We make a bridge for giving with our own hands
To enjoy comfort and peace in your own country, you will first have to make a lot of efforts to improve the territory. To do this, you need to work with the landscape, which can be decorated with different techniques, even in a very limited area. For example, a small pond or a modest brook will delight the eye. And having created a reservoir, many are ready to move on and are thinking about how to make a bridge on a pond. Let’s deal with this question together.
Content
- Choose materials
- Pond bridge shape options
- Where to settle the bridge on the site
- The simplest version of the design
Choose materials
To make such a design, you first need to find out what materials will be needed for it. By the way, bridges can be made the most diverse. Of course, they ask for constructions made of natural materials – wood and stone – to the summer cottage. They fit well into any landscape and look as natural as possible..
But this does not mean at all that stone and wood as materials for the bridge will have to limit their imagination. You can safely use both metal and glass. Even a material such as concrete can be the basis for an exquisite design if the developer is creative in the project..
When choosing a material for making a bridge, you need to remember not only how he can play in skilled hands. It is worth thinking about practicality issues. For example, a tree will have to be treated with special substances so that it can withstand temperature changes for many years, precipitation – the vagaries of nature.
Stone products are considered very strong and reliable, however, it is worth recognizing that their manufacture requires special skills, as well as the use of special equipment. Instead of natural material, you can choose its artificial counterpart: it is easier to install.
The bridge on the summer cottage will then look beautiful when they work on his project for a long time and thoroughly. For example, you can include a sketch in the plan of your cottage to imagine how the structure will look in reality
Metal is considered a very strong material. But it is worth remembering that it is subject to corrosion damage. That is why the metal bridge needs to be treated with protective agents. Then it will please with its durability.
Pond bridge shape options
Before you make a bridge with your own hands, you will have to smash your head over the question of exactly what shape to give it. After all, fantasy can be almost unlimited. But before choosing a specific design, it’s worth evaluating your own strengths: can you implement a complex project.
For example, in their configuration, bridges can be the simplest – straight. A beginner in the construction industry will probably cope with this task.
If you want to adopt the traditions of the East, then you can build a zigzag construction. She was considered reliable protection from evil spirits who wandered on them and could not harm the owners.
Arched structures look elegant and very exquisite. If you approach their construction with skill, you can create an airy design that will not leave anyone indifferent.
If your site has a very modest body of water or a dry stream, then it’s easier to make a step bridge that will decorate the landscape. Especially curious it will seem to kids who like to jump on such a structure. Naturally, the distance between the individual sections should be such that a person can easily move from one to another.
A step bridge looks interesting if it is made of stone slabs or wood.
Stepped bridges look beautiful and unusual. In fact, they resemble something between a bridge and a staircase. This option can also be played in the form of an observation deck, if you think through the design in such a way that beautiful views of nature open from the bridge. But this solution is more suitable for a garden of impressive size than for a modest summer residence.
Finally, let us recall a design such as a suspension bridge. Of course, the idea to build it on your site will seem very tempting. But be sure to warn that work on such a project is complicated and not everyone can do it, because you will have to resort to complex calculations. It must be remembered that the suspension bridge must be absolutely safe for humans..
Where to settle the bridge on the site
If you decide to make bridges in the country with your own hands, you probably already know where the pond or stream will be. We hasten to please those who did not have time to equip a single pond on their site: the bridge will become an adornment of any landscape. Therefore, it can be built, even if there is no brook, no pond, or even a fountain in the country.
Let’s start with the traditional rules for placing bridges over ponds. They are located in the narrowest place of the water body. So you can immediately kill two birds with one stone, or rather, three. Firstly, a much smaller construction will be needed, and it will be easier for a novice builder to ensure its reliability. Secondly, small options look much neater. Third, you save material.
Any bridge should not only be made of durable materials, but also securely fixed. To do this, the concrete base is often poured, if we are talking about impressive ponds or high banks
Where is the bridge appropriate if there are no ponds at your dacha? For example, it can be erected over a natural ravine or ditch. Another solution is to build a structure near a flower garden or a spectacular flower bed. Finally, no one bothers to orientate and build bridges just above the country paths. Naturally, it’s worthwhile to think over everything in such a way that the structure fits naturally into the landscape and is safe – it’s unpleasant for anyone to trip over a small bridge, despite its attractiveness.
The simplest version of the design
We decided to make a decorative bridge in the country with our own hands? Let’s talk about the simplest option – a wooden structure without any frills, which even the most inexperienced people can handle.
For work, you need two strong and solid beams, which will fall from one bank to another, as well as transverse boards and nails for fixing them. Tools will also need a minimum – a chisel, a jigsaw, a hammer and a tape measure.
The boards to the beams must be fixed, leaving a small gap between them – about 1-2 centimeters. Thanks to this, neither dirt nor moisture will accumulate on the bridge. All materials must be treated with antiseptics and fire-retardants before installation..
To make it easier to work on the structure, it is worth making a detailed drawing indicating the dimensions that are needed for your site
Of course, someone will find such a design really quite unpretentious. But let us discover the secret of how to give it sophistication: to make the railing for the bridge unusual. Or create around such a landscape that will successfully beat the deliberate simplicity of your brainchild. If you work on your summer cottage with a soul, the result will surely be wonderful and will please both you and your loved ones!
