DIY: Wood Shade Structures

Measure out a square with 6-foot sides. Mark the locations of each corner in the ground. Dig a hole with a shovel over each marking, making the hole 30 inches deep and 12 inches in diameter, with the marking being at the center of the hole.

Put 6 inches of gravel in the bottom of each hole. Have an assistant hold a treated 96-inch 4-by-4-inch post in the center of each hole. Set a carpentry level against the post and adjust the post until it is exactly vertical.

Position two 36-inch, 2-by-4-inch sections against two adjacent sides of each post with their other ends on the ground to serve as braces. Attach each of these two boards to the post with two 3-inch wood screws.

Mix concrete in a large bucket using the amount of water recommended on the package. Pour enough concrete into the hole to cover the gravel. Spread the concrete around the gravel with a shovel until it is completely covered.

Fill the rest of the hole around the post with concrete. Let the concrete harden overnight. Remove the screws holding the braces to the posts, and remove the braces.

Hold a treated 64-inch, 3-by-3-inch beam suspended between two of the vertical posts, against their outside surfaces, perpendicular to the vertical posts. Raise it to the top of the vertical posts, so that the top of the horizontal beam is flush with the top of the vertical posts.

Drill three holes through the horizontal beam and into each vertical post. Slide an 8-inch galvanized bolt through a galvanized washer and through each drilled hole. Set another galvanized washer on the other end of each bolt and tighten nuts over each bolt end with a wrench. Repeat to install another horizontal beam on the opposite pair of vertical posts.

Span the two horizontal beams with a 66-inch, treated 2-by-6-inch board. It is placed perpendicular to the horizontal beams and stands up on its long, thin side. Evenly space it over the horizontal beams with an equal amount hanging off each side. Position this board, which is one of the shading boards, in the very center of the beams, which is 32 inches from each end.

Set a 3-inch metal L-bracket against the 2-by-6-inch board and each horizontal beam. Attach the brackets to the beam and the 2-by-6-inch board with 3-inch galvanized wood screws.

Repeat to install six more 2-by-6-inch boards on each side of the central board, with the centers of the boards 5 inches apart. There should be 2 inches of extra space at each end of the beams.