2×4 and More: How to Build a Garden Arbor Using Budget-Friendly Structural Lumber

Hey there Remodelaholics, and welcome to any new faces! We are so excited for this 2×4 and More week of projects because we have built a lot of things using inexpensive 2x4s and other structural lumber, so we love showing off the versatility of readily available lumber. Today we’re joining forces with some fellow DIY bloggers in a #2x4andMore Challenge to show the variety of projects you can build with basic boards — see all of the projects (and share yours) here or by scrolling to the bottom of this post, and be sure to subscribe by email or RSS and follow along over on Facebook and Instagram to see all of our 2×4 and More posts!

Two years ago my sister asked me to build her a garden arbor for her wedding reception. I recently realized that we have not blogged about it yet and this was the perfect week to talk about it.

When she asked me I thought that it would be a good challenge and a great gift for me to give to her for her wedding. I asked her what she wanted in an arbor design and she only had one small image that she liked. Here is the image that she gave me.

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She trusted me and knew that I would be able to come up with something great. So I started to look at the current design to see how I could build it.

I started sketching my version and this is what I came up with. (We also built a similar style garden arbor and trellis here.)

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As soon as I had a good idea of the design, I built a model in 3d to figure out how I was going to build it. One thing that I had to consider was building it in sections so I could transport it easily and rebuild it on site. It also had to be tall enough for them to stand under during the reception for greeting guests and for a good photo backdrop. I found that having a top and two side sections was to best option and corbels would end up holding it all together.

How to Build a Garden Arbor for a Wedding

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Click here to get a free printable version of this building plan

Plans with dimensions:

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Front View

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Side View

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Top View

Materials:

All pieces were made of redwood lumber purchased at our local hardware store.

(3) 2×4 – Redwood (ripped down for the trellis pieces)
(4) 4×4 – Redwood Posts
(2) 2×8 – Redwood (for the corbels)
(4) Post Brackets (This is what we used to attach to deck. You will have to find out what would work best for your situation.)
(50+) 2 1/2″ – Deck Screws
(20+) 1 1/4″ – Deck Screws
(1) Gal. – Stain ( I stained the pieces first then assembled it. Pick the color that works best for you.)
Wood Glue (I used wood glue to hold the side trellis pieces together.

Cut List:

Sides

(4) 96″x 3 1/2″ x 3 1/2″ – Posts
(2) 60″ x 1 1/2″ x 1″ – Long Middle Trellis
(4) 48″ x 1 1/2″ x 1″ – Short Side Trellis
(4) 16″ x 1 1/2″ x 1″ – Trellis Brackets
(2) 36″ x 5 1/2″ x 1 1/2″ – Top Side Bracket

Top Trellis and Corbels

(2) 96″ x 5 1/2″ x 1 1/2″ – Beams
(11) 24″ x 1 1/2″ x 1 1/2″ – Top Trellis
(4) 32″ x 7 1/4″ x 1 1/2″ – Corbels

Tools Used:

Circular saw
Table saw (for ripping 2×4 trellis pieces to width)
Jigsaw
Orbital sander
Drill
Drill bits
Tape Measure
Pencil
Saw horses

Construction Steps:

Cut Out All The Pieces

Start by cutting out all the pieces and shaping any ends. I started with the top trellis ends first. I sketched out the pattern on some card stock, cut out the pattern and transferred it on the ends of the 2×6 redwood. Once it was drawn on, I cut out the shape with a jigsaw.

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After it was cut to shape, I sanded it with an orbital sander. I also sanded the edges round for a softer look.

After all four ends of the top trellis beams were done, I started ripping the trellis pieces to shape. I ripped to top trellis pieces down to 1 1/2″ x 1 1/2″, on the table saw, and then ripped the side trellis pieces down a little thinner to 1″ widths. Then I cut all the pieces to length according the the sizes in the dimensions sections above.

Next I cut out the four corbels. I first drew out all the edges on the 2×8 board and left the arch for last.

Then for the arch, I screwed the board with the corbel pattern to another longer board. This was going to help me find the center point of the arch. I used my chalk line string connected to a screw at the center of the arch and with my pencil drew a nice smooth arch from each end point on the pattern.

Then I cut out the pattern with my jig saw and circular saw.

Next I sanded the edges smooth. Garden Arbor @remodelaholic 108

Assemble the Side Sections

I started with building the side trellis group for each side.

Next, I attached the top side bracket, to the posts at the right spacing of the legs. This brace was 5 1/2″ from the top of the two posts. The legs are spaced at 19″ from each outside edge.

Then I attached the side trellis to the side posts. Once you are done with one side, do the same thing for the other side and they will both be ready to go.

Assemble the Top Trellis Section

Now it’s time to build the third section of the garden arbor. Lay out the beams on their ends, mark out the spacing of the trellis boards and screw them to the top of the beams with 2 1/2″ deck screws. It would be best to pre-drill the holes on the trellis boards, to avoid splitting at the ends.

Here is what it looks like all together.

Assemble the Garden Arbor

Once all three sections were assembled, I was able to put it all together.

I started by leaning the top and side sections on their sides. Once they were square with one another I drove two screws through the front of the beam into the post.

After I screwed both sides together at the top on one side, I had a helper help me stand it up. Then I was able to screw the other side together. Next I was going to attach the corbels.

I made sure that everything was square, then I drove two screws in through the back of the corbel to the beam.

Once it was attached to the top of the beam, I screwed the corbel into the post. I pre-drilled a hole trough the bottom, at an angle and attached it to the post with a deck screw.

There you have it. This is what it looks like all built together.

This photo shows where we had it after we used it at my sisters wedding. She didn’t have a place for it after she got married so I found a place for it on my deck. This is where it stayed until recently when we changed things up and added a different style of deck structure. You can see that post here, if you haven’t seen that yet.