Gazebo Netting and Curtain Replacements: Measure First, Because Fit Is the Return

Why listen to us: Zomg The Handyman crews have assembled 2,500+ gazebos across all of California, years of work that predates our current booking system. Since April 2026 alone that system logged 45 completed gazebo, pergola and canopy assemblies in 30 California cities and 129 written gazebo and pergola quotes, and those recent job sheets are the numbers quoted in these guides. We are not reviewing boxes we have never opened. Everything below comes from kits our crews stood up, squared and anchored, or from what customers asked us before buying. A pull-down screen install on a Mirador pergola in Orinda, a netting add-on to an Erommy 12x20 in Shafter and an additional screen on a 10x20 in San Diego were all separate line items this year, which is why this guide exists.

Quick Comparison

Our Picks

Why Netting Gets Returned

Because "12x14" on the netting box means the roof size of the gazebo it was designed for, and your posts are a foot inside that on each side. A universal 12x14 set may be sized for a 10.5 by 12.5 post rectangle or for a 12 by 14 one, and the listing rarely says which. The second reason is the hang method: track, hook, velcro loop or rod. The third is drop: a cedar kit's beam sits higher than an aluminum kit's.

Measure These Four Things

1. Post-to-post, each side. Outside face to outside face at the height the netting hangs. Write down all four.
2. Drop. Floor to the underside of the beam or the netting track. Netting should clear the floor by about an inch; curtains the same or puddle on purpose.
3. Hang method. Look up. A groove in the beam is a track (Sojag, Purple Leaf). Hooks or eyelets mean hooks. Nothing means you need a rod or a velcro wrap set.
4. Post shape and size. A 3 inch square aluminum post and a 6 inch cedar post take different wraps and corner zippers.

Then buy the brand kit that names your model if one exists. Universal only when the measurements match the listing's stated panel size, not its "fits 12x14" claim.

What the Crews See

Screens are a separate step. On our Shafter Erommy 12x20 the netting install was its own line; in San Diego an additional screen was added to a 10x20; in Orinda a customer booked only the pull-down screen install on an existing Mirador. Netting and screens go on after the structure is squared and anchored, and they go on straighter when the structure is.

Wind. Curtains and privacy walls turn a gazebo into a sail. Our wind guide says keep the windward side open; the practical version is tie-backs and a plan to take panels down when gusts are forecast.

Measure Before You Buy (Cuts Returns)

Big outdoor kits are the items most likely to go back, and almost every return we hear about is a fit problem, not a quality problem. Spend ten minutes with a tape before you order. For netting and curtains the measurement that matters is post-to-post and floor-to-beam, not the roof size on the box.

• Roof size is not post size. A "12x14" is the roof. The posts sit inside that line, and the eave sticks out past the posts on every side. Measure the pad for the roof and leave at least 2 to 3 feet of walk-around beyond the roof line so you can mow, open a gate and get the roof panels up on ladders.
• Height clearance. Check eaves, fence tops, the patio cover you already have and tree limbs. One of our jobs was moving a pergola 40 feet across a slab to clear a 10 foot lemon tree with a pergola that only had 7.5 feet of clearance. Measure the highest point of the roof on the spec sheet, then add a foot for the crew to lift panels into place.
• What is under it. Anchoring came up in 176 of the 313 gazebo records we pulled, more than any other topic. A level concrete slab is the easy case. Pavers are not a foundation: they shift, so we drill through to the base or pour footings. Dirt, grass or decomposed granite means poured footings (we did 29 footing conversations in this window). A wood deck means through-bolting to joists, never to the deck boards.
• Is the slab level? Leveling or an uneven pad came up 27 times. Lay a long level or a straight board across the pad in both directions. A slab that drops an inch over 12 feet still works, but tell the crew so they bring shims and a plan.
• Permits and HOA. Many California cities exempt a detached, open-sided structure under 120 square feet (about 10x12) from a building permit, but setbacks from the property line still apply and HOAs can be stricter than the city. Larger units and anything bolted to a slab may need a permit. One customer in the Bay Area needed HOA architectural approval and a no-drill anchor plan before we could start. Read our California gazebo permit guide before you order.
• Delivery reality. These kits arrive on a pallet in many cartons and often get left in the driveway. Plan the path to the backyard: gate width, steps, side-yard width. Hauling the packaging away came up 51 times, so expect a lot of cardboard and foam.
• Wind. Wind was mentioned 23 times, and our own job notes say "anchoring for California wind conditions" because an unanchored roof is a sail. If you live in a Santa Ana, sundowner or coastal gust area, budget for anchoring from day one and lean toward a hardtop with a vented double roof.

Buy It, Then Let Zomg Stand It Up

Our crews assemble any brand you buy, from Amazon, Costco, Home Depot, Lowe's or Wayfair, anywhere in California. Gazebo and pergola assembly starts at $500 in our price book, louvered pergola installation starts at $999, and most finished jobs landed between $650 and $1,900 once anchoring, footings, old-structure takedown or haul-away were added. The crew squares it, levels it, anchors it for wind and takes the packaging away.

More on the service: gazebo assembly, Amazon gazebo assembly, Costco gazebo assembly, and what it costs in our gazebo assembly cost guide. Serving Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, Fresno, Sacramento and every city in between.

Our service areas: Gazebo Assembly in Los Angeles · Gazebo Assembly in San Diego · Gazebo Assembly in Irvine