How to Build an Asian Garden Archway

A Japanese garden archway adds shape, variety and beauty to your garden.

An Asian garden archway, or garden arbor, adds shape, variety and a focal point to your home landscape design or defines the entrance to your garden with a simple, beautiful and original entryway. It is a do-it-yourself project that can be completed over a weekend. Building your own Asian-inspired garden archway is a cost-effective way to make your garden tranquil and beautiful.

Things You'll Need

• Shovel
• Concrete
• Four 4-by-4 wood posts
• Two 4-by-8 wood beams
• Four 2-by-4 wood rafters
• Temporary brace
• Carpenter's level
• Wood clamps
• Circular saw or handsaw
• Chisel
• Drill
• 8½-inch galvanized coach/carriage bolts
• 4-inch galvanized nails
• Hammer
• Clear wood sealer
• Stepladder (optional)
• Pencil (optional)
• Jigsaw (optional)

Instructions

1. Pre-cut the posts, beams and rafters to save time. Decide where you'd like to position your archway, and then dig four postholes at least 3 feet deep. Set the foundation in concrete. Using a temporary brace and a carpenter's level, hold the posts in a vertical position while the concrete sets, (It typically takes concrete about 24 hours to fully set.)

2. Clamp the arbor beam using wood clamps, then trench by setting the blade on a circular saw to the required depth and making repeated saw cuts across the beam where the trench is to go. Finish by chiseling out the grooves with a sharp chisel. The more saw cuts, the easier it is to chisel.

3. Position the two arbor beams. Using a drill, bolt the beams to the top of the posts with 1/2-inch galvanized coach/carriage bolts. Use two bolts at each meeting of the beams and posts, eight in all.

4. Clamp the four rafters together to trench them in the same manner as you trenched the beams in Step 2.

5. Position the rafters in place on top of the beams. Fix the rafters in place with several 4-inch galvanized nails through the top of the rafters and into the beams. If you'd like, the wooden crosspieces can feature a design at the ends. Drawn patterns with a pencil and cut the design with a jigsaw.

6. Protect the arbor from the elements by coating the wood with a clear wood sealer. After the finish dries, you can enjoy your archway. Enhance the archway's sheltering quality by adding climbing vines or simply set a few potted plants around the base to help the arbor blend in with the environment.

Tips & Warnings

• Wear safety goggles when cutting or sanding wood.

• If you use a stepladder, have someone steady it when you climb.

References

• Japanese Gardening Secrets: Using an Arbor to Beautify Your Garden
• Learn About Garden Sheds: Greenhouses and Arbors
• Build Eazy: How to Build an Arbor

Resources

• Shaw Creek General Store: Cedar Oriental Arbor Plans