On this page we present to you the plans to build 3 different arbors: arbor with wooden lattice, arbor with wooden trellis and arbor with wrought iron sides.

An arbor is a wooden vertical landscape structure most commonly found in gardens, yards, parks, etc. It can be placed at the entrance to a garden or in the middle of a garden or yard, decorated with a lattice or trellis for climbing plants, equipped with a built-in seat or swing, attached to a fence, structure or be freestanding. As you can see, there are many types of arbor, and all of them have one thing in common - they are a great decoration, and if you equip it with a seat it can give you hours of relaxation and satisfaction while sitting in its shade and watching your garden.

 

Garden arbor plans
Project type
Project difficulty
Medium
Skill level
for DIY enthusiasts
for intermediate experienced woodworker
Level of workshop equipment
Hobby - Hand tools and power tools
Applied woodworking joints
Interlocking joint
Fasteners
Miter joint
Dimensions

D 2000mm (78.74'') x W 3000mm (118.11'') x H 2355mm (92.72'')

 

Use construction lumber to make these arbors, if you have lumber of different dimensions than the ones you see in the plan, you need to adjust dimensions of a lumber. It's a very easy job. Arbors can be made from various types of lumber. The best solution is to buy weather resistant lumber (decay-resistant woods) such as cedar, redwood, cypress or similar, and if there is no such option, or it is very expensive, make yourselves an arbor from the lumber available to you and protect it from the elements with some quality coatings. You can also use pressure treated wood. Use exterior grade fasteners. 

The arbor design in the plan is adapted for installation on concrete footings, but it can also be installed on a flat concrete surface.

You can use these plans to create 3 different arbors of the dimensions provided in the plan, or to create an arbor of your original design. We do not mind, it is important that you will be satisfied with it for years to come and enjoy its beauty and the flowers or vines growing on it. If you decide to make these beautiful wooden arbors, they will definitely become the centerpiece decoration of your garden. They will endure a lifetime, bringing with them all the memories of carefree moments. These arbors will serve as a wonderful protection from the sun, while the overhead criss-crossed structure makes a perfect trellis for climbing plants like grapes, evergreen lonicera, morning glories, clematis and ivy or even a rose.

Arbor structure is very simple and usually consists of 4 posts, a simple slatted roof (canopy) and sides (trellises). An arbor can be made very quickly using a few portable power tolls and easy-to-find materials.
 
On this page we present to you the plans to build 3 different arbors:

  • Arbor with lattice
  • Arbor with trellis
  • Arbor with wrought iron sides

All 3 versions of the arbor structure in our plan are the same, the only difference being the sides structure. To make an arbor like this one requires average carpentry skills, common carpentry tools, and you will manage to build it in 3 - 4 days with plenty of break time.

 

Arbor with lattice plan
Arbor with lattice - Parts list
Arbor with lattice - Assembly drawing
Iron trellis arbor plan
Iron trellis arbor - Parts list
Iron trellis arbor - Assembly drawing
Wooden trellis arbor plan
Wooden trellis arbor - Parts list
Wooden trellis arbor - Assembly drawing

Installation

  • To start, make all the parts according to the drawings in the plan and purchase some  exterior grade fasteners.
  • On the flat ground mark the centers for four holes. The distances between the holes are defined in the plan drawings.
  • Dig holes centered on the marked locations, to the needed depth plus another 6in for a gravel. Pour 6in of gravel into each hole.
  • Put the posts in the holes and level them adding or removing gravel as needed. Then brace the posts. Fill the holes with concrete.
  • After the concrete cures, remove the bracing.
  • First mount the parts that form the top (canopy) and make sure they are horizontal, then mount the walls (trellis).

 

Finish

The arbor needs to be protected against humidity/moisture and sun.

  • The simplest finish is to paint the arbor with a color: for example with exterior acrylic paint, or first apply an alkyd primer and then coat the arbor with latex paint. This certainly is a simple solution, but in this way the wooden structure will lose its beauty because its color and texture will be covered. We think this to be the simplest, but also the visually worst solution.
  • Exterior oil stain
  • As sun protection, coat the arbor with a semi-transparent stain; when the stain dries, you can choose spar varnish or penetrating oil finish as the top coat.
  • There are a number of different weather-proofing products for wood available today; if you have no experience, we recommend that you go to a specialist store and ask for advice, or do some search on the Internet.

 

Download project (high resolution images)

Submitted by Ceh Jan