Ornamental bridge in the garden is a special design which is good not so much for its functionality, as the ability to beautify the landscape, make the overall landscape picture is complete. Therefore, when planning to build bridges in the garden with your hands, you should consider various principles of distribution structures, their types, and then create your original, stylish, not like the other options.
The contents
Choose what material?
Of course, the construction of small architectural forms of the type in the garden or Park look great natural materials – stone and wood. They blend harmoniously with the surrounding plants, flower beds, wooden structures, dry creeks, stone, gravel and sand. But the structure of metal and concrete do not look less attractive.
A small bridge over the stream, is made of artificial stone and wrought-iron railings, looks quite naturally surrounded by greenery
Classifying structures for material manufacturing, there are several types.
Wooden bridges
They are perfect for a suburban area with existing buildings and decor of wood – bath, gazebos, tables, benches, a well. That the wood lasts longer, choose one of the most valuable species – larch, cedar or oak. Special antiseptics, impregnation and varnishes prolong the life and give the tree the desired shade.
The bridges of wood are traditionally decorated with carvings: attach balusters to the original shape, cut pattern on the support beams, covered with ornamental railing
Stone bridges
Beautiful, noble and almost eternal construction. Installing a garden bridge with your own hands, do not forget about the weight of natural stone. For installation of structures made of Sandstone, marble or granite may require construction machinery, therefore, sometimes use a lighter counterpart – artificial stone.
During the construction of constructions of stone — natural and artificial — need to find the elements similar in shape and color, blending with surrounding objects
Metal bridges
Exquisitely beautiful wrought iron designs, especially surrounded by flowers and greenery. They require special attention and timely treatment, as the metal is subject to corrosion.
Forged a bridge will cost less if you order just the metal framework and the wooden elements (deck, details of railings) to do with their hands
Concrete bridges
Monumental, last a long time and with the appropriate decoration, can decorate the garden with lots of rocks or plants. Finish coloured tiles, stone chips or acrylic paints is beneficial to hide grey concrete.
Hard to guess what this original bridge is made of architectural concrete surface stylized stone and painted with acrylic paints
Combining multiple materials make the garden bridge is unique, will help to give a bit of personality. Good combination of metal and wood, stone and wood.
Examples of good accommodation options
The main purpose of the bridges crossing the reservoir, but is often on the grounds they are set with a completely different purpose – to enrich and diversify the design.
The wooden bridge is part of the household composition. Stylistically, he combined with outdoor arbor, built of the same material
A good place for installation of decorative designs are the following objects:
- small lakes and artificially created ponds, streams;
- natural ditches and ravines;
- dry creeks;
- flower beds and separately decorated beds;
- track and trail.
The traditional placement of the structure over the pond is in compliance with certain rules. Crossing over a stream or pond is set in the most narrow place as the small design is much stronger, and looks fine. Country bridges for the garden with dry Creek is characterized by such qualities as compactness, small size, elegance. Material for their production should be combined with the outside coating: they are a continuation of the tracks.
Miniature bridge of the simplest construction, over dry Creek, it is advantageous enlivens the monotonous composition of the stones, greenery and flowers
This bridge is an example of how seamlessly can be combined different materials: paving tiles, natural stone, wood, siding, tile
With the installation of small architectural forms, including bridges, you must consider the style chosen for the garden. Suppose a wooden structure, simple and a little crude, ideal for a garden plot in the country style.
The choice of shape and design
Before drawing the sketch is to consider all existing forms and their options and then decide. You can conduct following experiment: take a picture of the intended place of installation of decorative bridge for your garden, print photos and try to it different design, cut from paper. It will be seen, the design of the shape perfectly fit into the overall picture.
In its configuration, bridges can be divided into several types:
- Direct — they are optimal for self-production;
- Zigzag came from the East, where the violation is a direct protection against the evil spirits;
- Arch — look artistic and suitable for any style;
- Step-by-step — perfect for dry streams and small ponds;
- The step — like two ladders with wide steps, United by a common site;
- Suspension is a complex design, requiring compliance with safety regulations.
Here is a photo selection of each option:
During the construction of straight bridges of any material, consider draining rain water; in this case, the gaps between the boards
The ideal material for the construction of the zigzag bridge is the timber and piles, and flooring are made of wood elements, treated with impregnation and antiseptic
«Brokeback» form the arched structure is achieved in different ways. One of the most common — giving the joists a certain curved shape
To create a step bridge best suited flat stones of large size. The distance between them should be comfortable for stepping over
Stepped design can become a kind of observation point: from the top platform is convenient to consider the surrounding landscape, to admire the sunset
If you decide to choose suspension bridge, it is better to stay on a small design, firmly fastened to stakes driven into the ground piles
Master class: make a bridge out of wood
The easiest way to decorate the garden area to create a composition from the pond and wooden garden bridge, with both areas can be done by hand. Will focus on the construction of changeover designs of wood.
To install the basic facilities will not require a concrete Foundation or driven into the ground piles, but if the bridge is to connect the high Bank of the stream, you will need additional amplification.
Installing a wooden bridge across the pond, you should carefully strengthen the parts of banks that serve as supports. To strengthen the use of natural stone and concrete
By way of installation of garden bridges are divided into several types: I — for concrete poles; II — for concrete poles and piles; III — on stilts
The basis of the bridge are two slightly curved beams size section 0.2 m x 0.35 m and a length of 2 m. They can be made from straight pieces, using a jigsaw and a chisel removing superfluous wood. Fastened to the joists deck boards (3.5 cm) equally spaced along the length of beams.
Making a drawing of the bridge, specifying the required size, you can greatly simplify your work. The length of construction depends on the size of the object on which it will be
Between the boards, you should leave intervals 1-2 cm wide All parts before assembling the dried and processed with preservatives and antiseptics.
Composing the drawing, you must consider every detail, for example, to consider the fixation of the joints of beams or balusters with the railing with the balusters
The design of railings may be different. The simple curved arc, mounted on the several spindles. The railing is decorated with bamboo accents, thick hemp rope, or thread.
Decorated railings — way to diversify a simple design of the bridge. It was necessary to add rounded elements on the racks, and the bridge became more decorative look
Simple decorative garden bridge, without decorations and frills may be added to the Park area, stylized wild forest.
A few rough boards, the railing curves out of the poles with one hand and get the original styled bridge, as if knocked together in a hurry
The video shows the example of landscape design where almost all the buildings made by the hands of the owners of country estates.
