Eco Arbor Designs

It may come as a surprise at first given their aesthetic nature, but arbors can serve valuable purposes in regards to creating an ecologically sound home and garden. From energy conservation to helping increase the productivity and health of your garden, the right arbors and trellises can really make an eco-friendly addition to your home.

Lower Energy Bills with Natural Shade Canopies

One of the more energy intensive appliances in the home is the air conditioner. During hot summer days central air conditioning can be drawing over 6 kilowatts, which is more than the entire rest of the home will likely draws on average. Almost 3 times as much as the average home in fact.

This is a lot of electricity going to try to offset the heating effects of the sun. It’s no wonder that it’s such a big task, as sunlight delivers a kilowatt of energy per square meter, and there’s an awful lot of square meters surface area on your home.

Thankfully the sun is never shining on all sides of your house at once, which dramatically decreases the amount of energy it absorbs. The insulation factor on your roof and siding can help mitigate this as well. Still, a lot of energy is left to the air conditioner to offset.

This is where arbors and other types of trellises can really be a big boon. The leaf canopy of vines growing on the arbor will intercept some of the sun’s radiation before it can heat the house, and thus save you lots of money on your electric bills.

Arbors on the South side of homes are especially useful in the Northern Hemisphere, given the inclination of the sun in the sky. In some cases people literally cover their south facing walls with ivy growing on arbors and trellises, which can often negate the need for air conditioning completely. Now that’s what I call “green living”!

Reduce Your Carbon Footprint by Trellising Fruits and Vegetables

Fence Arbor Designs – Accentuate the Gate

Free Arbor Designs – Use Sketchup 3D Warehouse

Arbor designs are rather simple, and so unlike many other backyard structures you might be looking to build, often the plans are available for little to no money. Free arbor designs won’t have all the bells and whistles of course, but then again it’s usually the vines we train up on the arbor that make for the real decoration. The arbor itself just needs to be sturdy, and not an eyesore that will detract from the plants that adorn it.

In some cases though, arbors are used more like pergolas in that they are meant to provide aesthetic value with their structure, rather than serve as a trellis. (Though of course, sometimes pergolas are used as trellises as well!) In these cases, you should spend more time looking for a well designed arbor, rather than settle for a simple yet functional one.

Using Google Sketchup to Design Your Own Arbor

One way to go about getting free arbor designs is to design them yourself. This might seem like a difficult task, but it can be rather simple if you have the right tools. Most people aren’t well versed in CAD design, but there is an option for the layman. That option is Google Sketchup.

The great thing about Sketchup is how easy it is to learn, and then to create geometric structures. Google even has an online repository called 3D Warehouse for sketches that other users have created. You can browse through and use ones you like as a starting point or just look at them for inspiration for your own design ideas. There are hundreds of arbor and pergola models already available, and all for free!

If you can’t find something suitable, you can easily download a model that is close to what you want, and then extend upon it or modify it to fit your needs. This can be done in a matter of minutes in some cases, though extensive modifications are likely to take much longer. Certainly there is a bit of a learning curve there, but it’s rather simple compared to most drawing and CAD programs.

Drawbacks to Using Sketchup to Design Structures

While Google Sketchup is rather easy to use, the free version is missing some things which make professional tools more useful to advanced users. There is a paid version of Sketchup that includes more tools and features, but even then it’s not going to be as useful as a professional CAD studio.

However, for most users Sketchup will be just the right blend of ease of use, and useful features. It’s free to download, so why not give it a try?

Wooden Arbors – Cedar, Redwood, Teak and More!

Natural in origin and appearance, and easily worked, wood is an obvious choice for arbor designs. Wooden arbors aren’t as simple as just hammering together some boards though, the choice of wood, design, and intended use of the arbor will all need to coordinate together to ensure your arbor will be both beautiful and long-lasting.

Different types of wood can have very different qualities. Some types of wood just aren’t strong enough to use for construction of even lightweight structures like arbors. Others are strong structurally, but can’t stand up to the elements and so make bad choices for outdoor use.

That means when building an arbor for your gate, deck, or garden, it’s important to choose the right type of wood. You can save yourself a lot of headaches down the road by doing so, as you won’t have to deal with the constant repairs that rotting or termite infested wood can necessitate.

Types of Wood for Arbor Construction

There are a few types of wood that excell in outdoor use. The main characteristics you are looking for is resistance to water damage and insect pests like termites. Generally speaking, wood is strong enough against ultraviolet light that you don’t have to worry about that aspect. (At least not as far as structural integrity is concerned. It is important to protect your wood against UV damage if you don’t want the color to fade!) Following is a brief description of types of wood that are readily available, easily worked with, and naturally weather resistant.

• Cedar

  This red/orange wood has natural oils that help repell water and insect pests. This makes cedar a great choice for outdoor construction projects like pergolas and arbors where the structural members will be exposed to the elements. It’s still important to protect the wood from UV light if you don’t want the rich reddish orange color to fade to a dull gray. Also, keeping the wood protected will help extent it’s lifespan. While Cedar does have natural resistances, it still can be degraded by weathering over time.

• Redwood

  As the name would suggest, redwood has a beautiful deep red color to it. Like cedar though, this color will fade over time if not protected from ultraviolet rays. Redwood has similar weathering characteristics to cedar in most ways, though it will weather to a much darker color in most cases. Redwood is strong and the grain is beautiful, especially when stained or sealed.

• Teak

  Teak is another favorite building material for outdoor use. Very popular in patio furniture, teak’s lighter yellow color makes it a good choice if you’re going for a more open look and feel. Natural oils in the wood protect teak from water damage, and from termites as well. As with any wood though, you still will see a benefit from applying a sealer or other protectant to slow down the weathering of the wood.

• Arbor Designs

  • Arched Arbor Designs
  • Eco Arbor Designs
  • Fence Arbor Designs
  • Free Arbor Designs
  • Gate Arbor Designs
  • Grape Arbor Designs
  • Japanese Arbor Designs
  • Rustic Arbor Designs
  • Simple Arbor Designs
  • Wedding Arbor Designs

• Arbor Construction Materials

  • Metal Arbors
  • Vinyl Arbors
  • Wooden Arbors

• Uses for Arbors

  • Arbors as Shade Canopies
  • Arbors as Trellises
  • Arbors for Decks
  • Arbors for Gardens