Simple tips on how to improve your garden

Build your own pergola

Pergolas are best made out of treated sawn timber from a builders’ merchant.

Here is how to build a simple ‘goalposts and crossbar’ pergola.

· Slot together the wood by cutting square grooves into the supporting beams to make sturdy joints.

· When you have done this, mark out the four holes that you want your pergola to sit in and dig out the soil. Use metal spikes to set the pergola into the ground as even wood that had been treated can rot easily in damp soil. Set the spikes with a spirit level. Then slot the cross bars into the supporting beams of wood.

· Adding screws will further stabilise the structure and is recommended.

· Make sure you dig sturdy foundations and add a little concrete around the metal spikes once you are happy with the positions of the supporting bars. You can add as many additional bars to the top as you see fit and accessorise with flowers, benches or even a swing seat.

Materials

· 8 posts of 50mm X100mm sawn treated timber

· A hand held or electric saw

· 4 metal spikes

· Cement mixer

· Chisel and small hammer, or electric chisel-hammer combination

· 3 friends to help you assemble the pergola.