There are many ways to delineate your back garden from your neighbours. One approach is to build a wall. A less intrusive method is building a wooden fence. A third way is to have a line of shrubs or miniature bushes with a gateway defining your property. A wooden garden arbour makes a great gateway. If you are not worried about security, you don't need a locked gate, just a simple arch.
First you need to figure out what kind of arbour you want to build. There are many places online and offline where you can find simple plans for your arbour. Each plan will depend on your skill levels at DIY. For instance, if you are a beginner, you might want to avoid having a complicated curved top to your gateway. There are plenty of designs which only require the minimal skills needed to put in a square roof.
What materials will you need for your wooden arbour? It really depends on the design. First the timber. You need four 4 x 4 pieces of timber for the main supports, several lengths of 2 x 6 for the braces and arches, and enough 1 x 6 to make a trellis work around the whole frame. Make sure your wood is pressure treated to ensure it lasts a long time. If you are going to plant the posts directly into the ground, you will need to dig the holes and buy some cement for fixing. Alternatively, you can use brackets if you are fixing to a solid base. It all depends how strong you need your arbour to be. Do you expect very high winds, or are you going to be tying your dog to it?
Other materials and tools you are going to need include screws and nails, along with a selection of hammers and screwdrivers. You will also need some wood glue and brushes, a drill, drill bits, some all-purpose clamps, a measuring tape, a square rule and levelling stick.
So whether you are looking to build your arbour as a gateway to your back garden or as a place to sit in the shade on those hot summers days, as long as you have some basic competence around woodworking tools and timber, you should have no problem putting your skills into this project. Depending on the size of the project and the amount of time you are willing to dedicate to completing it, it should not take more than two or three weeks to build a modest structure to completion.
