After we finished up our stone walkway, Jane and I thought a wooden arbor at the end of it would be nice touch. To see the original post on how we constructed the walkway, click here.
So I breezed through Lowe’s and Barnes and Noble to check out some do-it-yourself books on arbors. Guess what? It didn’t take me long to figure out that I didn’t have the expertise to build a wooden arbor. Well, at least one that would stand up straight and looked nice.
We hang out every Monday at So-Lina Auction. But one Monday Jane did not go with me. As luck would have it, I came upon a metal arbor. I bid, I bought, and I brought it home in my truck. Since Jane wasn’t with me, I thought that if she didn’t like it, we could stick it in the garden. Jane loved it so we were off and running.
To anchor the arbor in the ground, I cut four 2 ft. pieces of 1×6 boards. I bolted a board to each of the four legs. I had to remove some of the stones at the end of the walkway in order to set the arbor about 8 inches into the ground.
I had to run to Harbor Freight to get a 6 foot level to get everything nice and straight. After two bags of Quikrete, it was standing tall and straight.
I gave it a new coat of paint.
After the concrete set overnight, we put the top on the arbor. We reset the stones that I had moved. Then we headed to Amerson’s Nursery to get two Confederate Jasmine vines.
They’ve already grown a lot since this picture was taken. By the end of the summer, most of the arbor should be covered. I figured this project cost me about 10% of what it would have cost if I had tried to build one with wood.
I tidied up. This job is done. I like it. What do you think?
Linking up to:
Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style
Live from Windham’s Crossroads,
Leo
Shirley says
September 23, 2011 at 9:50 amMe ha encantado esa pérgola, me gustaría poder apreciar una foto ya cubierta con flores. Saludos
Amy@Maison Decor says
June 29, 2011 at 2:16 pmI am trying to figure out how to build an arbor right now! I bought two old salvage pillars and want to connect them with a metal arch…you have succeeded nicely in getting your arbor set up! It looks fantastic!
IDF says
June 29, 2011 at 1:50 pmBeautiful!
I think this arbor immediately adds an elegance and age that would take years of time for wood to achieve. And no future worries about the longevity of the wood in weather over the long run ~ a nice bonus…..
Can’t wait to see the vines progress over the course of the summer.
It’s a great auction find
** (and what would we do without harbor freight? lol) I’m not sure who spends more there, myself or my husband 🙂
jim says
June 29, 2011 at 7:28 amI love it!
Beverly says
June 28, 2011 at 8:14 pmLove it! I really love the way your walk came together this is the perfect accent for it.
laxsupermom says
June 28, 2011 at 7:43 pmLove it! Your arbor looks fantastic! I’m sure it’ll smell heavenly when the Jasmine is blooming. Thanks for sharing.
Dawn says
June 28, 2011 at 6:24 pmWow, fantastic project. I can’t wait to see the arbor covered with the blooming Jasmine. You made a money wise decision, wooden arbors that can withstand the weather can be pricey. I love it:)
Holley says
June 28, 2011 at 6:20 pmOh, I love it! And thank for the step-by-step on how to secure it.
Carol Samsel says
June 28, 2011 at 6:09 pmIt looks great and I’m betting it will look stunning when the vines are full grown!
Michele Smith says
June 28, 2011 at 6:05 pmI think it looks lovely, great job! I can’t wait to see how it looks covered in vines and flowers.
Have a happy 4th!
Kelsie says
June 28, 2011 at 6:03 pmIt is stunning and such a great find and seems perfect timing.
Blessings Kelsie