Wow, that is awesome, one I would love to try. Great work by you and DH.

Sharon

What a great Arbor using those doors. I love that idea. Your whole area looks so good and will become even more beautiful as everything grows and blooms. What a good Hubby you have :o)
Darlene

Wow that is awesome! I love the whole setting!!!! The knockout roses are really easy to grow! It is going to be so beautiful blooming there next to the white door arbor!!!

What a great idea...hmmm wonder if the shutter doors I have would work like that....beautiful job. Hug your DH for all of us.

What a great repurposing project. The doors make a beautiful arbor. Please show us the arbor again when the plants have filled out. Jlily

Wow!!!! Absolutely love it, lol, now I got to find me some doors. You and your hubby did a great job.

Betty

Very great idea at recycling - I can't wait to see it once it's got that "lived in" look with all the plants. Really great way of thinking outside the box. I really like it. Colleen

OMG!! that is great!
kuddos to your hubby for all the great help.
I envy you your nice level spot, my yard is all sloped. except a small spot, that I can't really use due to future camper parking.. sigh.

What a fabulous arbor, one to be proud of.
Have you and the DH thought of making a bench from an old bed headboard and footboard? Those can be found all the time and some make some absolutely beautiful benches.
Good luck with the roses I have the same disability when it comes to roses.
I look forward to seeing pics of the progress.
CT

Fabulous Job!!! 3 thumbs up!!!lol! Great pics!!!

That is a fantastic arbor, Jeanne. I even showed my DH and he agreed. I'd sure like to find some lovely old doors like those and do the same. Around here they're scarce as hen's teeth.

LOVE LOVE LOVE IT !!!!! You & hubby work so well together. That area already looks good,it will be georgeus when the flowers fill in, like the rest of your yard.
CT.. good idea to use dor to make bench for area..would tie in nicely

That is wonderful. I'm honored 'my' butterfly can be there since I can't. Tho I wouldn't look very good hanging from the Arbor anyway.

hugs,Karen

That a wonderful arbor!
I know you will enjoy it!

That is really neat and resourceful, and you saved a bundle except with sweat equity, good thing you have a helper.

I like your plant choices, but if that were mine, I'd tack some chicken wire on it or that nicer mesh stuff and get two clematis going on the sides. It will cover the whole arbor in a couple of years. I recommend Mrs. Julia Correzon, planted two last year from Brushwood nurseries, one is ok but not in the best soil, but the other one on the east side has topped the trellis and curving around, huge in just one growing season.

If you don't like that, a white or lavender or any of the 10' to 20' ones would be pretty, so easy to grow and very cold hardy in my zone, don't need to protect them for the winter, only have to cut them back a little in the spring to revitalize them and get rid of the top which dies back.

Knockouts do well here generally, but my son even has irrigation and lost his over the winter, not the bad one this year, a milder one a couple years back. They were gorgeous while they lasted.

Another wonderful project Jeanne! Looks VERY expensive! Your DH is the greatest too!

You and your DH do amazing projects! What a wonderful way to recycle old doors--that gives your arbor such a special look. Luvs

Hi. New to the forum (prev. occasional reader).
Totally love this arbor! I've been wanting to do something similar but haven't even bought the old doors yet. Thanks for posting these pics.

Two doors up & looking fine!! How are your thumbs!!A lovely spot in the making & with addition of a bench nice place to take a rest & enjoy the view!! Jan

WOW!!!! That's alsome....

You and your DH did such a good job! You'll love the knockout rose.

Love it. Be sure to post pictures when everything blooms out.

Here is a link that might be useful: MY BLOG

jeannespines, how did you anchor it? Did you pour cement footings or just use something like rebar? That could solve a major disappointment and problem I'm having with my two arbors which were a dream for years. One fell over because the guy missed the concrete, and the other one is leaning and needs to be straightened.

I love it! What a great idea, and also excellent work and completion. It looks beautiful in your garden.
kathy

What a clever idea! Love the door arbor!

Thanks so much, GJers, for all your feedback on this project. I am still "giddy" over it & am enjoying plotting & planning the area! I did post some more pics today.. "Added Plant & Purplemoon's Butterfly to Door Arbor."

I'll try to reply to your comments & questions:

Yes, DH & I like "teamwork"...I could not do most projects by myself...so we appreciate the time together...and, yeah, I gave him your "pats on the back!"

No, my ground is not level...that's why more pcs of concrete on one side than the other.

ummmm, maybe shutter doors would work, twomonths!

Yes, thought of a bed bench...good idea, but think I want something smaller...I want to keep this arbor with an "open view" like looking thru the "frame" of the windows...and full view from front & back. Those benches are the coolest, though, coloredthumb!

You can "hang out" in my arbor, anytime, Purplemoon! Heh! Heh!

WELCOME, threekittens, and thanks for posting!

DH attached some metal strips to back edge and we pounded them in the ground...still quite "unsturdy" because sitting on concrete rectangular pcs...so he also anchored it in the front...not cemented in yet...if it doesn't seem like this is holding good enough, we will dig & cement metal in the ground.

No Clematis on this one (cause I don't want the ck wire on this)...but that would be a beautiful sight (as you suggested, aliska12000. I did put some ck. wire around the tree stump behind that white barn door as I have a white/light pinkish Clematis growing up the stump from behind door. And I'm dying to know if I can grow a "Knock-Out Rose!" LOL ...cause I'm so-so with Clematis also!

Aliska, we did cement in our "bird sanctuary" arbor that we did this past late Fall...it was made with 4x4's treated...so I know what you mean...for the hog panel arbor, we used shorter steel fence posts and wire them to the panel. So far, so good.

Anyway, thanks all, once again...you GJers are the greatest! And makes sharing so much fun!!! Jeanne S.

BEAUTIFUL! BEAUTIFUL! BEAUTIFUL! Jeanne, I was showing your arbor pictures to my gardening friends at work! They were all in awe! WHAT A GREAT IDEA! Carol wants me to make one! INSPIRING! Of course, instead of making one, you could just send us yours! :o) WE LOVE YOUR ARBOR!!!!! Thanks for sharing! Bear Hugs! Kirk

jeannespines, thank you for explaining how you anchored it. I'm going to try getting mine anchored with 5/8 rebar and attach it sturdily somehow, son or sil will do it for me. Maybe not as aesthetic but I have to be realistic. Those failed concrete footings are bugging me no end and interfering with planting, so I want them out of there. I can try quarry tile, brick, something if it needs a little more support.

If done professionally, maybe concrete footings are ok, but the way the ground heaves from freeze and thawing, maybe it's better to have something you can readjust more easily anyway. I am actually obsessed with that concrete in there, tried to chip it out myself with a sledgehammer and other tool, too hard. I'm determined to find someone with a jackhammer and want every last chunk of it out of there. Maybe some of it can be dug without ruining established plants.

I don't blame you about the clematis; you can't pile everything on an arbor anyway, and some would take over. I hope you post more photos when you get your plants established and that I don't miss them because I don't hang around this forum too much but check in once in awhile. I love it, but there is so much else here!

I bought two old doors on Restore habitat when they were marked down. One is on my garage and is really nice compared to the rotten one on there (like yours but not nearly as well preserved, that went in the trash), makes it look all new. The other is going to be my front door because it's solid wood crossbuck with panes in the top. I love messing with door ideas no matter where.

Your arbor is so pretty!! I have one question. How wide is it? I have doors! LOL

maggie... I just went out and measured...it's 44" from outside edge of door to other door outside edge. Good luck...remember you do need TWO people for this job! ... lots of wigglin' & adjustin' getting the rafters in & square! Have fun! I think it's a pretty cool arbor!

kirk...LOL! As I said above to Maggie, relay that message to Carol! Have fun! I'm glad you both like it...too big to ship!

aliska...I hope you get the concrete out! Ugh! Yes, we get lots of wind here, too...and the whole winter freeze! Rebar is good ...or cementing the treated lumber has worked for us on others. Will attach link ... if you haven't seen this bird sanctuary we did late Fall...after losing our trees. It didn't "heave" from the winter. Jeanne S.

Here is a link that might be useful: New Arbor Bird Sanctuary

Jeanne this door arbor is ssssooooo nice. Great job.

Love it!!! The clematis is a great choice, because when it matures in about 3 years, it will cover the arbor quite heavily. But it won't be instrusive like some other vines. I just love clematis. Remember with perennials: 1st Year They Sleep, 2nd Year They Creep, 3rd Year They Leap!

Jeanne, can I borrow your hubby for about 2 weeks? LOL .... just kiddin' of course, but all us gals need a man who can build exactly what we want! Not to knock my guy, because he can fix anything from the car to the computer, as he has a degree in computer science tech, but ..... a carpenter, he is not LOL.

I worked in Printing doing typesetting and artwork for about 25 years, and it drives me insane when someone can't get things straight .... I mean as in square and straight teehee :-) ~tenderlee

Hubs (Junk Hunk/Pond Boy) had never said WOW is so many different languages!!!!!!!! We Love it!!!!! I thought I had already posted something but I see where we were so in awe that I must have been speechless!!!! Me, speechless???? Your arbor is gorgeous!!!!!

The other day I finally found a use for some of the framework of a destroyed car shelter that has been laying around the yard for approx 4 yrs they are 4 ft long. I pounded them in the ground behind the lattice that are supporting some clematis.

Later I realized that I could line them up better and since they have holes for the bolts I can put a bolt or large screw through them and into the wood of the lattice.

Something else for you to look for.

Betty

Wow, looks like something out of a magazine! Great job, and what a great idea!

That door arbor is a real work of art. I can only imagine the amount of work that went into it, what with the sanding and painting and construction and moving. It looks fabulous!

I also like the bird house (feeder?) atop the sawed off tree next to the birdhouse on the pole.

just checked this out from the other post. lovely!

I've had my eyes on this project for years. My question is: How do you anchor it down in the ground?

In the comments way above, Nancy Bloom, I wrote about anchoring: " DH attached some metal strips to back edge of each door and we pounded them in the ground...still quite "unsturdy" because sitting on concrete rectangular pcs...so he also anchored it in the front...not cemented in yet...if it doesn't seem like this is holding good enough, we will dig & cement metal in the ground." Nancy .... it held up this way for 6 yrs. ;-) Jeanne Sammons

I'd love to see a current photo!

I still think it is beautiful, something about those 3 top pieces that really made it a "stand out piece". Hope you are doing well &able to get back to gardening some, Jeanne!

Thank you, sunnyca ... many blessings in my life ... & GJ is one of them! ;-)

Love this piece. Going to attempt one myself.

Your door arbor is gorgeous. Love the plant placement, too. We had two old doors that DH was going to put into the recycle, but we repurposed them, too. Wish we had put them together like your arbor. I love it.

Thank you, sjgrapes & MsRedByrd. This door lasted in our 4 season weather for 6-1/2 yrs ... the door rotted at the window frame (we had taken the glass out) & hubby tried to recaulk it more ... also at the top of the door (itself) where it was jointed together. We are rebuilding one right now with solid doors again & keeping the glass intact right now. We could reuse 2 of the 3 top 2x8's rafters ... I am excited! ;-) Jeanne

Jeanne, It is great that you can reuse two of the three rafters. Please post pics when it's done. Would love to see it.

Irene