Front ViewView out the Front Door
Date: 2019-04-02
Looking out the front door, at the three arches. I like how the arches aren't lined up in a row.
Anchor WeldsThe anchor posts
Date: 2019-03-14
I welded these plates on to the re-bar, to make it easy to bolt the posts on.
Anchor PaintThe anchor posts, painted
Date: 2019-03-14
Here are the posts, painted with the primer. After this step, I painted them black, but on the same portion. I think it's better to leave the bulk of the rebar unpainted, so it bonds to the concrete better.
Wild wood archA garden archway made of raw branches
Date: 2019-04-02
All three arches used to be raw wood like this, but this was the most solid one, and it's the only one we ended up keeping. The clearance is about the same as the others, but it feels lower because it's not square and is much wider. The branches were all trimmed from the tree in the background.
Three archesLooking out through three arches
Date: 2019-04-02
Here's a view toward the street, looking out through the three arches.
Wonky archA bunch of branches bolted together
Date: 2019-04-02
The branches stick out a bit into the pathway, but the path is wider there anyway, so it works out pretty well. The wheelbarrow clears just fine.
AnchorsPost anchors for the middle arch
Date: 2019-04-02
Here are the posts bolted to the anchor plates, and anchored in the wall.
Three ArchesThe front garden with three arches
Date: 2019-04-02
A view from the street of the front garden and the three arches. I didn't originally intend it this way, but the way it went together, there's a progression from milled lumber in the front to raw branches in the back. Kinda a neat effect!
Arch CableTension posts for the middle arch
Date: 2019-04-02
This arch was leaning over a bit, so I added a rope to pull it square. The two posts here provide the extra tension that I wasn't able to apply directly. The wedges keep them from slipping out of position.
Front ArchOur front archway
Date: 2019-04-02
I'm quite pleased with how the curved posts turned out. Fibonacci ratios for the brace lengths of course.
Post AnchorA post anchor without the moarter
Date: 2019-04-02
Here's how the post anchors look before I add the moarter to finish it off. The post-hole cement is a bit shattered here, since I had to bend these anchors quite a bit to get them to fit the correct arch spacing.
Middle archLooking outward from the middle arch
Date: 2019-04-02
I trimmed the edges of the cross-beam with a chainsaw.
Front StepsSo you can get to the door
Date: 2018-04-20
Without walking up the driveway. I've since added mortar to secure them, but they are all in the same place.
Front ArchesThree archways
Date: 2018-04-20
I'm not sold on the whole natural wood arches thing, but we'll see how it works for a bit. We can always put something else in later.
And in fact, that's what we ended up doing. This is how they looked before replacing the front two arches.
Big ArchThe big arch front arch
Date: 2018-04-20
This one turned out pretty neat though. It's all lag-bolted together, with minimal cuts.
Tree planterTwo Tier Raised Bed
Date: 2018-04-20
This raised bed is divided into two tiers. The upper one has a dwarf fruit tree that we're hoping to train to grow out over the walkway.
Bed beddingLeaves and branches
Date: 2018-04-20
We took a bunch of the leaves and branches from trimming the trees and put them in the base of the raised beds. Hopefully this will improve drainage and help to fertilize the beds.
Manure SoilSecond layer
Date: 2018-04-20
Over the leaves and branches, we're spreading a layer of horse-manure-enriched soil from the parent's house.
Laminated BoardAwning over the walkway
Date: 2018-04-20
Here's a better view of the curved laminated 2x4. What a pain that was to put together.
Plantingsgrowing in the raised beds
Date: 2018-04-20
Finally, after all the soil is in, we've planted some beans and things. Horay for gardening!
Front YardWith raised beds
Date: 2018-04-20
The front yard with the raised beds in place, steps leading up to the front door, a new number plate, and some arches.
Raised beds and awningFront Yard Raised Beds with awning over the walkway
Date: 2018-04-20
We liked the little awning that the previous owners had put up, so we made a matching one to extend over the walkway. The curved beam was a real pain, as I cut a 2x4 into four strips, and then glued them all back together in a curve. Probably should have just split some 1x4s instead, but it was a learning experience. Turned out pretty well anyway.
Raised BedsRaised Beds Empty
Date: 2018-04-20
The bricks are all sitting without moarter. We're planning on plastering them at some point, but want to wait until we're sure this is the setup that we want.
Plumbing ExampleIrrigation plumbing for the raised beds
Date: 2018-03-08
There was existing sprinkler lines in place, so I just hooked some new pipes up to the old threaded connectors and called it a day. I may have also broken a pipe or two in the process, which needed to be repaired.
Raised Beds revisedFront yard raised beds as assembled
Date: 2018-01-31
After I put all the bricks in place, it looked more like this than the plan, so I just revised the plan.
Front Yard Raised Beds
Date: 2017-12-21
If the bricks are in 6" courses and 18" ctc, this project will require about 750 of them.
