I am so excited to start doing DIY projects to go in our outdoor spaces for the season! I had the idea to create a cottage garden obelisk for our garden and Jose was kind enough to build one [or three] for me! While we have many structural supports for our garden plants, an obelisk is one that I have been wanting to add, as I love their unique shape so much!
A garden obelisk is a tall structure with a pyramid-like shape used as a decor and also plant support. An obelisk can vary in style but each has a common taper at the top. As you can see our garden needs to be cleaned up and isn’t close to being planted yet, but once we start planting I’ll let you know what we decide to grow on the obelisks. Lots to do in the garden yet. These photos show the work we have to do in here & were taken a few different days so the lighting is weird, sorry about that!
Materials:
Two 1 x 4 x 8′ Cedar Board
Two 1 x 2 x 8′ Cedar Board
Fence Post Cap
Fence Post Decorative Topper
1 1/2″ 18 gauge Trim Nails
2″ GRK Trim Screws
Tools:
Miter Saw
Table Saw
18 Gauge Nail Gun
Drill
Tape Measure
Directions:
Cutting Legs
Rip two 1×4 cedar board in half to make a 1 x 1 3/4. These will be the legs of the obelisk.
Set your Miter saw to 15 degrees. Cut each of the previously cut 1 x 1 3/4 to 6 feet. Each end is cut parallel to one another ( / / )
Installing Legs
Attach each leg to the post cap. Using two 2″ Trim Head GRK Screws, drill through the top of the cap down onto each leg.
Lay the obelisk on the ground.
Using a bar clap midway up the obelisk, tighten the clamp to adjust the overall width at the bottom of the legs. Our desired measurement was 22″ to fit inside our 24″ garden bed.
Installing Button Rung
Measure, from the bottom up, and mark 18 inches on each leg. This is going to be the bottom rung of the obelisk.
Set the miter to 7 degrees. Cut a 1 x 2 to 17 inches with each end cut mirroring one another ( / \ ).
Using a nail gun with 1 1/2″ nail, nail the rung in place with the long edge lining up to the 18″ mark on the leg.
Installing Middle Rung
From the bottom, measure up and mark 41 inches on each leg.
Set the miter saw to 7 degrees. Cut a 1 x 2 to 11 inches with each end cut mirroring one another ( / \ ).
Using a nail gun with 1 1/2″ nails, nail the rung in place with the long edge lining up with the 41″ mark on the leg.
Installing Top Rung
From the bottom of the post cap, measure down and mark 8 inches on each leg.
Set the miter saw to 7 degree. Cut the 1 x 2 to 6 inches with each end cut mirroring one another ( / \ ).
Using a nail gun with 1 1/2″ nails, nail the rung in place with the long edge lining up with the 8″ mark on the leg.
Repeat all rung steps on opposite side of obelisk
Now the two opposite sides are complete stand up the obelisk.
The remaining open sides, all the rung steps are the same, however you will add 1 1/2″ to the length of each rung, in order to cover the total width plus the thickness of the two rungs previously installed.
Top Decorative Piece
This could have been done earlier in the build, however I like the idea of finishing the obelisk with a little decorative cherry on top. We used a pre-built decorative post topper. Find the center of the Post Cap, drill a hole and screw the topper in place.
Screw Reinforcement
Using 2″ Trim Head Screws, reinforce all joints. I screwed from the inside to keep the outside looking a little more seamless, but either way keep the structure a little more sound with trim head screws.
What do you think of this Cottage Garden Obelisk? Let me know on either Facebook or Instagram! Thanks for stopping by the blog today and every day!
xx Liz Marie
