How to Design A Storybook Walkway

Step One: Setting the Posts

Northern California homeowner Sandy Donohue owns a beautiful property in the heart of Sonoma Valley. Although Donohue's acreage includes an expanse of thriving vineyards , the front yard is barren, lacking visual interest and offering no route from the street to the front door.

To define the yard and liven up its nondescript appearance, Donohue enlists the help of landscape designer Nancy Driscoll, who designs a magnificent walkway that features five brightly colored arbors over a cobblestone path that leads directly to the front door.

The path will be accented not only by the custom-built arbors but also by brightly colored perennials and a number of climbing vines. When creating a layout that features structures with bright color, Driscoll generally recommends staying with one or two complementary shades--three at most--because too much color tends to create a carnival -like appearance. Limiting the color palette will create a fun look without overdoing it, says Driscoll.

The comprehensive nature of the project makes it a relatively challenging endeavor --on a difficulty scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the hardest, she rates it a 5. However , homeowners with strong carpentry skills can save a lot of money by doing it themselves . She estimates that the cost of a professional installation would run about $4,800 . Materials cost about $1,900, and a homeowner could complete the work in about three weekends.

The first step of the project is installing the cobblestone path. Next crew members move on to the redwood arbors. The two located at the ends of the path will feature a somewhat more elaborate design than the three in between, and the first and last arbors will be built on a somewhat larger scale.

The 6" x 6" posts--about 7 1/2 feet in height--are set in place, inserted into holes dug to a depth of two feet (a posthole digger is used for the holes).

Next, the crew secures the posts with quick-setting concrete after checking them with a level to make sure they're plumb. Once the concrete has had time to set, the crew notches out mortise cuts (1/2-inch-deep square-shaped indentations) near the tops of the posts where the header boards will be inserted. To make mortise cuts , workers mark their location on each of the posts, then use a router to cut out the area. They use a chisel to clean up the corners of the cut-out spaces.

To allow the 4" x 4" horizontal headers to fit perfectly into the square mortise cuts, workers cut out a square outline on both ends of each header board to create pegged ends. These 90-degree cuts (known as tenon cuts) are made about 1/2 inch into each end--just enough to permit them to be inserted completely into the notched-out square indentations on the posts.

Once the ends of both header boards have been pegged, crew members insert each board between each pair of posts, using a rubber mallet to hammer them down into place so the pegged ends snap firmly into the notches. Finally, they drill pilot holes into the ends of the header boards, using a counter-sink drill bit, and secure them to the posts with 3 1/2-inch deck screws.

Step Two: Building Arch-Top Arbors and Adding Plants

To create the curved boards that will form the arches atop each end arbor, lead contractor Andy Simms uses 2" x 12" lumber cut to shape with a jigsaw (this tool rents for about $12 a day). To mark the outline for each arch, a bender board is held in a curve across the 2x12s, then traced to create an outline. Each arch frame measures about 3 1/2 inches from top to bottom edge.

Next, crew members position the cut-out arches over the tops of the header boards and secure them to the top corners of the posts with deck screws driven in at an angle. (Simms has designed the end arbors with two arches per arbor--one flush with the front of the posts and a second flush with the back.) Between the two arches on each arbor, he adds a centered 4" x 4" vertical support, which he notches out on the front and back so that it fits snugly beneath the arched frames; the bottom of the support is secured to the header board below.

The central 4x4 provides the starting point for each arbor's decorative design . Simms explains that the design within the arched portion of the arbor may be customized to suit your taste and may be simple or complex. Here, he uses an inverted K design that consists of diagonal arms attached to the corners of the central support.

Once the center design is complete, Simms adds vertical lengths along each side to fill in the remaining space below the arches. (These are inserted between the arched frames, secured to the header board below, then cut to size on top so that they're flush with the tops of the arches.) Finally, Simms tops the arches with 2x4s laid across the framework so that they overhang about one foot on the front and back for a railroad-tie effect. These pieces add both stability and visual interest to the arbors.

While Simms and the crew are completing the end arbors, Driscoll sets to work on the planting plan, which includes a number of vivid colors and interesting textures that she says "enhance the storybook character of the composition." She explains that the plant layout will include a number of edible varieties--such as grapes--as well as fragrant, beautiful favorites such as roses and wisteria. Vines planted around the base of the arbors will eventually grow up and fill in the structures. Featured plants include

• Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia zuni), Zones 7-9
• Crocosmia 'Solfatare', Zones 6-9
• Rosa 'Betty Boop', Zones 5-9
• Dwarf boxwood (Buxus sempervirens), Zones 6-8

Step Three: Building the Inner Arbors

To begin this phase of the project, workers follow the same general design principles used for the end arbors but apply a smaller scale to the structures. These arbors are built with 4" x 4" posts and call for a single arched frame secured below the header board.

Crew members follow the same procedures as before for setting the posts, then use the rubber mallet to coax each arched frame into place between the posts. (Before securing each frame, the crew checks to make sure it is centered from front to back .) Once the arches are attached to the posts, workers use galvanized nails to secure the header board across the top of the posts, making sure the ends are flush with the posts' sides.

Finally, the crew attaches 2x4s across the tops of the inner arbors to create the same railroad-tie effect featured on the larger arbors.

Step Four: Creating a Whimsical Fence

To complete the fairy-tale look of the landscape, master carpenter Brad Viall and the crew build a wood fence to enclose the property. Instead of opting for a traditional picket fence, Viall creates a design that features an X shape to add visual interest .

The crew begins by setting 6" x 6" end posts for the fence, spacing them six feet apart and setting them in holes filled with ready-mix concrete; the concrete is allowed to cure overnight. Along the length of the fence the crew uses 4" x 4" posts to support the inner crosspieces. These crosspieces consist of 2x4s secured horizontally along the top and bottom of the posts with galvanized 16-penny nails.

Once the crosspieces are in place, the crew uses four 1x4s to create the X shapes and their vertical borders; the two pieces that form the X shapes are notched in the center to eliminate overlap. (Eight-penny nails are used to secure all 1x4s to the crosspieces.)

On both sides of each X and the vertical borders, the crew fills in the fence with four more vertical 1" x 4" pickets so the pattern alternates evenly (X shape, four pickets, X shape and so on). Before the building process began, the design was carefully planned to make sure the pattern would uniformly span the length of the fence.

After the fence is completed, the only remaining step is painting. The crew applies a primer to all five arbors and the newly built fence, then applies paint (here, purple and yellow are used for a uniquely festive look). To allow the grain of the wood to show through slightly on the structures, the crew mixes the paint with an equal amount of bottled water, which also helps the paint dry faster. To highlight the home's entrance, the front of the house and the front door are painted to match the arbors and fencing.

Resources

• Guests

  • Andy Simms
    Contractor, Simms Custom Construction
    674 Mariano Court
    Sonoma, CA 95476
    Phone: 707-996-6957
    Fax: 707-935-0734
    URL: www.simmsconstruction.com
    
  • Brad Viall
    Carpenter, Simms Custom Construction
    674 Maviano Court
    Sonoma, CA 95476
    Phone: 707-996-6957