Building A Trellis: Enhance Your Outdoor Living Space With A Western Red Cedar Trellis

(HIT) - Trellises have been adding character and elegance to outdoor living spaces for years. Better yet, these stylish wooden structures are practical projects that bring everyday elegance to your yard or garden – and can be built in a single weekend.

Now is an ideal time to consider easy-to-construct outdoor features like a Western Red Cedar trellis. These elegant structures provide calming tranquility and dress up your front or backyard natural setting.

Here are a few considerations to remember when enhancing your outdoor living space with a trellis, and resources where to receive free trellis information brochures:

Trellis Site Selection

Consider building a trellis that is attached to your home, using the trellis to shelter a path between the main house and an outbuilding, or simply frame the view of another landscape feature. Remember, one of the greatest appeals of a trellis is its architecture—so make sure the site and size you choose is appropriate for its surroundings.

Layout Considerations When Building A Trellis

Take special care deciding the proportions of the foundational posts and overhead canopy when building a trellis. For instance, a set of 4-by-4 inch posts would be ideal with 2-by-6 inch overhead boards. Also, make sure the trellis posts are vertically straight and even in height, and ensure the trellis's overhead canopy boards are level and evenly spaced in parallel to each other—attention to detail is essential here.

Materials Needed To Build A Trellis

There are a number of choices available, but one of the most popular building materials for trellises is Western Red Cedar. Many homeowners specify Western Red Cedar when building a trellis due to its all-natural look, pleasant aroma and character that blend nicely with the natural surroundings. And Western Red Cedar’s natural resistance to decay and insects has long been recognized as important when building a trellis.

“Natural qualities of Western Red Cedar make it an excellent choice for a wide range of building projects both inside the home and outside the home – like trellises,” said Peter Lang, general manager of the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association. “Unlike plastic or imitation wood products, cedar is one of the most environmentally-friendly building materials you can use. It’s naturally durable without the need for chemical treatment, dimensionally stable, resilient and lightweight.”

Western Red Cedar is also free of the pitch and resin found in other softwoods – a quality that makes it ideal for a wide range of finishes. Whether you choose a lightly tinted semi-transparent stain for your trellis or a two-coat solid color finish, cedar ranks at the top in its ability to accept and retain a finish.

Trellis Construction Tips

Prior to digging postholes for your trellis, remove all rocks, plants or sod that inhabit the area. These items can be strategically added or relocated after building the trellis.

Also, it’s paramount the trellis posts be put solidly into the ground or secured to concrete footings. If you choose to put the trellis post into the ground, the portion of the post that will below the ground should be treated with a preservative. Regardless whether you build or buy the concrete footings, the foundational posts must be level and true for the trellis to look correct. And be certain your posts are long enough to provide enough headroom once they are entered into place.

Once the trellis posts are in place, consider adding 2" x 12" x 12" square cedar post caps on top of each post. These post caps ensure the posts can handle the weight of the trellis's overhead canopy boards by dispersing the load more evenly, and it provides a nice finishing touch to the structure. However, you’re using Western Red Cedar to build the trellis canopy, which is lightweight and has a fine, consistent grain making it easy to work with.

Decorative Touches When Building A Trellis

Consider adding decorative touches to all trellis canopy board ends. To create a decorative end, perfect your design on construction paper then use it as a template to transfer your design to each board end. Cut, and then sand the edges to create a smooth finish. Be systematic and symmetric in applying this decorative design to each canopy board. The possibilities are endless here, but choosing decorative flair to complement both the surroundings and the architectural feel of your house will add to the appeal.

As you’ll see, trellises can give any backyard some classical character as well as seasonal charm. Building a trellis can make a dramatic change to your outdoor living areas, and better yet, you can build it in just one weekend.

The Western Red Cedar Lumber Association (WRCLA) has developed a collection of easy-to-construct project brochures for trellises, pergolas, benches and tables, among others. Available online or in a brochure format, this compilation of project ideas includes recommendations for creating new looks, adding to your outdoor living space, as well as tips for construction. To order a brochure, call 1-866-778-9096, visit www.realcedar.org or pick one up at your local building material retailer.

Courtesy: Home Improvement News and Information Center