no annual treatment, no sanding, no refinishing. Jet-wash it if it gets dusty; otherwise leave it alone for a decade.

Second, wind stability. Entry-tier rattan-style and folding garden gazebos are light — they rely on pegs, tensioned straps, or wall-anchors to stay put in a stiff wind, and even then they get lifted or racked in a proper gale. The Fraser is deliberately heavy composite; it sits through weather that wrecks cheaper shelters. Visually it also matches the cabinet finish on our acrylic hot tubs, which is something no general-market wooden or rattan gazebo does.

Flat-packed on a pallet, by standard pallet courier. Free mainland UK delivery typically lands within ~10 working days of order. The pallet is heavy (that weight is the point — it's what makes the gazebo wind-stable once built), so plan for two strong adults to help the driver unload, or arrange a hand-over with a neighbour if you'll be out.

Before the pallet arrives, the base needs to be down: solid, level, and sized to at least 3.05 × 3.05 m (ideally 3.5 × 4 m). If you're adding the install service at checkout, the fitters arrive after the pallet has landed and build on site — just tell them which side you want the bar on when they show up.

Yes. Our showroom is at Canada House, Unit 1, Salbrook Road, Redhill, Surrey · RH1 5GL. Ten minutes from Gatwick. Open Monday–Friday 9am–6pm and weekends 10am–4pm. Please call ahead (01293 824 094) if you want to walk around the Fraser — we'd rather confirm it's on display for your visit than have you drive over to an empty floor spot.