How to Build a Garden Archway

Archways or arbors can be eye-catching additions to your garden. These structures can be as simple or elaborate as you would like and can be made from almost any material. Many people use sturdy woods in their construction. You can also add materials you may already have in your garden, such as tree limbs, grapevines or sticks, to give your structure a more organic look. Using these materials is also a great way to recycle. For a simple garden archway, make a basic frame out of pressure-treated lumber, and add organic materials later.

Large flat sheet of scrap lumber
Jigsaw
2 2-by-6s pressure-treated lumber
Waterproof glue
Deck or wood screws
Electric screwdriver
Sandpaper
1-by-6 pressure-treated lumber
Nails
Hammer
4 4-by-4s pressure-treated lumber
Gravel, stone or cement
Twigs
Grapevines

Instructions

- 1
  Decide where you’ll put your archway and what its function will be. Its purpose will determine where it will be in your garden. If it will be supporting any type of vegetation, put your archway in a place that gets some sun and has enough drainage.
- 2
  Take your measurements. Measure a height for the main frame and a width for the arches. The height of the structure is at your discretion; 6 feet is average, though you may want to go to 7 feet to leave enough head room.
- 3
  Draw a sample arch on the large flat scrap wood sheet according to the measurements you took, and cut it out with a jigsaw. This will be your arch template.
- 4
  Make two arches—one for the front of the archway and one for the back. Lay the template on your work surface, and cut one 2-by-6 beam into several pieces. Place four pieces on top of the template, following its curve. Each archway will look like half an octagon. Place another layer of 2-by-6 pieces on top of that layer, making sure to rotate the pieces so that they are not directly on top of one another (in a brick-like pattern). Use waterproof glue and deck screws to attach the two layers. Be careful not to attach your template to the structure when using your electric screwdriver.
- 5
  Use the arch template to trace the curve of the arch on your layered pieces with a jigsaw. Sand the edges for a smooth finish.
- 6
  Take the other 2-by-6 beam, and cut it into two pieces. These pieces will connect the front and back of the arch. Use waterproof wood glue and wood screws to connect each piece to the base of the front and back of the arch on either side. The arch should now be able to stand up on its own.
- 7
  Cut the 1-by-6 pressure-treated board into several 1-inch-wide strips the length of the arch, and space these strips equally along the entire arch. Nail each one into place with a hammer.
- 8
  Dig four holes in the ground approximately 7 to 8 inches deep where you want the side supports of your archway to be. Make sure the distance between these posts matches the distance between the front and back of the arch that you created. Put the 4-by-4s into the holes, and use gravel, stone or cement as fill to stabilize them. You may want to leave the natural wood finish or apply some paint later on.
- 9
  Fit the arch on top of the posts, and attach with waterproof glue and wood or deck screws. Nail more 1-inch strips from the 1-by-6 pressure-treated board along the sides of the frame.
- 10
  Decorate your archway with twigs, grapevines or anything else you can find in your garden to give it an organic look.

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