Step-by-step: Easy Arbor

Make it in an afternoon with ready made and prepainted pieces|Sharon Cohoon

Covered with dainty rose blossoms, the arbor in Tom and Juliette Domenici's garden in Huntington Beach, California, looks like it was custom-made. Actually, it was assembled from off-the-shelf pieces available at some home improvement centers.

Tom completed the arbor in less than five hours. The project cost around $300.

The arbor is formed by two ready-made wood arches spanned by 1-by-2s. Because Juliette wanted the arbor to support a 'Cécile Brunner' climbing rose, a fairly vigorous grower, Tom used 13 1-by-2s to connect the span. (Heavy, woody vines like wisteria would also require more substantial support.) For a lightweight annual vine, 7 1-by-2s would be sufficient. To discourage rot, the arbor rests on bricks to keep its wood base from touching the ground.

Each arch section has cozy seating inside. At the rear of each, Tom attached a lattice panel to support the rose canes, provide a backrest, and enclose the seat.