If you feel like your backyard could use some weekend TLC to upgrade its appearance and functionality, you aren’t the only one! With warm weather and summer well under way, now is the perfect time to start working on a backyard improvement DIY project and maximize the enjoyment of your yard!

Our very own employee, Melissa, recently improved her yard with an easy and functional redwood DIY project! Deciding to improve a corner of her backyard, she purchased Mendocino Redwood from her local The Home Depot store. The project? A transformation of the south-east corner of her backyard into a quiet, and meditative relaxation area.

For the project Melissa purchased three redwood 2x4x8 boards and cut them down to six pieces that measured 2x4x4. She then used the six boards to outline the area of her fence, using them as posts. Melissa would like to note that these are more decorative than they are structural.

Next, using redwood bender board for the wider pieces shown, and redwood lath for the narrow pieces, she carefully shaped the redwood pieces into an arch across the posts. Bender board and lath are great materials for this project, because the pieces are thinly cut, and the bendable wood edging installs easily without requiring special tools. Redwood is naturally resistant to shrinking, warping, splitting, and resistant to bug infestations, making it ideal for outdoor projects that will last.

redwood chevron gate

After installing the bender board and lath pieces, Melissa then used a handsaw to cut the left-over pieces down to size for a chevron gate design. Creating a 1x2’ frame, she arranged the redwood into “V” shapes, working from the bottom of the gate up, to maintain the pattern. By using varying widths of boards, she was able to create her own unique pattern and visual interest. Once arranged to her liking, the boards were then secured to the gate frame with screws.

We think your backyard meditative relaxation area turned out great Melissa! Thank you for sharing your project with us.