WHAT IT TAKES
TIME: 1 weekend
SKILL LEVEL: Intermediate
You don’t have to hire an architect to redesign your front entry to make it attractive and inviting. Sometimes a simple, inexpensive arbor or trellis will do the trick. This home featured a pretty brick facing . . . flanked by a big blank vinyl-sided wall that begged for screening. Our solution was to hide it behind a simple trellis. An even simpler version of the same design is used to frame an arbor that borders the sidewalk on both sides. This feature not only beautifies the entry but also guides guests to the front door.
Here, we’ll show you a simple technique that’ll allow you to build both projects. Photos 1 – 7 demonstrate the building of the open-sided arbors. Photos 8 – 10 show how to assemble the trellis. This truly is a relaxed weekend project. You just need to be able to dig a few holes and operate a circular saw and a screw gun. You cut and assemble everything in place, so it’s easy to measure and cut the pieces to fit as you go.
The bottom portions of the posts are made from three treated 2x4s to keep the dirt-bound parts from rotting. The center 2x4 is continuous to keep the posts strong, but we cut the outside 2x4s off just above grade so we could transition to better-looking cedar. We chose cedar for its natural rot resistance, its ability to hold paint and its stability. If cedar isn’t available in your area, use any naturally rot-resistant wood that’s available for the above-grade wood. Redwood and cypress are excellent substitutes. If you want to save, you could even use common construction-grade lumber. If you paint all sides and the cut ends before assembly, the project will last for years. Or build it entirely with treated wood. But keep in mind that treated wood is often of low quality and has a tendency to warp, twist and crack. It may not be as handsome down the road as other choices. And you also may have to wait weeks for the treated wood to dry well enough to hold paint.
We designed the trellis grid work with close spacing to support climbing plants. You can make your grid work with larger spaces, or tighter if the trellis alone will be the screen, without vines. We fastened the grid work high enough above the patio to allow space for a planter box below. If you’re building the grid work to look like ours, get five cedar 2x4 “rungs” (horizontal members; Figure A) long enough to span between posts. Also pick up three 8-ft.-long 2x2 pickets (verticals) for each foot of width, or rip them from 2x4s.
A 2x4 template makes quick work of marking accurate post positions and of setting the posts (Photo 1). Decide on the best footprint for the arbors and make the template dimensions to match the corners of the posts. Be sure to square up your template by matching diagonal measurements (distances between opposite corners should be the same) and then add a brace to keep it square. Use screws for fasteners so you can take the template apart easily after you’re through setting the posts.
Drive stakes into the ground at the corners to mark the holes and then set aside the template. Dig 8-in.-wide holes about 3 ft. deep and pack the bottom of each hole with a shovel handle so the posts won’t settle later. After the holes are dug, return the template to the same spot for setting the posts.
The template helps keep the posts plumb and aligned. Push the preassembled posts against the template and plumb each post in both directions. Toe-screw each one to the template to hold it plumb while you fill in the hole with soil (Photo 3). If the template moves around too much, just anchor it to the ground with a few temporary stakes.
Use a single 2x4 for a template when you’re setting the two posts for the trellis. Make sure the posts lie flat against the 2x4 to ensure that the post sides remain aligned. After plumbing each post with a level, add fill, packing it as you go. Fill the top 8 in. with concrete. If you’re going to quit for the day, mix the concrete now and collar each post with a half bag (60-lb. bags). Otherwise, go on to the next step, adding the cedar trim, and add the concrete later.
Start by cutting off the short treated 2x4s a couple of inches above the final grade (Photo 4). Be sure to account for the finished height, including sod, pavers or mulch. The idea is to keep the cedar above the ground to prevent rot.
Cut the 2x8 lintels to length and cut the decorative angles on the ends (Figure A). Support one of the leveled 2x8 lintels on temporary blocks at the desired height to mark the top of the center 2x4 for trimming (Photo 5). Before you take the 2x8 down, use a level and a long straightedge to transfer the post height to the posts on the opposite arbor. That way the arbor tops will match.
Installing the cedar cladding is simple; it’s just a matter of measuring, cutting and screwing the parts together. Photos 6 and 7 show you how.
If you’re building a trellis next to a wall as we did, you may not be able to fit a screw gun between the wall and the trellis to drive the screws. If so, just toe-screw those parts from the front.
Assemble the trellis exactly the same as the arbor, except leave off the 2x4 post trim on the inside of the posts as well as the outside 2x6 (Photo 9). Cut the horizontal rungs to fit between the posts and work out your picket spacing on one of them. This takes a bit of figuring; allow for the thickness of the inside 2x4 trim and try for even spacing. Or simply position a picket in the center and work out in both directions. Once you have the right pattern, transfer the layout to all of the horizontal rungs (Photo 8).
Photo 9 and Figure A show you the correct assembly order and the spacing we used for the rungs and pickets. Start with the bottom 2x4 blocks, screw a rung to the tops, then another block, another rung and so on. Cut 45-degree angles on the picket ends for a more decorative look if you choose. Tack up a temporary guide board parallel to the lintel to help align the pickets as you nail them up. That’ll keep them straight.