Creating a pergola
To design a straight pergola up to 4m long and up to 1.8m wide, the following material will be needed : ten treated round posts (0.1m x 2.4m ), about 40m of untreated wood 25mm – 50mm diameter,75mm & 50mm galvanised nails, some small tacks, offcuts of acrylic sheet eg Perspex; and strong fishing line. A design should be selected for the ten main poles. The bottom 450mm of each one can remain undecorated.
For the upper part, try wrapping some of the poles with strings and materials of different textures and colours,glued or tacked on, or mask off shapes using paper, and spray paint over the whole pole. Once it is decided how far apart the poles should be put, (eg.1m), the hanging panels can be made that will fit in between. Allow for these to be up to 200mm narrower (ie 800mm – 850mm wide). Make between eight and sixteen panels, using untreated coppice poles for the frames or, if this is hard to locate, cut up round untreated poles 25mm – 50mm diameter.
Join the pieces together by drilling holes near the ends and bolting them together. The panels can be decorated by hanging any number of interesting objects from them, either fixed at both ends or swiveling free like a mobile. Beads, buttons, shells, stones, plastic bottles cut into different shapes (some can be used as hanging plant pots) strings, ribbons, cans and shapes cut from cans and decorated with different patterns, spoons, forks, and anything else that makes a sound like bits of wood, feathers, corks, woven elements.