Wooden bridges. Decorative bridges for the garden - wooden, forged and stone decorations for the garden (40 photos). Wooden bridges for cottages and gardens

Bridge on personal plot is able to decorate the surrounding landscape, as well as make landscape design unique and harmonious. If you want to add some zest and decorate the area around country house then try make a decorative bridge with your own hands. Photos of wooden, metal and stone bridges will help you decide on the type of structure.

Selecting bridge material

Many will agree that natural materials such as wood and stone are preferable for decorating park and garden spaces. They fit harmoniously into the surrounding landscape, combining with flower beds, trees, and dry streams. But, nevertheless, concrete and metal structures look very attractive against the backdrop of nature.

Based on the material of manufacture, the following types of bridges are distinguished:

1. Wooden bridge will perfectly complement the decor of the site, on which wooden buildings and elements are already placed: a bathhouse, a gazebo, a well, a table. Thread, original form balusters, patterned railings – traditional ways wooden bridge finishing. In order for a wooden structure to last longer, it is treated with special protective solutions.
2. Stone bridge has a beautiful, noble appearance. Such a structure can be called eternal, because when correct operation it will last for decades. When choosing a stone bridge, you should take into account its heavy weight and the need to use special equipment. You can use an analogue artificial stone, which is much lighter in weight.
3. Metal bridge – beautiful exquisite forged design. It looks great among flowers and plants. It requires attention and care, as the metal is susceptible to corrosion. The cost of a metal bridge can be reduced if some of the elements are made of wood, for example, decking, railings.

4. Concrete bridge– a monumental, durable structure that will fit perfectly into a garden space decorated with stones and many plants. Using colored tiles, stone chips, acrylic paints You can perfectly enliven a gray concrete background.

When creating a decorative bridge, you can successfully combine several types of materials, which will give it individuality and charm.

Designs of decorative bridges for dachas

According to the shape of the structure, the bridge can be:
- Straight and easy to make with my own hands.
- Zigzag - these are eastern trends, where a broken straight line saves you from evil entities.
— Arched. Picturesque in appearance, suitable for any style direction.
— Step-by-step is an excellent option for decorating a dry stream or shallow pond.
— Stepped, similar to two stairs connected by a landing.

Design of a decorative bridge for the garden

Placement of the bridge in the garden or country house

It is known that the main function of the bridge is to cross a body of water. IN garden design this structure is assigned a slightly different role: enriching the landscape, diversifying the dull space.
So, where can you successfully place a decorative bridge?

Here are a few places:
- a small lake or stream;
— artificial pond;
- natural groove, ravine;
- dry stream;
- path;
- among the flower beds.

Compact, miniature structures are typical for crossing over a dry stream. Such a bridge is made from a material that matches the existing coating. It should become like a continuation of the path.

Wooden garden bridge

is a harmonious combination of all elements. If you want your garden with a pond to look unique, try building a small decorative bridge made of wood, stone, concrete or metal. On our website about DIY renovations you will always find ideas with photos for inspiration.

Drawing of a humpback bridge

Having received a plot of land, many discover a ditch or even a small ravine on it, which is long and difficult to fill; it is easier to build bridges for landscaping the dacha with your own hands.

What is the best material to make a bridge from?

When it comes to materials for a bridge over a ditch, almost all owners begin to remember where the boards and timber are located, but at the same time someone begins to think about trusses from a corner or channel. Without any doubt, metal welded bridges for dachas are much stronger and more durable than wooden ones, but it is better to use them near water stainless steel, which is not cheap. Regular iron will rust even if painted regularly.

In addition, a corner or channel is more appropriate in technical structures, but not in decorative ones, and it is quite difficult to assemble structures from them with your own hands.

If metal seems like the best addition to your landscape design, choose forged products, which will allow you not only to install a beautiful bridge with openwork railings, but also to create a composition with a similar gazebo. As supports, many are trying to install concrete “bulls” - supports in the middle of the bridge span, or metal piles. However, such a decision is justified only if the site is cut across by a deep and, most importantly, wide ravine.

It will be enough to span a span across a stream or a small ditch without intermediate supports, with a maximum of two abutments at the ends. That is why, to make a bridge with your own hands, a few long beams with a section of 15x15, and with a short span, 10x10, are enough. In fact, even an ordinary log with a longitudinal cut can serve as an excellent and durable base for a bridge.

If you are a proponent of thoroughness, you can use natural stone. Moreover, the straight and humpbacked spans spanning rivers and gorges look very picturesque. But when choosing this option, prepare yourself in advance for multi-day and rather complex construction. By the way, just when working with stone, or more precisely, with concrete, which will be needed for pouring the base, you will also need metal very useful, but not a channel, of course, but only an angle and steel reinforcement. If you prefer lightweight structures, you can get by with just boards, which, when placed on edge, are in no way inferior in strength to timber.

Which bridge design should you choose?

IN rural areas to overcome narrow obstacles, which, however, cannot be simply stepped over, 2-3 logs, tied or stapled, are often used. In such cases, as a railing, either a perch is placed on posts dug in on both sides of a ditch or stream, or a stretched rope is tied. Such a decorative bridge looks organically against a pastoral background, and therefore can easily be used to decorate the landscape of your site.

A log with a longitudinal cut can be laid across a stream, ditch or small pond, across which wooden planks are laid as a flooring. The above options are the simplest, except for large flat stones placed at a short distance from each other across the stream bed. However, boulders as a replacement for a bridge are not always appropriate, in particular, they are unsuitable for walking, respectable and elderly people, and are also unsafe for children.

Therefore, large stones are best used as supports on which, for example, granite or basalt slabs with a rough surface will be laid. If the stream is shallow enough and there is no risk of falling from the resulting decorative bridge, you can do without railings.

More complex, but no less beautiful design can be knocked together from timber and ordinary boards, or assembled and welded from metal. The easiest option to implement is a straight platform with railings on one side. A humpbacked bridge for a dacha looks much more impressive, but not everyone can make it with their own hands. But an intermediate scheme for constructing a span is quite accessible, when several wide steps lead to the main deck from both ends (over a narrow stream you will get an almost humpbacked bridge). This type will tower over the area and provide an excellent vantage point.

Choosing a place for the bridge

It would seem that this question does not require clarification: there is a stream and a deck that can be thrown across the riverbed - everything is simple. However, if there is neither a water hazard nor a ravine on the site, then the decorative bridge at your dacha will no longer become a decoration of the garden? Of course, such a structure in the middle of a lawn will look ridiculous; the span should be thrown, if not over a ditch, then at least over a flower bed.

Let's look at several options for what to do when you want to add a bridge to your landscape design, but there is nothing to throw it over. Actually, there is already one solution - a transition over the flower bed. In this case, a humpback bridge or a stepped structure is suitable, or, as an option, a straight span with ramps at both ends.

If you don’t have a stream on your site, you can create one with your own hands by laying out an artificial riverbed of different sizes of stones, very similar to the real one (if you don’t take into account such a trifle as the lack of water). To create the illusion of a stream, tint sand and small crushed stones blue and azure and place them between the cobblestones. Another option for installing a bridge is a small island in the center of a pond or even a swimming pool. If the area of ​​the man-made reservoir is large, the size of the island can be made such that it can accommodate a table and a couple of benches.

Bridge construction work on a garden plot

To make the flooring you will need a frame, and you can make it yourself from wood in two ways: by installing the boards on edge or by laying them flat. The first option will require less lumber, but the span will most likely be straight, since bending the board along the plane is a long and difficult task. The maximum that can be done is to give it a slight bend by cutting off part of the edge along an arc. It is much easier to build wooden humpbacked bridges for a summer house from planks placed flat, so let’s go exactly this way, considering various possibilities assemblies.

To fly through a narrow ditch, two boards with overall dimensions 3x18x200 centimeters. They are connected to each other by thinner crossbars, nailed to the bottom at the ends, as substrates. However, you can connect the foundation logs with two beams; at the same time they will serve as “supports” for the bridge. If the flooring needs to be thrown over long distance, under the load-bearing boards, along the outer edge of the frame, it is advisable to fill beams of the appropriate length, with a cross-section of at least 10x10, and only then attach the cross members.

Next, we begin to form the ledges. To do this, we lay shorter boards of the same 3-centimeter thickness directly along the load-bearing joists of the frame at an equal distance from the ends. Thus, if your frame is 3 meters long and you want the steps to be 40 centimeters wide, the next board should be 0.8 meters shorter than the base. If you want higher steps, use 10x10 timber instead of the boards that form them (including load-bearing ones), this will only make the bridge stronger and more durable. True, it will be more difficult to put together such a frame, and, most likely, you will have to use metal plates from the inside of the frame to reliably connect the beams.

Now you can start laying the flooring. To do this, you need narrower boards, 10 centimeters (commensurate with the cross-section of the beam), with a thickness of at least 2 centimeters and a length exceeding or equal to the width of the base frame. You will need quite a lot of them, so it is logical that you need to stock up on all the materials before you get ready to build a bridge over a ditch or ravine in your country house. First, we fill the boards onto the ends of the ledges, starting from the very bottom, that is, from the frame if it was assembled from timber. If the steps are made of boards, then we immediately begin installing the flooring. Nailing cross bars Can be done closely or with small intervals.

Assembling balusters and handrails for the bridge

So, the span is ready, and completely made with your own hands, and if it is installed in the garden, how decorative element, then you can leave it like that. But when used for its intended purpose, that is, to overcome a stream or ditch, it is advisable to make a railing. This is what we will do now. The handrail posts themselves, or, in other words, wooden balusters, you can buy ready-made, carved ones, or adapt thin bars. If the cross-section of the posts at the bottom is square, all that remains is to screw them with long screws to the base so that the upper ends are at the same level.

If the cross-section is round, it is better to carefully cut off the plane on one side and secure it with screws. If necessary, cut down part of the baluster from below. All that remains is to install the handrails, for which we take 2 bars and, having measured the spaces between the balusters on them, drill shallow holes in the appropriate places. Then we place them on posts and secure them to the side or top with screws. It is better to install the finished bridge not on the ground, but on pre-cast ones. concrete platforms.

The most important purpose of a modern dacha is to become a place of relaxation and the realization of creative endeavors. The idea of ​​building a garden bridge with your own hands usually comes to owners of a plot with a stream or a beautiful natural swamp.

Most often, small bridges are used in landscape design when there is a small body of water on the site.

Being an important architectural element, a garden bridge can not only fulfill its utilitarian function, but also decorate different areas of the garden and connect with each other.

If there are no natural and artificial sources water, you can implement a fashionable design proposal - build a bridge over a dry stream.

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The location of the garden bridge: basic principles

The proportions between the framing plantings and the bridge structure should be observed. You should not place a small bridge under a large tree.

It is advisable that the path leading from the bridge goes deeper into the garden. Planting decorative deciduous perennials and beautifully blooming flowers on one of the banks of the reservoir will make the bridge attractive.

Bridges entwined with grapes will add a romantic note to the garden. climbing roses, clematis.

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Getting ready to build a garden bridge: determining the style

A bridge built on a dacha decorates it, provided it fully complies with the overall composition.

In landscape gardens with ponds Not correct form, the bridge should be installed at the narrowest point of the pond. If part of the reservoir is located in shallow areas, you can create 2 decorative zones: pond and swamp. Another option is to divide the water surface into a water garden and a swimming area.

In the gardens regular style the bridge is located in the middle of an oval or rectangular pond, which will emphasize the strict symmetry of the landscape. The opposite bank of the reservoir can be decorated with roses.

IN Japanese style necessarily requires the presence of bridges. Their contemplation for the Japanese is filled with aesthetic and philosophical meaning. This should encourage the dacha owner to get acquainted with theoretical foundations oriental design.

At the dacha in rustic style It's especially easy if you use your hands. It is recommended to use tree trunks and branches, and use logs. If the house looks like a tower, then it would be appropriate to use carved balusters to make the bridge railings.

Bridge in the avant-garde country style can be done in an asymmetrical form, while choosing an unconventional color scheme.

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Types of garden bridge: matching style

It should be taken into account that any bridge must carry a semantic, functional load. Depending on this, the type of structure must be determined and the choice of building material must be made.

Direct structures are made of wood, concrete or stone. Small bridges for a summer house can be without railings and can be a regular straight deck. Large structures are equipped with railings for safety purposes.

Stepped bridges are made up of 2 inclined platforms, between which a horizontal plane is strengthened. Visually, such a structure appears more decorative than a flat bridge.

Step-by-step bridges are built to cross a shallow body of water. Wide paving slabs or natural stones are installed on concrete foundations and firmly fixed at the bottom of the reservoir, dug into the ground. If the body of water is artificial, it is worth making a foundation for the foundations and pouring their supports with concrete before filling the bed with water.

Suspension bridges must be lightweight and durable at the same time, which requires the use of reliable fasteners and flexible elements. The basis of the bridge are racks on which strong cables or chains are suspended. Wooden planks are fixed as flooring.

The humpback bridge is made of stone, wood or metal, it can be decorated with carved railings, climbing plants, “launched” from the shore or planted in containers fixed to the railing.

Fantasy bridges are usually built in landscape gardens. Any dacha will be transformed if a fragment of a shipwreck, medieval ruins, or rock scree appear on its territory. Moreover, you can find any style solutions for this design.

A zigzag bridge usually decorates a Japanese garden with an impressive pond. The bridge line can have up to 8 breaks, characterizing the path to comprehend the truth.

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Garden bridges: choosing building material

Since the bridge on the site is used in decorative purposes, it can be made from thin boards and bars.

Any durable building material can be used for piles, supports, decking and bridge railings.

One of the most available materials- tree. You can use windbreaks, purchase logs and finished lumber at construction markets.

Piles are best made from cedar, larch, and pine, which emit natural resins, are self-preserving and can perform their functions for up to 50 years. Flooring from oak boards does not deform, wear-resistant, resistant to moisture.

To prevent the appearance of cracks and fungus, putties and antiseptics are used, linseed oil is a natural antiseptic (treated 2 times a year). The wood can be coated with yacht varnish, which protects it from moisture.

To use the bridge in wet weather, the deck is equipped with anti-slip notches or pads.

The ease of working with wood will allow you to create a structure in any style.

A concrete bridge will be appropriate in summer cottages designed in classic style. To do this, it will be enough to decorate it with figured balusters, attach decorative elements to the side of the flooring, and use white cement.

Bamboo bridges are used in summer cottages when bamboo is used in other architectural and design elements.

The stone gives the site uniqueness and respectability. Using its various varieties (sandstone, limestone, marble, granite), you can achieve the majesty of the landscape. But for this, both the site and the reservoir must be large enough.

Metal, due to its strength and ductility, is used to create bridges in different style- from baroque to avant-garde high-tech.

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Bridge with straight deck in the garden: simple

Drawing of a humpback bridge: 1-3 - location of the bases.

For summer cottages located in the wild natural area As a rule, the presence of ditches with standing water, wetlands, and streams is characteristic. In such a place, you can install a bridge with a straight deck of trunks and thick branches of trees, which will fit perfectly into the landscape. It is better, of course, to use birch wood, because a bridge made from it, despite its simplicity, will look especially elegant.

To make road flooring and supports, thick branches (they should not bend) and sanded trunks are used. Parts for supports, spans, flooring and railings are prepared from them.

The fence is usually made at such a height that it is convenient to hold on to the railing if necessary - about 65-70 cm. The branches are connected in the form of rectangles connected by diagonal crossbars (Roman cross).

The length of the bridge should be no more than 2.5 m. In this case, it will be stable and durable.

If this type of bridge is chosen for a summer residence, the logs can be sanded, impregnated with an antiseptic or tarred. The ends of the logs, intended for support and the base of the decking cover, are laid on the supporting platforms of the coastal slopes. If the bridge is 2.5-4 m wide, piles are installed to serve as intermediate supports (concrete or wooden).

Decorative bridges can be used not only to decorate the pond and garden. They can also perform different functional loads. Possible methods of using decorative bridges in the garden include planting climbing and flowering plants. A properly designed bridge for a pond can become a specific support structure for additional lighting, as well as for the installation of flower containers. Below you can find out how to make a bridge over a stream with your own hands.

Small bridges and larger bridges are structures or structures with which you can overcome some obstacle, for example, a ravine, stream, river, pond. Some argue that bridges are only possible in large gardens, but they can also look beautiful in a small area. By representing an extension of the path, this design not only makes it possible to cross something awkward or watery, but also makes the walking route more intriguing and interesting.

Bridges can be built through a quietly murmuring or rapidly flowing stream, to connect the islands, which are located in the center of a large pond, with the shore, with the help of bridges they also cross the water space or some inconvenient wet places. Of course, bridges in the garden are primarily of practical value, but they can also enhance the impression of a stream or pond.

Decorative bridges in landscape design

Decorative bridges for the garden in landscape design will look more stylish and fit organically into the space if their design has been well thought out in advance. The smaller the garden, the simpler the bridge design should look and the more neutral its color should be.

Choosing a location and style

Materials and structures for bridges must be selected based on the style of your garden and dacha; they must be ideally combined with appearance lanterns and gazebos, which are located nearby.

These designs are indispensable in areas flooded in spring, where it is necessary to lay a route from a building or cross a ravine. Sometimes bridges are built to highlight some object on a site or to give the site completeness; they can also be designed in the form of a bridge wooden path, which will lead to the gazebo.

The bridge can be placed both over a river and pond, and over a dry reservoir or stream.

Requirements

Before you build a bridge on your summer cottage, you need to study some requirements:

The bridge is thrown from one bank to the opposite, so it is logical to place it in the narrowest part of the stream or reservoir, while the bridge will divide the area of ​​​​the water surface into two parts, unequal in size, the ratio of which is recommended to be calculated according to the golden ratio rule. In this case, the purposes of both parts of one body of water can be different, for example, on one side there can be a bathhouse for people, and the other will serve as a place where nymphs will thrive. One part may also be deep, while the other will become shallower.

Paths are also an integral part; the bridge in this case plays the role of an observation deck over the water surface. From this place it will be convenient to look at the trees that grow along the pond and are reflected in the water, admire a waterfall or fountain, blooming nymphs or beautiful fish in a pond.

A garden bridge is an essential element of a Chinese and Japanese garden. At the same time, coastal vegetation, the sky, and the first rays of the rising sun are reflected in the water mirrors. IN chinese style It is simply impossible to imagine a pond without graceful stone or wooden bridges.

Do it yourself

Surely many owners suburban areas are interested in making a bridge for their garden with their own hands. Structures for a pond can be monolithic, or it can also be made in the form of step-by-step slabs from natural stones, boulders or huge plank circles, squares.

To decorate a small pond beautifully, a bridge for it can be organized in the following way: place several stones in the water, after walking over which a person will find himself on the other side. It will look especially impressive if such stones are combined with the material used to decorate the shore of the reservoir. Stones should be selected for this purpose of approximately the same type and size. Such a crossing is constructed at a depth of no more than 45 cm. The outer surface of such a structure should be approximately 10 cm above the water surface . Minimum stone diameter or slabs should be about 60 cm so that you can stand on them confidently.

The stones are laid firmly and carefully, so that there is a distance of about 60 cm between their centers, that is, it is equal to the step size.

When constructing a bridge, it is interesting to use unusual boulders of irregular shape, but with a flat top, as a passage through shallow water; such structures are especially good over streams, where the water forms small eddies around the stones. You can also use non-natural boulders, as well as those emitted with concrete.

Step by step instructions making a decorative bridge with your own hands from improvised means:

Building a bridge across a pond

Build a wooden one bridge over the pond possible using various available materials. Before starting the process, you need to prepare everything necessary tools and materials. Below you can find detailed instructions how to build a bridge with your own hands on the shore of a reservoir at your summer cottage:

1. All water must be drained from the reservoir and each boulder must be placed on a thick layer of thick mortar with its flat surface facing up. The height can be leveled using a solution or concrete slabs, which are laid inconspicuously under the stone. The upper part of the stones should be located on the same horizontal plane.
2. Wait two days for the solution to dry.

It is worth noting that the bridge should not appear in certain place By chance, some path should lead to it. This design will successfully connect paths of different textures in the garden. If the pond or stream is not very beautiful and interesting, the bridge will distract attention from it, making it more impressive.

This garden element is so attractive that sometimes bridges are built when there is no practical need, for example, a wooden bridge on a dry site leading to a gazebo, indicating the way and giving a sense of unity of style.

Bamboo bridge

These structures can be built from literally any materials, for example, garden bridges made of metal, wrought iron, and wooden suspension bridges look quite attractive. You can also make a garden bridge from bamboo. To do this, it is necessary to lay bamboo sticks across the supports and tie them together with a rope. Such structures can be supplemented with railings in the form of a hanging rope, which is attached to bamboo posts. Bamboo structures span real streams or gravel stylized ponds.

A Japanese stone lantern installed near the edge of a bamboo structure will look quite attractive.

When creating a pond, it is necessary to make sure that you can get quite close to the water. Small bridges or a small number of flat large stones, along which you can cover the distance from the shore deep into the pond, will allow you to look into a completely different world. The pond is a habitat for various animals and plants, which will be extremely interesting for a person to observe.

Floorings and platforms

Spacious wooden structures, which most likely can be called a deck or platform, help create a recreation area by the pond: a couple of chairs and a cozy table by the water look great, from here you can see beautiful view to the site. Decks that hang over the surface of the water create the illusion that there is water underneath, making the pond appear larger in size. On a large platform you can seat guests, enjoy the garden and sunbathe on a sun lounger, you just need to equip it with a suitable garden furniture.

As a rule, the platform is built on the basis wooden planks, it is advisable to select boards with a ribbed surface so that they do not slip in the rain. The length of the board should be 4 m, and the width should be about 20 cm. For manufacturing, you can also choose typesetting square slabs with a side of 60 cm, made up of boards, located diagonally or at right angles to the edge. Minimum thickness boards should be about 3 cm. Wood of a wide variety of species is used for flooring.

If you have the opportunity, it is best to choose expensive wood hard rocks, since such flooring will last longer, and it is also considered to be of higher quality. Please note that the surface of the deck will have to be brushed regularly to remove algae and dirt.

The size and location of the deck should be determined depending on the location and size of the pond. Of course, it will be much better if the area is large. The configuration of the wooden structure can be the most intricate; it can be tightly adjacent to the pond, or you can build a deck in such a way that the water is completely located inside it. If you make rounded bridges over a small round pond, then such a repetition of the correct forms will only enhance the impression of the garden.

Some people prefer to locate a sauna or bathhouse near a large, deep body of water. In such cases, it is necessary to install a bridge opposite the entrance to the bathhouse near the water, which must be equipped with reliable railings. A thick plastic mesh with 20x20 mm cells must be attached to the steps so that a person does not slip after the bath.

A garden bridge plays a final role in landscape design if you are designing a passage across a small artificial body of water, such as a stream. It's easy to do if you want to get original product and not spend a lot of money.

Like any landscape design, such custom-made bridges will be quite expensive, and you can easily verify this if you study the price list of the nearest design company. But you can save significantly, about 2-3 times, if you do it yourself. Naturally, if a serious decorative design is conceived, then the work will be complex and painstaking, but if the project is simplified as much as possible, then a bridge over a small body of water, or even a dry stream, can be erected in just one day.

Decorative garden bridge (video)

Which bridge to choose for your dacha

Select production material and appearance The product will be up to you personally, focusing on landscape design, budget and your own skills, but there is always a mandatory list of parameters that should be followed when determining.

Durability and reliability. These qualities are of interest to every summer resident, since a reliable thing will last longer, which means, in terms of years of service, the design will be much cheaper. Absolutely every garden bridge can have these qualities - wooden, metal, forged, you just have to work with the quality. Also, don't forget about processing protective equipment and constant care, which will extend its service life.

Safety. One of the main qualities that is fully responsible for the health of a person crossing a stream on a bridge. The structure must be strong, the material must be securely fastened, the frame must be able to withstand the weight of several people at the same time, the base must be well installed on the ground or a special foundation. Here again we can mention the care of the product, since timely painting or varnishing will ensure the materials last for a long time original qualities and will eliminate fragility, and therefore protect a person from injury.

Decorative. Naturally, appearance plays a huge role, and you can’t argue with that. We can say that garden bridges, like small architectural forms in the landscape, are precisely a decorative element, since, for the most part, they convey beauty rather than practicality. Any artificial pond in a dacha can be bypassed, but crossing it is intended only for an original accent.

Wooden bridges

Wooden garden bridges are considered the absolute leader, not only in sales, but also in independent production. The reason for this is the naturalness of the product, which carries warmth and harmony with nature. Moreover, it is worth noting that wood in the country is the most popular material, and this is where the answer lies.

Wooden products They can be cheap and expensive, simple and quite complex in terms of design, custom-made and made independently. The only recommendations here would be to choose quality material and the right technology production. If you follow all the rules and work with excellent wood, then a structure up to 5 m long can be created in one day, even alone.

Metal

It will not be possible to create a garden bridge entirely from metal, since you will need to purchase parts of the base that can be made without special equipment impossible. These are bent beams along which the wooden or metal path of the bridge will pass. But everything else is possible on your own, because there will be very little work left.

Here, too, you can talk for a long time about the complexity of the design and the cost of the project, but it all depends on your personal desires and financial capabilities. By and large, you can buy a prefabricated bridge and install it in a couple of hours, or you can try to save money and personally boil the base, install the bridge, cover it with a board, and so on, but this will take several days.

As for the design, everything is fine here, especially if you decorate the bridge with something, for example, lanterns, railings and flower pots, living plants on different sides, and so on.

Forged

Dear decorative item, which you can only assemble with your own hands, and even this is not worth doing, since you are already seriously spending money on forging. Let the work be completed to completion by specialists who will be fully responsible for the quality.

Wrought iron bridges – classics landscape design, and a popular element of modernity, which is interesting to many people, as an addition to a courtyard with small architectural forms, a successful combination with pergolas, forged benches, gazebos and lanterns. Therefore, there is no need to worry about the design; forging fits elegantly into almost any exterior.

Decorative

Most often these are combined structures in which best moments wooden and forged varieties. Forged bases and railings, wooden flooring, or even burnt boards with designs, engravings, etc. original decor patterns, forged flower pots and ornamental plants, small lanterns and other landscape decor.

Features of the structure

Selecting a location

Of course, this device is necessary for crossing a narrow river or stream, but you can always install a bridge in a place where there is no body of water by organizing a dry stream, a nice rocky place, a small canal or even flower beds with wildflowers. Therefore, choosing a location is very simple.

Preparations before installation

All that needs to be done at this stage is to remove everything unnecessary from the site and prepare the soil for installation and decorative decoration bridge along the edges. Of course, for a heavy bridge you will need some kind of foundation or even fixing it on the banks of a stream, for decoration - stones and plants, for stylization - lanterns and other decor, which means the site must be clean, without debris and weeds.

Foundation or platform for foundation

Most bridges are installed without a foundation, but we recommend that you pour a solid foundation if it is heavy, large, and made of metal or wrought iron. Enough for this strip foundation, which will be tied to the metal edges by welding, at the same time securing the bridge and making it more reliable and stable. If you are installing a bridge several meters long, then it will be enough to place a couple of bars under its load-bearing base, along each edge of the bridge, so that the base does not go into the soil and does not deteriorate very quickly from moisture. Instead of bars you can use concrete pillars, bricks or, best of all, natural stone.

Creating a Foundation

As we said above, you draw up the project yourself, which means the entire choice of materials is yours. Wood, metal, and maybe poured concrete and masonry. But, let's start from the simple - metal beams, board, timber or logs. The design of the bridge can be flat or curved, which means you will need to choose the material accordingly. If there is nowhere to purchase material for the base of a garden bridge, or it is expensive, you can install two logs in the form load-bearing beams, or make stringers. They can be made from a durable board, for example 50x300 mm, giving it the correct shape along the length and arranging a stringer by folding the finished trimmed parts. But, if you can’t do all this or simply don’t have time, it’s enough to make an even bridge with the help of logs or bars.

Even before assembling the main structure, all parts must be properly treated with protective agents, for example, antiseptics and paint, or drying oil and colorless varnish, in order to extend the service life of each individual element and the structure as a whole.

Installing the base

The base is installed on prepared load-bearing supports - foundations or support platforms made of wood, stone, and so on. Everything is very simple here - installation by level, fastening, connecting the bases to each other at equal widths and checking the strength, then just the flooring of the bridge itself.

Wood flooring

We decided to choose a board as the flooring, since we are talking about the simplest option, and working with wood is always convenient and even pleasant. The board is cut to size and laid on the bases, screwed onto stainless steel screws, which is the most practical. You can also choose decorative flooring, a special board or even a log, but here you should start from the budget.

Decorating a bridge in the garden

Since the main assembly work is completed, you can start decorating - additional painting, installing railings, decorating with plants and lighting, laying stones and installing a seating area and so on.