Wood Arbors, Plant Trellis & Pergolas - How to - Designing and Planning

If you are planning outdoor landscaping, a new deck or wanting to dress up your yard consider adding an arbor or trellis to the entrance area or near a patio, pool or deck area. These decorative landscape structures are a timeless element of design and will give your yard an inviting feeling as people approach and pass thru the arbor or trellis. Most arbors and pergolas are made of wood and can be custom designed to your needs. An arbor may have an arched or other shaped top and can include a trellis going down each side for climbing flowers and plants. A pergola is a wood framed structure with open sides and slats of wood spaced apart on the top area as an open frame roof as to give a semi shaded area underneath. Pergolas make great focal points and a place for hardscapes to blend into your landscape to set the theme of the yard design. Arbors and pergolas can be accented by adding walks or stepping stones leading to and from them to give a park like setting and can incorporate benches, seating or small tables.

There are many styles of ready made arbors that you can purchase already assembled or assemble yourself and are available in different wood species like redwood, cedar, pressure treated, and solid vinyl. If you are handy you can build it yourself and customize the size, shape and style to your decor. For larger pergolas it is suggested to hire a carpenter or contractor to build it for you as they are able to design and give ideas of the many choices. If you are planning to build a wood deck this is the time to consider adding a trellis or pergola into the decks features. You may want to consider building a free standing pergola separate from your deck to match the new or existing design. Adding a raised deck floor to the pergola gives dimension to the shape and accents the features more than having it at grade level. If you are keeping it at grade level consider using pavers, stone or decorative concrete for the bottom surface.

The Arbor entranceway pictured in the photos was designed and built by me. I wanted something unique in this area to enhance the surrounding plant landscape. Seating or lattice work also gives a very inviting appearance and suggests a comfortable area to sit and have conversations with your friends or family. The arched top design makes a definite statement and is the focal point of the arbor. The arbor is an entrance to the yard and flower garden. The arches were made by bending and laminating layers of ¾" plywood with equally spaced saw kerf cuts halfway thru the strips. Each layer of plywood was glued to each other and bent around an arched wood form and held in place with wood clamps then screwed every 3-4" to hold the shape of the radius. The arched top is more difficult to build than a flat style top and would require the skills of a carpenter to fabricate the laminated rafters. The design of the custom sitting benches on each side adds character and uniqueness. Corner posts are 4x4 and are fluted on four sides with base trim applied adding more detail to the arbor. The overhanging roof rafters have a designed cut at all ends to further customize the look. The top boards are 5/4 x 3 narrow strips of solid wood.

For design ideas and information on how to build an arbor or trellis check a local home center or lumber yard for how to guides. As with many home improvements, doing it yourself has frustrations and rewards. Planning is the key to any successful project with a clear vision of what you want the finished project to look like. Collect as many design ideas as you can and then decide, depending on your skill level, of how much detail to put into your project. A simple design professionally built is more appealing than one with many details and poorly made.