As soon as it comes to decorating the garden with some decorative elements, in our imagination (it’s not clear why) pictures immediately appear with smiling clay gnomes, with cute frog princesses and the like. But is it really enough for our imagination to do such trivial things? Instead of arranging some mythical character under each bush, you can try to turn the garden itself into a small, fabulous place. Let us now consider an element such as garden bridges, which, if you create, you can create a path to an amazing country of colorful dreams and dreams..
Content
- Options for designs and materials
- Where to place the garden bridge
- Preparation for work
- The process of manufacturing a model with arched support beams
Options for designs and materials
This device can be made of several different materials. Moreover, they can be very successfully combined with each other, without limiting yourself to only two components:
- wood;
- metal;
- a natural stone;
- fake diamond;
- concrete.
For self-production, wood is most often chosen, it is the easiest to process. Concrete and stone structures are slightly inferior in popularity. When erecting them, the work is complicated by the installation of support pillars and platforms. It is only possible to create such a structure of metal on your own only if you have experience and knowledge in the steel industry. Most often, individual items are simply purchased in specialized stores.
This structure is classified not only by the material of its manufacture, but also by the type of its construction:
- with direct support beam;
- with an arcuate support beam;
- with a zigzag path;
- with step-by-step laying;
- with step lifting;
- with a suspended track.
The easiest way to build, of course, is the first option, but it will look advantageous only if there is a pond or a dry channel under its base. The fourth option is also simple to manufacture, but you can also make it only if you have a real stream. Having performed it simply on the ground, you will end up with a regular stone-paved path. The remaining options are almost identical in terms of complexity.
This model is made in a very cunning way. The heaviest part of the structure is located on hard ground, and its overhanging part is made of light material. So the owner avoided the need to build support pillars
Where to place the garden bridge
If there are no ponds on the site, and the construction of them is not included in your plans, you should not be upset and begin to say goodbye with the thought of erecting this nice design. As practice shows, as well as many examples of photos of garden bridges, they can calmly be placed simply on the ground. But for a more spectacular spectacle, it is necessary to choose the appropriate conditions.
- Dry creek
This unusual decorating technique looks like a winding shallow channel, which is filled with simple or colored pebbles. In the middle of such a “stream” small islands of stunted plants can peek.
- Flower bed
This construction looks most advantageous over large oval or rectangular flower beds. Flowers are rarely planted under the building itself, since a constant shadow will make it a little plant to its liking. In order for this bald spot not to catch the eye, very tall plants with dense green mass are planted near the sides of the bridge. The closer we get to the edges of the flowerbed, the lower grades of flowers we choose for planting.
- In the middle of the garden path
Small homemade garden bridges can be placed just in the middle of the aisle between flower beds and flower beds. It is very important that in this case very large and bulky models are not installed, otherwise they will look too inappropriate.
This kind of product can perfectly complement the design of the garden, made in the style of country. It not only looks very original, but also completely elementary in terms of manufacturing
Preparation for work
We will need such materials and tools:
- edged boards (width – 20 cm, thickness – 5 cm, length equal to the desired length of the future structure);
- anchor corners;
- self-tapping screws;
- mounting wooden battens (2.5×5 cm);
- sandpaper;
- antiseptic impregnation;
- yacht varnish and wood glue;
- drill;
- hand saw or jigsaw;
- wooden pegs (diameter – 1-2 cm).
The process of manufacturing a model with arched support beams
First, make a sketch of the garden bridge, sketch on paper at least an approximate view of the structure. Thinking over the details of the device, facilitate future work by making the side rails not arched, but straight. They will not be placed from the beginning to the end of the transition, but only at the highest point of the bridge.
On a large trim of old wallpaper, we draw a support beam in real scale. Observe the proportions and evenness of the element. Then we cut the drawing along the contour and cut it into small (about 40 cm) parts. We attach each part to the edged board, circle it and cut the part already from the tree. Having prepared all the components, we proceed to their processing.
We remove all large irregularities and bulges by sanding with sandpaper, it should be coarse-grained. After that, it is necessary to make a finishing fit using the same material, but only with fine grain. Then we collect all the elements together in the correct order.
At a distance of five centimeters from the upper and lower sides of the elements, we make notes (strictly horizontal lines). In these places (ribs of individual segments) we drill holes. We clean them from shavings, coat the peg with glue and insert its end into one segment, and the second end into the adjacent.
In addition to this, the places of contact of the two parts are fastened with anchor corners, which are screwed with self-tapping screws. One of the sides of the corner will be located on the lower side of the support beam, and the second on the inside.
Metal models need careful maintenance as much as those made of wood. Without processing them with protective equipment, you risk losing not only the decorative look of the product, but also its strength
Having done so two beams, we place them parallel to each other and begin to sheathe the mounting rails, which are already sawn to the required length elements. The step between them is 1-2 cm. It is done for a trouble-free rainwater flow. The work is completed by treating the product with an antiseptic and varnishing..
Knowing how to make an arch-type garden bridge is not at all difficult to make a straightforward model. A step-by-step version that is installed in the pond itself (if it is not very deep) is also easy to manufacture. To do this, you just need to make a good pebble pillow at the bottom of the stream and install large boulders on it with a flat surface. The distance between them should be such that an adult can easily step over from one stone to another..
