Better Homes and Gardens (Australia)
EASY STEPS TO BUILD A SHADE STRUCTURE
Gather your supplies
• 100 x 100mm x 2.4m sawn H4 treated pine (19)
• 200 x 100mm x 2.4m treated pine sleepers (4)
You’ll also need Timber stain in Cypress; painting equipment; clamp; drill; long 7mm drill bit; 175 and 200mm landscaping screws; post-hole digger; spirit level; concrete mix (approx. 5 bags per hole); wheelbarrow; 32mm spade bit; 11mm drill bit; masking tape; straightedge; hacksaw; M10 threaded rod; M10 galvanised nuts and washers (16); spanner
Components
Posts
100 x 100 x 2400mm sawn H4 treated pine (8)
Top blocks
100 x 100 x 400mm sawn
(7)
Bottom blocks
100 x 100 x 600mm sawn H4 treated pine (4)
Legs
100 x 100 x 1800mm sawn H4 treated pine (3)
Outriggers
100 x 100 x 1800mm sawn H4 treated pine (8)
Feet
200 x 100 x 1000mm treated pine sleepers (8)
For you to note
All timber stained prior to assembly.
Here’s how
STEP 1 Lay out posts and top blocks on saw stools with lengths of timber on them to extend their width. Clamp a top block against a post so end of block is 100mm past end of post. Predrill using a long 7mm drill bit, then screw together with 175mm landscaping screws. Use 3 screws per block. Drive screws so they’re embedded below the face of the timber. STEP 2 At other end of post, place a leg against the post so 600mm of the leg is against post and it overhangs by 1.2m. Screw together with landscaping screws, using 6 screws. STEP 3 Lay another post against the top and bottom blocks so the ends align with the other post and screw
into the blocks. Continue attaching blocks and posts together alternating between the two. At the bottom of the assembly, place another leg in the middle, then the final leg at the other side, otherwise use bottom blocks.
STEP 4 Use a post hole digger to dig three 1.2m deep holes for the legs.
STEP 5 With a few helpers, lift the assembly so the legs go in the holes. Use a spirit level to make plumb and check the top is level. Mix concrete in a wheelbarrow, then pour into holes. Leave to set.
STEP 6 Lay outriggers down so their ends are aligned. At 500mm from 1 end, draw a pair of lines 100mm apart to mark where the outriggers will sit on the posts. Between these lines, drill three 7mm clearance holes through each outrigger.
STEP 7 At other end of outrigger and on the 2 faces adjacent to the one you drilled the holes through, mark a point in the centre of the outrigger 100mm from the end. At these points use a 32mm spade bit to drill a 10mm deep hole (see DIY tip, below). Switch to an 11mm drill bit and drill halfway through outrigger going through the centre of the hole. Make sure the 2 holes meet so threaded rod can pass through. Repeat for all outriggers.
DIY TIP
Use masking tape around the hole to prevent splintering the timber as you drill.
STEP 8 Lift outrigger onto outside post and clamp to hold. Screw through holes drilled in Step 6 into post using 200mm landscape screws. Repeat to attach second outrigger to other end post.
STEP 9 Screw remaining outriggers to posts. Have a helper hold a straightedge against the end of the outriggers already fixed so all their ends are aligned. STEP 10 Use hacksaw to cut threaded rod to match width of outriggers at posts. Working from 1 side, insert rod into holes at other end of outrigger. As it passes through each outrigger, add a washer, 2 nuts, then another washer. Continue winding on the nuts between each outrigger and pushing the rod all the way through to the other side. Tighten the nuts on each end of the rod then work your way along the outriggers, tightening all the nuts between them. Use a spanner to make sure the nuts sit in the countersunk holes.
STEP 11 At the bottom of the posts, drill a pair of staggered 7mm holes through the post for the feet. Butt feet into rear side of post and screw together using 200mm screws. Make top of feet level and flush with the finished level of the garden around them. FOR PROJECT SUPPLIES, SEE OUR STOCKISTS PAGE