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Before & After: Make an Impact with a Homemade Arbor

The end of summer is drawing near and we’re losing sunlight fast. The kids are back in school and some of you guys are probably back in school as well! With chore-stacked to do lists and interruptions galore, I thought it would be nice to look at a makeover that stayed within the realm of simplicity. While this particular before & after only encompasses one small change (a homemade arbor makes a huge difference), I think it’s a good one to pass along.

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A collection of cute birdhouses give the existing garden color and character (as well as a place for birds to live) – it lacks a wow moment.

The Garden Arbor Unified the Birdhouses.

Linda and her husband Gene decided they needed a garden arbor to make their beautiful garden area feel more complete, so out came the sketchpad and pencils with a mission to draw up a plan.

makeover, before & after, arbor, garden, DIY, build, path
The small arbour in this garden gives a focal point to an area that has many things going on (birdhouses) but that doesn’t give your focus a place to start. As this feature matures and silvers I think will look even better – but also I’d think it could look really great if it was also a shade of turquoise like a few of those birdhouses.

Once the ideas were set, they bought the lumber and built the new structure in their backyard. With a few woodworking skills and some free time, they were able to build themselves a gorgeous new arbor and I think it turned out wonderfully! It’s a great way to add height, warmth and dimension. I can see a future addition of something like a vibrant clematis working really well here, too.

Now, I know that not everyone has the saws, skills or hours to do something like this, but fall is a great time to pick up a few end of season sales. My local garden centers are sold out of a lot of the “good” stuff, but a quick online search might get you where you want to be. I’ve seen wooden and metal arbors listed anywhere from $30 to $140 during the deep discounts, and I’ve also come across quite a few on Craigslist. If you go for this quick fall project, send us some pictures! We’d love to see what you come up with. -erin

Images from: Facci Designs.

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  1. 博绿园林 says:

    I wanna have a backyard like that.

  2. Erin Bailey says:

    I think the arbor made a nice area crowded and less cohesive.

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