DIY Archway

I'm thinking of adding an archway to my back garden. I would then have a dedicated way of getting to and from my water butt. It would also help tidy up a dead space. The tree roots close to the surface make it virtually impossible to plant anything. It might as well be gravelled (or bark chipped or whatever). I have already done the rudimentary measurements.



I think it is very unlikely that I will be able to find a manufactured arch that will fit my measurements. Decent ready made arches also tend to be quite expensive. I was thinking I could buy 2 lengths of trellis that I could cut to shape and use as an upright and a overhead. I have some old fence posts I could use as supports and I can attach the overhead to the wooden frame of the cattery. My DIY skills are minimal but that sounds like the sort of thing I could handle.

G.

 

It depends on whether you want the top to be square or curved. Arches are hard to make.
I'd go for tanalised wood and construct it yourself.
Have the top lintel sitting on the uprights. So that the grain of the uprights is not exposed in an upright position.
Dig your sockets and wrap the base of the posts in clingfilm. A bag of postmix would be sufficient.
You can then "tart up" the uprights and lintel with trellis. Trellis isn't very strong and with a lot of foliage on it, if it isn't supported well enough, it'll blow over.

 

Hi @Doghouse Riley . Thanks for your input. What sort of materials would I be looking for? The simpler the structure the better.

G.

 

@Jack Sparrow as @Doghouse Riley says tanalised wood, maybe 3"x 3" for the posts 4"x 2" for the top or more if you want, something like this it's not to complicated, just do it to your desired measurements.

 

This is more than an arch, it's 16ft pergola, but the construction might give you some ideas.
The front has a double beam either side of two 4" X 4" uprights with triangular bracing pieces.
The exposed top of each post has a plywood "lid" to stop them rotting.

As the posts sit on the York stone patio. I made "elephant's feet" out of fine mix concrete to protect them. There's also a bead of silicone around the top of the foot where it meets the wood. This is because concrete shrinks as it dries and there would otherwise be tiny gap all the way round that would let water in.

The whole thing is rock solid. It will take my 12st. If I need to use it to get onto the flat roof of our lounge extension.

 

Another one for the back burner I think. I currently have at least 5 DIY projects on the go as well as all the tidying and planting that needs doing. The first job needs to be laying the hard standing area for the prospective greenhouse. It's a big job and I need to stop pottering around and bet stuck into it.

G.

 

You'll know when you're ready, a bit of sun and dry weather makes the world of difference.

 

On reflection I am now thinking that such a structure would take up too much space. I am wondering whether an obelisk with a climber would look just as good. It would add height and not take up too much room.

G.

 

Hi,
ready made arches could be a good starting point, the simple ones are not terribly expensive.

Amazon, £10.79

They all seem to be around 140cm wide, which is a comfortable width if you are carrying anything. 80cm is a bit narrow.

Those basic structures can be personalised and for example connected with beams and growing something that is happy in a large container over it (have I mentioned the evergreen honeysuckle Henryi once, or twice... ? It's my favourite, sorry)

That would give you an idea of the structure there, and later on you could build something more sophisticated if the cheapy ready made ones don't please you eye.

Also check local Gumtree, people are clearing out their gardens so you could find something to fit your needs, or that can be used as building material.

The only correct way to have projects is to have too many of them

 

Hi @Selleri I appreciate you taking the time to reply to me. The figure of 80cm is all the spaceI I have. That is why I marked it that way. I have decided not to go down the arch route. There is not a lot of room for one and for two, I dont believe the cattery is sturdy enough to support the weight of it. Instead I am going to put an obelisk there. I am hoping that will give an illusion of an archway next to what will be a gravel path. It will definitely add some much needed height.

G.

 

Made my own 20 years ago.....galvanised steel. Neat, robust, permanent
Wooden structures all ultimately rot and look a tad heavy I think