Lattice Arch

Solid and heavy

The arbor is tubular steel with slide in ends that are then again attached with bolts and nuts. All the ends and hole alignments matched up well. There was an issue with lost bolts and nuts however. They were loosely attached on the holes (not in a separate bag) but some were missing. There was a scraped hole in the box on one corner which is probably where they dropped out. After securing some suitable nuts and bolts it was fairly simple to finish. The arbor stands up well to the frequent high winds we get here and looks quite nice.

Solid

I am using several styles of garden arches in an unconventional way at the moment, so I have a lot to compare. The others make this one from He Derwin look really good. Some which look superficially like the Ogee arch cost only $25! (How do they even cover the materials cost at that rate!?) You get what you pay for. Those bend as you press them into the soil where this one from Henderson seems to pull itself into the soil and stands very stable once it is there. The cheapies tilt this way and that for no apparent reason. Similar comparisons can be made for a third style of arch at a mid range price point. It too is flimsy and immediately rusting. So does this make me Gaga for this one? Almost. I am a big sucker for heavy, and though this one is nicely delicate of design, it is satisfyingly heavy. The only thing I don’t love is that it comes in three separate pieces, but how can I complain about that? If it didn’t, I’d have to pay twice its price just to get it trucked to my house. The reason I don’t like the panels is that it means you see the minimal number of screws which connect the pieces as an interruption in the clean lines, and the arch I got had one connection that was just off, and I simply could not get the two pieces to connect without a tiny gap. But again, when I compare this price to the $14,000! I paid for a custom, forged arbor and front gate, I will not quibble!