Check out this versatile DIY product as a time hack to skip directly to summer chillin'
You might have dreams about lazy summer days in hammocks, sipping cold drinks, and reading some fluffy novel, but what's in the way of making those fantasies a reality? Your rotting deck? A lack of space? Money? Well, no matter what's standing in the way of your ideal summer space, there is one product which just might help make your summer dreams come true.
Today we are going to talk about everything TOJA. This amazing Canadian company has (in my opinion) created an incredibly versatile and sexy product which has me constantly dreaming up new outdoor spaces I can create. So, let's start with the basics:
TOJA is not pronounced with the 'J.' Think less Toe-jah, and more Tow-yah
It's made in Canada
The cost of the system does not include the wood
The brackets are made of 14 gauge Canadian steel
The system is very customizable
They make outdoor furniture as well
The price for the components is at a premium (hold your judgement on this one)
It's DIY ready
I am not affiliated with Toja in any way, so I can tell you that my opinion of their product is from personal experience. I own the Toja 4x4 pergola with two shade sails. I was also an assembler at a big box store, and I have experience with the 6x6 product, sails, vertical, and horizontal slats. And if you can imagine, because I was an assembler, I also have lots of experience with competitive products in this space including pergolas, gazebos, and other outdoor shade products. We are going to get into a side by side on those later in this blog.
The Good
There is so much to love about the Toja Grid family of products, it would be hard to list them all. You can create beautiful spaces limited only by your imagination and your wallet, without a massive investment of time or resources. You absolutely don't need to hire anyone for this. If you have a level, a drill, a ladder, and willing accomplices to help you with lifting up the walls, you are good to go. It's a DIYers dream.
Beyond how pretty all of the different Toja configurations can be, I love the fact that you have variations for awkward places. When you go to the big box stores, you are typically looking at 10x10 or 12x12 gazebos, but what do you do if your space can't accommodate something like that? Well the Toja grid can be cut down to any size you may need. You can even get custom shade sails made to fit a non standard size, so you are covered for any awkward spaces.
And how fun are all the accessories you can get? A giant gazebo size hammock? Easy to install drink shelves? Optional mosquito netting? Yes please.
And Toja is constantly innovating. Their DIY furniture is both beautiful and comfortable, and limited releases to their bracket finishes like Corten steel mean that your imagination is constantly being peaked to try new ideas.
The Bad
There are only two things I can really put into the 'bad' category for Toja.
1) Cost
2) The screw caps
So let's talk cost, because I actually think all the negative comments about Toja pricing is not entirely fair. A basic kit with 4x4 brackets and one shade sail costs around $940 CDN. Then you still have to buy the wood. 8 4x4 posts which cost about $22 each, will set you back another $176, so after tax, your total investment is: $1283. Yikes right??
Well let's take a minute to talk about it. The installation is DIY, so it's free. The time investment is an hour or two, and very few tools are needed. It is a premium product with a limited 5 year warranty, but mine has survived two hurricanes so far so I'm going to say the brackets are built to last. The shade sails are legit. I can't even describe the impressive quality of the sails, and compared to the flimsy materials I have seen on other gazebos, these are top notch.
In comparison, a big box store gazebo starts at about $600, but what I would consider to be a quality product that compares somewhat to the Toja prices out at $2200. And since I have experience with those gazebos, I can tell you that even the expensive ones are not stellar in quality. They are still DIY, and take a day or two to assemble, but they are not easily taken down for high winds or snow loads, where the Toja sail can be taken down in minutes. Those other products also have lots of metal pieces which bend and break, and getting replacement parts can be an issue. Like the Toja, mosquito nets and accessories are typically sold separately, so for any of the options, there are additional costs to get exactly what you want.
The Toja crushes the competition when it comes to longevity.
The second thing which bothers me about the Toja are the screw cap covers. They are great in theory because the screws are bright and shiny and the brackets are powder coated black, so you do want them to match.
But the little caps pop off. It's pretty annoying because it happens a lot, and then you have half the screws with black caps, and the others are bright silver. I don't like imperfections like that on my products, so I don't enjoy that. It seems to me that since the gazebo kits only use brackets, screws and caps, they could fix the cap issue. Or better yet, powder coat the screw heads black so if the cap does fall off, it's not so glaring.
The conclusion
In my opinion, the Toja family of products is one of the greatest innovations for outdoor living in recent years.
It's versatile
It can be changed and adapted to your changing needs and style
If you move, it can be disassembled easily and taken with you, unlike that gazebo you paid thousands for.
If the wood warps it can be replaced without throwing out the whole system
It has very few parts, but if the parts need replacing, they are easy to get
You can customize it in so many ways, including getting custom shade sails for irregular sizes
Snow loads and high winds are handled easily by simply removing the shade sails unlike that big box gazebo which is very cumbersome to dismantle and is always getting damaged by extreme weather
So if you are considering the Toja, make sure you do an in depth analysis on cost compared to other gazebos or custom builds. You should factor in the time savings, the fact that you can DIY, that you can adapt and change the system over the years instead of replacing your whole gazebo, and that individual parts can be replaced rather than the whole system.
Oh and it's beautiful.
So I hope this has helped you see what an amazing option Toja is to make your outdoor dream spaces a reality. Check them out directly here, and you can also find their product at many big box stores. If you do buy a Toja, or any other outdoor structure, and you need advice, please reach out to a pro on The Project Garage. Just don't be surprised when I call you back from my Toja hammock. What can I say? Let's call it product research.
Happy summering.
© Stephanie Paraskevopulos for The Project Garage 2023
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