I’ve always liked building garden structures, but my business usually keeps me elbow deep in the restoration of Colonial and Victorian houses. So when a client with a big idea and a tiny budget wanted me to create an eye-catching arbor for her yard, I jumped at the chance. I think an arbor makes an artful addition to any garden. Its tracery lends sculptural elegance to stark, wintry landscapes, and when ­covered by flowering vines in summer, an arbor becomes an enticing bower—a place to linger and visit with a friend, or to rest in cooling shade. We ended up building the arbor around a fence and gate, but the simple, rustic design I came up with will fit into many settings. By making it a little larger, you could transform the ­arbor into a small pergola that would look great placed at the end of a walkway. Put a bench inside, cover the arbor with wisteria, and you’ve got a cozy sitting spot. If you wanted to add the arbor to a child’s play area, you could outfit it with a swing.

You should be able to do everything in a single weekend. All it takes are basic carpentry skills, a few pieces of standard lumber, and a toolbox equipped with the basics. The most sophisticated power tool you’ll need is a circular saw.

The materials are readily available

To keep the project affordable, I used inexpensive pine and Douglas fir for everything except the vertical pieces that will be partially buried in the ground. For these, I used pressure-­treated wood that lasts for years before it begins to rot. As an alternative, you could waterproof the upright parts with a preservative. For a more attractive look, you could build the arbor of cedar or redwood. Cedar construction boosts the cost for materials a bit; redwood would be even more expensive. You should be able to get the rest of the materials—carriage bolts, nuts, and washers, as well as some sand and gravel—at a local lumberyard. To help prevent moisture damage to the finished arbor, use galvanized nails; they won’t rust and stain the wood. You can finish the arbor with paint or stain if you wish, but I think it looks good and requires less maintenance if simply left to weather.

Whichever type of wood you use, plan on spending the better part of a day building the arbor, and figure on another half day to dig the holes and put the structure into place. You’ll need a toolbox equipped with a circular saw, an electric or cordless drill and a 3/8-inch bit that can drill a hole at least 7 inches deep, a spade or post-hole digger, a combination square, a tape measure, a chisel, a hammer, a carpenter’s level, and a wrench.

Build the top of the arbor first

Start the project by cutting the cross braces, the two pieces that span the top of the arbor. The first step is cutting the lower corners off two 6-foot 2×6 boards as shown. This is just a decorative touch, so to refine the design, you could make more intricate, curved cuts. You can speed the process by marking and making the first cut, then using the scrap piece as a template for marking the other cuts.

Once the ends have been trimmed, clamp the two cross braces together, and place them bottom side up to mark the position for each of the four notches that get cut in each board. Each pair of notches should be the width of a 2×4 apart. To get the precise distance, lay a piece of 2×4, wide side down, across the cross brace. Use a combination square to get a good right angle.

Getting a lattice-like look on the sides

Raise the arbor into place

To get the arbor in its final position, you’ll need to dig six holes: two for the uprights and four to take the bottom of the side rails. For the support posts, dig two holes 36 inches deep and 48 inches apart on center. In other words, the distance from the center of one hole to the center of the other should be 4 feet. Pick a level patch of ground; not only will the arbor look odd if perched on a slope, it will be that much more difficult to position it properly. Once the holes are dug, place about 6 inches of gravel into the bottom of each. Then, on either side of the main holes, dig two small, 6-inch-deep holes to ­receive the bottoms of the side rails.

When you’re ready to actually raise the arbor into place, an assistant might prove useful. Slide the support post of one side of the arbor into the deep ­center hole so that the stabilizer board rests on the ground. About 7½ feet of the upright should be aboveground. Use a level to make sure the post is plumb and the support braces level. Then fill the hole with sand, packing it as you go. The post may shift a little as you fill in the hole, so check it a few times. It’s easier to make minor adjustments as you go than it is to pull the whole assembly out of the ground and start over.

Slide the second side of the assembly into the other predug holes. Add some sand and gravel, but do not pack it.

Make the structure plumb and level

Standing on a ladder, cap the arbor with the two cross braces. Unless you’re very lucky, very skillful, or both, the arbor is going to require some adjusting before it’s all plumbed up and leveled. Use the secured side of the arbor as a fixed reference, and adjust the second side forward or back, left or right, or up or down, whatever is ­required to make the posts plumb and the cross braces and support braces ­level. When everything is lined up, fill the second hole with sand and gravel, packing it as you go. Check the structure with a level again. If it’s true, nail the notched cross brace into position with 10d nails. If you want, you can ­remove the 2×4 leveler boards at the bottom of each side.