Step-by-step instructions on how to make a decorative bridge in the country with your own hands
The dacha is not only a place to grow vegetables and fruits, but also a space to relieve stress. Landscaping in the garden, outside the city, is gaining popularity. Let your imagination run wild, apply the skill is the best way to pass from the bustle of the city, nervousness. Building a bridge with your own hands in the country is the desire of many men. Thanks to him, the garden plot no longer resembles the others.
Appointment
In the garden, when creating a landscape, decorative bridges are built. Pedestrian structures have a lightweight design that is easy to make with your own hands. This will be the most visible design element, focusing on the area adjacent to the bridge. For the greatest visual effect, it is necessary to place it in places intended for recreation and walking.
How to choose a place to install
In order for the dacha deck to organically fit into the landscape, an area should be allocated where the natural flavor will be recreated.
Near the flowerbeds
A corner of the garden, where flowering plants are planted, is a place of relaxation and positive emotions. A decorative element leading to the flower garden will complete the man-made landscape.
Above a dry creek
Dry streams - decoration of the suburbs. A bridge thrown over a dry bed will complete the illusion of a dry stream, adding naturalness to the landscape.
On paths or paths
The intersection of garden paths with small curly bridges will add exclusivity to the garden plot.
near the waterfall
The passage to the artificial waterfall imposes itself as the final element of the picture of a corner of nature in the countryside.
Above a pond, stream or waterfall
If there is a stream or a pond on the territory of the site, then the bridge will be used not only for decorative purposes, but also for its intended purpose.
General principles of construction
The structures are distinguished by the form of guiding over a water obstacle. On the same land, decorative structures are built in the country.
Right
The simplest type of wooden bridges. They are installed to cover spans up to 8 meters. The structure is built between the parallel banks of the reservoir. This type of flooring is not suitable for waterways and dry paths. The foundation is reinforced on the banks and connected to two support boards or logs (logs). The boards are aligned on the beds.
With steps
A variant of a straight bridge raised above the banks. The height is determined by the number of steps to the deck. Steps are installed on a straight bridge, if one bank is higher than the other, to level the transition along the deck.
arch bridge
The shape is used across dry creek beds, as a decorative feature in a waterless landscape, as a beautiful functional structure in man-made reservoirs.
Zigzag
A zigzag bridge can be made in the vertical and horizontal plane. A vertical zigzag is a broken or wavy configuration of a straight or arched bridge. The zigzag can have the shape of a triangle, a trapezoid, two or three connected arcs.
A flat zigzag floor covering is a connection of several planks with an offset or angle to each other. These bridges are thrown over shallow bodies of water.
Suspension
The simplest version of the suspension bridge can be borrowed from Asian peoples. Two ropes or cables are pulled across the stream, on which the planks are fixed. The rope can be pulled from one or both sides as handrails.
Style features
Landscape bridges should have an unusual shape. The most popular designs are Japanese, traditionally Russian or avant-garde.
Japanese
A Japanese-style bridge will look foreign in the garden landscape if the accompanying elements are not recreated. In the landscape of the Japanese garden, the composition is observed: a bridge and a reservoir (pond, waterfall, stream).
Zigzag, lying above the pond, the yatsuhashi is a symbol of the path of life.
It can be made curved in the form of two semi-arcs above a stream or a dry bed. The material for making bridges is wood or stone. The peculiarity of Japanese design is the absence of pretentious details, the simplicity and severity of the lines, the predominance of a single color scheme.
Rustic
Rustic walkway means straight parquet with or without roughing steps.Dried tree trunks can be used as railings.
Avant-garde
The most decorative forms of bridges.
Several types of materials are used in their manufacture:
- forged metal and wood;
- forged metal and stone;
- concrete, wood, forged metal.
Picturesque vaulted structures predominate.
How to choose the material for a garden bridge
The decorative bridge should last more than one season. The choice of material for its manufacture should be given special attention.
Pious
Piles are needed to give stability to the structure. For this purpose, they are driven into the ground by 30-80 centimeters, depending on the length and width of the bridge span. The most suitable tree for piles is pine. It has a regular trunk, good moisture resistance, bendable wood for processing. Building materials need antiseptic treatment against rotting, bark beetles, creating a protective film. Bituminous impregnation solves these problems, making the piles durable.
Larch is not afraid of rotting and water. Dense wood with high resin content is difficult to cut and work, and has a high cost.
If the bridge is to be installed in places prone to waterlogging during prolonged rains, then the piles are made in bulk from a cement-sand mixture with reinforcement.
Floor
Decking boards must be at least 30 millimeters. For these purposes, waterproof wood without knots is used: aspen, pine. The boards can be laid with a space for water drainage or end to end, in a solid mass. As a floor covering, a longitudinal cut of logs with a diameter of 10-15 centimeters, laid out in a row, is used. Polished stone measuring 7 to 12 centimeters is also used for laying on a span.
For treatment
The ramps are made of soft wood such as linden. Pine and birch lend themselves well to turning. The wood of these species does not chip, resists bending.
Application of concrete
Concrete structures are durable, their surface can be decorated with stone, metal. Concrete can be used to make the base of the bridge and the deck.
Use of metal
Metal bridges are welded forged structures. Use a bar and a strip of steel with a thickness of 3 millimeters, depending on the use.
Variants of using metal in bridges:
- base, floor, balustrades;
- floor coverings, railings;
- bodyguard.
Metal has the best decorative properties. The arch of the bridge can be of any radius. Models of forged railings are inaccessible for wood and stone. Metal products are durable and require minimal maintenance if rust free and painted. Before making the bridge, a sketch is made, then a dimensioned drawing, according to which the metal is cut and welded.
For stone construction
The stone for bridges is used in a large size with a smooth side. Lay it on a bed of wood or concrete. For the solidity of the coating, the interstices between the stones are poured with a mixture of liquid cement. A stone bridge can be straight, arched.
Procedure
After choosing the location of the bridge, markings are made. Determine its size, the location of the bases. The longitudinal axis must be perpendicular to the intersection. For all types of bridges, except all-metal bridges, the stakes are driven into the ground. They mark the end and the beginning of the span.
Then the piles are installed. The next step depends on the shape of the bridge.For direct flooring, longitudinal logs are attached to it, on which the boards are laid. The arch of an arch bridge is achieved by joining half arches cut from wood or cast in concrete.
Common Mistakes
One of the mistakes is the ridiculous view of the bridge in the garden landscape. Each type of construction needs a corresponding surround. The site should be zoned, with a smooth transition from one zone to another. A Japanese-style building will not be appreciated if you do not create an aura of calm and balance. Similar requirements for other deck options. The size and shape of the bridge should be related to the size of the site. The smaller it is, the simpler its structure, and the smaller the bridge should be.
Despite the predominant role of the decorative element, the bridge should be reliable and not traumatic. Steps should be comfortable in width and height. The deck surface should not be slippery. The railing should be designed to be comfortable to support, solid and aligned with the start of the deck.
Tips and tricks for beginners
It is necessary to plan the installation of the deck in conjunction with the landscaping. In addition, it is important to know what material the paths leading to the bridge are made of. Metal looks organic with stone paths, tiles. Wood - with pebbles, wooden sidewalk. In order for wooden and metal structures to last longer, it is necessary to take care of them: tinting the floor and railings, treating with antiseptics.
The higher the arch of the arched bridge, the stronger and more comfortable the grip of the railing. On a short straight flight through a stream, you can do without short ramps or without them.
Bridge stops must ensure the immobility of the structure, the impossibility of overturning, the subsidence of the ground.Before installing them, you must do an analysis of the soil to find out its mobility. The choice of substrates depends on the content of sand, clay and proximity to groundwater. If the cottage was purchased recently, it should be established within a year whether there are swampy areas. A bridge built in dry weather can collapse during rains if the foundation is not chosen correctly.
Small wooden structures can be installed on even stones, a concrete base without anchoring to the ground. The reliability of the structure is ensured by the absence of deformation in the span. The simplest version of such a bridge is no more than 2 meters long and 1.4 meters wide. On wide bridges covered with stone (up to 1.5 meters) you can do without railings. But this is where the arch has a slight curvature and the view of the structure is not blocked by the growth of trees and bushes.
Natural stone is heavy. For ease of construction, you can use a metal frame filled with artificial stone.To make the straight bridge decorative, the railings are low (40 centimeters) or placed on one side. Suspended structures are placed over streams, small ponds. All bridges over a water hazard should be placed at the narrowest point. Tall vaulted structures can serve as views of the landscape. When located next to a flower garden, the bridge can become its extension if you place pots with plants on it.
Examples of ready-made solutions
A bridge connecting two grassy lawns. The span length is 4 meters. The material is wood. The flooring type is straight with a slight curvature. The boards are laid back to back. There are 3 brackets on each side of the double guardrails.The outer ones are buried in the ground, the middle ones are mounted with longitudinal bars.
A metal bridge with a wooden deck over the stream. The span is 3 meters long and 90 centimeters wide. The shape of the bridge is a low arch. Boards with a width of 3 centimeters and the same space are fixed to the floor in steel strips. The wrought iron railings have 4 supports, buried in pairs in the ground. Patterned inserts support the balustrade.
The wooden arch bridge was installed without being buried in the ground. The 4 support feet of the guardrail and the crosspiece of the floor rest on the ground. Convex railings are delimited by a trellis.An arched concrete bridge with high forged railings is thrown over a dry speech. At the bridge and from the bridge there is a path lined with stone tiles.
Wooden footbridge over the creek with a straight apron, cruciform railings. On a dry bed there is a stone arch bridge with 4 solid concrete supports topped with balls. The railings are cast in concrete.