Vintage Ladder Arbor

I have an obsession with old ladders.  They always seem to make their way home with me, much to my husband's chagrin.  In addition to my ladder obsession I also have an intense fondness for festival lights.  I had the bright idea to make a ladder arbor that can offer some shade in the summer and more importantly give me a place to hang my lights.

My supplies:
1 - old ladder (round rung ladder worked best for me)
6 - 3-3/8x3-3/8x10 redwood posts
4 - 50lb bags of concrete mix
     (will vary depending on the size of your containers)
2 - containers
      (I used old boilers found at my antique store)
1 - bag of potting mix and an assortment of your favorite plants
box o'screws and 8 bolts and corresponding nuts
drill, level, screw driver, wood glue and paint


FYI disclaimer: I made this last summer when I was 8 months pregnant so I might be a little fuzzy on the details and I completely forgot to take progress pictures.  Feel free to contact me with questions.

The Construction:  I made 2 ladders out of the redwood that act as the support for my vintage ladder top.  (If you wanted to you could make this entirely out of old ladders.)  Your dimensions will vary depending on your container size and your ladder width.  I knew that I wanted the redwood ladder to fit on the inside of my antique ladder.  I believe my redwood ladders are 18" wide (out to out dimension).  I wanted the antique ladder to sit at about 8 feet.  I placed my support rungs every 2 feet.  Once I had my redwood ladders glued and screwed I secured them to the bottom of my boiler.  (Drill holes in your container and insert a long screw.)  At this point, if you haven't done so already, I highly recommend moving your ladder project to it's final resting spot because it's about to get very heavy.  I had a very unhappy husband and brother-in-law who had to move them from the garage to the backyard.  Mix your concrete in accordance to the bag directions and pour.  I left about 6 inches for potting soil and perennials.  I forgot to do this last year but drill holes in the side of your container at the concrete line for water to drain out.  I drown my pansies....whoops.  If you plan ahead, which I didn't, you could use pvc pipe to create a drainage hole before you pour your concrete.  To attach your vintage ladder to the top you need 4 pieces of redwood to sandwich your redwood ladder.  I would make them 1-2" longer than the width of your redwood ladder.  I drilled through all 3 pieces of redwood and secured the sandwich pieces with a large bolt and nut.  My ladder rests on top without a screw or bolt but that was only omitted due to pregnancy fatigue and husband annoyance with my many nesting projects.  Oh!  I almost forgot, I white washed my redwood ladder pieces after it was assembled.

  

 

Et voila!  A backyard ladder arbor.  You can hang lights and wind chimes.  Attach mason jars with fresh flowers.  Weave fabric through the ladders to shade and enclose the space.  Good luck!