Improvising a covered walkway

A few years ago I rejigged my garden to lay a path across the lawn to reach the newly aquired shed at the far end.

The slabs were not particularly level when I layed them and they have moved since. I have toyed with the idea of creating a proper pathway but I wasn't sure how to landscaping it in. Also I was very reluctant to sacrifice anymore lawn.

My wife has recently expressed an interest in a pergola. I didn't I think I would find a space for one but the other day it hit me. I have recently bought an arch to go at the front of the house like the one in the picture below.

I worked out that I could fit 2 of these along my bit of path with a small gap in between. I would then have a specific shape that I could use to construct a properly landscaped path.



These are pictures that I borrowed from Pinterest to give me inspiration.

To save myself starting a really big job that I may never end, I thought I would buy the pergolas first and place them where I want them to live. This in itself would be an improvement aesthetically. I could then work on the pathway and landscaping in stages at a later date.

These are thoughts that are consuming me at the moment. If anybody has any comments, concerns or suggestions, I would appreciate the input.

G.

 

My first arch arrived today. There aren't any pre drilled holes. As I'm a complete dufus at DIY and I can't afford to damage it, I'm going to have to pay somebody to put it together. That kind of defeats the object. That will teach me to have such big ideas. Hopefully by the weekend I will have come up with a practical solution.

G.

 

Jack, it cant be "that" difficult to put together.
Have you got a cordless drill and a couple of drill bits .
Some screws of various sizes.

Think you need to concrete the posts in, how much have you got in the length to allow them to go into the ground?

 

Hi @pete The kit came with screws. I will look at it again when I've got time to do it properly. I have charged up my drill-driver in preparation. Before I make any holes, I will measure all the pieces carefully. Hopefully, if I can take my time, I will be ok.


I've bought these to secure it down. I have no idea how good they are. Some of the reviews say that the welding isn't very strong. I don't mind concrete but it would have to be done very neatly as I want to be able to plant around it (or them if I add a second one).

Before I permanently anchor anything down I want to stand it in situ long enough to see how it affects the light in the garden.

I will come back to it at the weekend, whether permitting.

G.

 

I wouldn´t call it simple DIY Jack, so if that´s not your comfort zone I think you´d be right to outsource it, if you can find the right person. And there´s the rub.
It sounds like you are feeling your way into this, but an overall plan and design does make things easier, and usually gives better results.
Assuming you will be growing plants up and over the woodwork, it would be an idea to prepare the ground first, as what´s under the lawn may not be very promising soil. As Pete says, concreting is advisable, especially when they get to be covered in foliage and face the wind.
Failing that metal brackets exist which you drive into the ground and fit your posts into -- they may be worth a look ... especially as the illustrated pergola has longer posts than you appear to have. Metal bracket into a concrete lump could be "belt and braces."
Wherever wood does go underground I would give it two good coats of bitumen paint.
Would a path which describes a graceful arc fit the bill?

... and definitely read Kipling´s poem "If" before commencing.

 

From looking at the picture of the components, it doesn't look that bad a challenge. Those sides are already assembled and to me, that would be the biggest pain, so you are saved that. Surely it came with some directions? I'd give it a go. Play with the parts to determine the logic of assembly and then have at it. You might make a few small boo boos with first but by the second, you'll be seasoned and get it together faster

 

I used those ground spikes years ago, they work, especially as it doesn't look like you have much spare length on the posts.
Biggest problem I found with them is getting them to go in straight and finally ending up in the place you want them especially when they hit a stone or two on the way down.

I ended up digging a hole and concreteing them in, the bags of post set are good for that.
You might need a club hammer and spirit level.

 

Pete´s making a vital point there Jack, all four posts need to be in exactly the right spot, one hitting a stone will possibly give you problems, so don´t cement one until they are all in place.
You´ll find makeshift plumb lines very useful for getting things vertical, hang them from a nail projecting from the the top of the post on two sides. I´ve made and installed a number of pergolas and similar, and any deviation from perpendicular will be all too obvious.
A G clamp and length of 2x2 for propping things up while you fasten them would come in handy.
I used to find unpredictable weather the worst part of jobs like this, hope you´re lucky ...

 

The other thing I worry about is any cables or drains, but you can kind of work that out depending on where your doing the job and any close manholes or drains.

 

I'm just wondering if what I first said was a fairly easy job might be starting to sound complicated.
Its still simple Jack, just one step at a time.

 

If it were me, I'd put the whole thing together and stand it where you will place it permanently. Use the kmpressions from it's weight as your marks for digging. Dig, make sure you've got the wholes uniform. Put a some stones in the bottom and with family and or friends plunk the thing in place. If needs be, use more stones to level. Then pour in the cement.

It might sound like an "old lady" method but sitting it on stones to level first might make it less stressful.

 

I will be putting it together long before I worry about how to keep it anchored down. I might not like it yet. My first concern will be the hole drilling. I'm conscious of splitting the wood. It wouldn't be the first time. My other concern is my inability to drill holes straight. Some of the drill holes are likely to come out at awkward angles.

Most of the screwing will be high up so it wouldn't be the end of the world if they weren't all perfectly neat but I would be disappointed. I don't want it to look like I did it.

The assembling bit I can do. I have a clear photo of the finished product and I know what goes where. I will be very vigilant and measure everything carefully.



In readiness, I have marked out the dimensions of the new path. I'm not yet sure how I'm going to do the path.


Needless to say, the plant pots and baskets will all have to come out.

G.

 

Jack, you will notice once the thing is assembled that the posts are not long enough to go in the ground. This design has them terminating in the metal shoe, just above the ground. However, driving those 8 metal spikes in place to an accuracy of a few millimetres, without hitting stones or worse a drain or sewage pipe is not a task I would undertake for a client after twenty years of this sort of thing— just too risky.
I would shorten the spikes and fit them to the posts (well slarted with bitumen) and suspend the pergola over two narrow trenches, 18 inches deep, one at each side. A couple of planks across supporting the trellis bottom should suffice. Once everything is straight and vertical, add concrete up to the bottom of the shoe — (sand cement and small stones) and leave for three days. That would be my approach.

and that´s how I did this one.