What You Don’t Know about Bali Gazebos
Sitting on a circular bench in a wooden bali gazebo surrounded by a Balinese tropical garden is like staying in one of the island’s palaces. With the presence of prefabricated gazebos and houses with alang-alang (thatched) roofs and other products from Bali, it is now possible to create the ambience and atmosphere of Bali anywhere in the world by importing these items along with statues, carvings and even textiles.
The number of companies producing prefab houses and gazebos is growing rapidly in Bali to cater to the increasing demands of those wanting to instantly “”Balinize”" their surroundings.
Bali Gazebos can be produced in various designs and forms depending on customers’ needs. Traditionally, most Bali Gazebos were freestanding. Therefore, it is easy to erect a single Bali Gazebo without having to link it to another structure, like a main building.
Most Bali Gazebos are now made with wood from Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Papua. Only alang-alang as the roof material is procured in Bali. For one 250-square-meter Bali Gazebo, at least 200 cubic meters of Bengkirai wood from Kalimantan is needed. As Bengkirai is relatively expensive and sometimes can be harder to find, most bali gazebos now use coconut wood and alang-alang for the roof. Bengkirai wood is only used for walls and flooring because the cutting for these parts must be precise. Making a simple, standard four-square-meter gazebo or house takes about one week, including the packing. Each cubic meter of wood costs about Rp 1 million (US$97).
A simple gazebo can be produced in just a couple of days and costs as low as Rp10 milion with the cheapest material. However, a more elaborate one can take around five months to finish and could cost around Rp 1 billion (over $110,000) for material only. Various technical problems as well as late delivery of materials can potentially hamper the completion of prefab Bali Gazebos.
The price of each gazebo usually does not include packaging and shipping. Clients have to pay these additional costs. Upon shipping an order, the company provides the client with a complete and informative CD ROM on how to construct the structures. With the advent of internet, it can also be downloaded from the company’s website.
Nowadays, Bali Gazebos have reached very wide markets, shipped to distant locations in Asian, European and African countries as well as the United States and Latin America.