Building an arbor

danlightbulb

danlightbulb

danlightbulb

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Joined
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Birmingham
Planning to build a wooden garden arch/arbor to replace an old metal one that is almost falling over and which is carrying a mature climbing rose.

Just wondering if anyone's made one and what timber you used.

I was originally thinking 8 ft 3x3 posts, with 1 ft concreted in the ground leaving 7 ft above. But this might not be enough. I could instead go for 10 ft 4x4 posts possibly buried 2 ft into the ground which will make an 8ft tall structure. Obviously an intermediate size could be 4x4 posts 8ft long with 1 ft buried. I can also get 4x3 posts.

I don't want to dig down more than 2 ft. Even that might be difficult hence originally planning for 1ft.

Top cross member was planning to be 6x2.

Would be built around a prefab piece of 6x2 trellis on each side. So the structure will be just over 2 ft front to back.
 
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The depth depends, its just a small structure with holes in so wind load isnt like a row of.fencing when you go 600mm deep. I wouldnt overthink it tbh.

Softwood fence posts will be fine, oak posts look better.
 
If I were you, I’d probably skip the 3x3 and, if you’re replacing a metal arch with a fully grown rose, go for a 4x4. Just so it doesn’t look a bit flimsy in a year or two. If you dig the posts about 45 cm deep and attach the top brace properly, 2.4 m seems sufficient to me. Drive-in stakes can work, but for a heavy rose I would still opt for posts set in the ground.
 
aVdub said:
Have you considered punch in Met-Posts
Click to expand...
Yeah looked them, don't seem to get much love online really. a lot of comments saying they work loose over time.

There's also concrete-in stub met posts. And I've seen concrete-in rebar type brackets that you then bolt the post onto.

It's probably a lot simpler just to concrete the posts directly in the ground I'm just not sure of the depth and appropriate height of the structure.

There's quite a few arbor making videos on you tube but almost all of them use 2x4.
 
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danlightbulb said:
Yeah looked them, don't seem to get much love online really. a lot of comments saying they work loose over time.

There's also concrete-in stub met posts. And I've seen concrete-in rebar type brackets that you then bolt the post onto.

It's probably a lot simpler just to concrete the posts directly in the ground I'm just not sure of the depth and appropriate height of the structure.

There's quite a few arbor making videos on you tube but almost all of them use 2x4.
Click to expand...
I've used them for fencing, the driftwood pier ends in my garden as well as the bbq table I built and so far haven't budged a cm.

It might be down to how well they are anchored
 
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@danlightbulb
I was looking for some stuff on B&M and noticed this, I tend to buy ready made garden stuff when I can (I find you end up with ready made to tweak/erect for the same as the materials let alone taking time into account) so thought it was worth letting you know in case you thought it was worth looking at

www.bmstores.co.uk

Brikdale Rose Arch

Birkdale Rose Arch. Create beauty and elegance in your garden with this Rowlinson Brikdale Rose Arch. Buy Garden Buildings at B&M.
www.bmstores.co.uk
 
Thanks, I'd seen similar. Looks so thin and flimsy, no extra space to bury it in the ground either. I think building my own will come in at around £150 but will be 4x4 posts, 6x2 cross beams, 2ft front to back instead of 1, and set in concrete.
 
Here's the design in sketchup:

image.png



Everything is 4x4 posts apart from the top decorative pieces which are 4x3.

Its 1m wide internal width, 1.5m wide across the top beams.

Doesn't look very wide really. I wonder if I need to go wider to 1.2m internal. Or perhaps a bit shorter as its 8.5 ft tall above ground.
 
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Revised the design to make it 7ft tall instead of 8ft. Means the side trellis pieces will now be 5ft instead of 6ft, have to cut them down slightly.

Everything else the same.

There is a second version using 3x3 uprights.

Which do you think looks better?

image.png
 
I'd make it wider if you are able to.... 1M is not very wide if you ever have to get things through it, especially when it begins to narrow as the plants grow.
 
Cool thanks both. I agree, and I think I will go 200mm wider as well, it looks better proportioned that way.

Here is the final design.

image.png



I will need:
4x 100x100x3000mm posts for the uprights and corner braces.
1x 100x100x2400mm post for the side panel top and bottom braces
2x 100x100x1800mm posts for the top horizonal cross members
3x 100x75x2400mm posts for the decorative top braces
2x 1800x600mm trellis panels

At my local merchants that is coming to £157.95.

Plus a few bags of ballast and cement, and some screws/coach screws to fix it all together.

Probably around £200 all in.


I think I will dig the holes before I order it all, just in case I can't get down 500-600mm in the spot I want it.
 
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