It may difficult to believe, but building an arbor for your landscape can
actually be quite inexpensive. If you keep the arbor small, to a two-post
size, you can have a very attractive landscape feature for a small cost.
Even the novice landscaper can build a small arbor without too much trouble
in about two days (three at the most). It can be a very rewarding project
that provides a sophisticated sense of beauty to your over all landscape
design.
Essential to building your arbor is thinking of it as five distinct
phases. This will help you break the project down into doable goals and
help you accomplish the task better. Breaking projects down into sections
also aids the landscaper, as he or she will find that the task does not
seem so daunting when done in bite-sized pieces. Additionally, a sense
of accomplishment at the end of each stage can help the landscaper stay
motivated throughout the project.
The first layer is to prepare the site for concrete placed under ground
to secure the structure. In order to lay the concrete, you need to first
get some things out of the way. Dig two holes where you want the posts
to stand. The holes should be one inch wide and three inches deep. Put
half an inch of gravel or crushed stone inside the holes. This will help
water drain away, preventing cracks in the concrete. Set one post in
each hole and lay a board on top of them. Use a carpenter’s level
to determine whether or not your posts are standing at equal heights.
Adjust, if necessary, until the level shows that your posts are equal
in height. You can use scrap lumber, nailed to the posts, to form temporary
stabilizers.
The second layer is anchoring your arbor posts (they should be 4x4 posts)
into the concrete. Before doing this, check again for equality in height
with the stabilizers in place and make your adjustments to the stabilizers
to adjust the height. Next, mix your concrete using concrete mix and
water from a garden hose in a wheelbarrow; a shovel stirs the concrete
to mix it well. Pour the concrete to fill each of the holes and allow
at least a day for the concrete to dry. You can remove the stabilizers
after the concrete has hardened.
Layer three of building your arbor consists of laying two 1x6 pieces
of wood along the sides at the top of the posts. These crosspieces should
be perpendicular to the posts, and they will be opposite each other,
one on the inner side and one on the outside. This creates a sandwiching
effect for the tops of the arbor posts, as they are surrounded by the
1x6 pieces of wood. If you would like, you can cut designs into the ends
of your crosspieces with a jigsaw for a piece of added flair.
The next layer, the fourth, consists of using 4x4 rafters to lie on
top of your 1x6 crosspieces. These will be perpendicular to the crosspieces,
and parallel to the line of the posts. There are five of them, only four
inches long, so you will need to cut your 2x4s into pieces of the proper
length. They should also be notched so that they fit tightly across the
crosspieces. Notching can help you adjust for level differences in the
rafters as well.
The final layer is the actual assembly of the arbor. Making sure that
everything is properly aligned can help you as you bore the holes necessary
for the arbor construction. You will need bolts that will go through
the posts and the crosspieces on either side, making sure that the one
bolt holds all three pieces of wood together. Additionally, you will
need to secure the rafters in place and add any finishing touches you
would like to add.
