Stonegate Designs Wooden Garden Bridge - 7ft.L, Model Number DSL-4212-WP

We bought this bridge to accent a rock stream that also helps with rain drainage on our property. I was looking for something with a nice design as well as strength to serve as a crossing for yard equipment such as as wheelbarrow and lawn mower. I think this bridge will meet the need. I received two packages in good shape and on time. Assembly required about two hours but for the more experienced could likely take less time. All parts were included. The manufacturer uses soft wood so care is needed to not over tighten the wood screws that are supplies. My only complaint is that one of the rail posts contained large cracks but glue and clamps helped close the gaps. For durability I may cap the tops of the rail posts. Because of our rainy Pacific Northwest climate I used a weatherproofing stain to help preserve the wood. All in all I am satisfied with the product.

First of all let me say that for the money this is a decent product. If you look at my photo you will see that I reinforced the center seams that I felt were under engineered. I glued blocks to the three support that were not included in the shipment. the instructions say that it could hold up to 450 lb I seriously doubt it. There is another photo on one of the reviews that a girl put out there where it obviously sagged in the middle, so I opted to reinforce the center pieces. I have no complaints about the fit or finish. I had precisely enough screws and everything lined up perfectly. I suggest you take your time. Glue with an exterior grade of glue and screw everything. The side rails are not all exactly the same so make sure you get the ones that line up properly to give it a nice curved effect. I believe the structural portions of this are actually Cedar, and the rest appear to be white pine. Caution however as the main beams are only 1 inch thick and the decking is 1/2 inch thick! I will put wood sealer on it before I will put a deck paint. This is not a structural item! It can withstand a little use but certainly not a lot. I expect it will last a few years in Vermont weather but certainly no more than 3.

All in all, very happy with the bridge. It looks just like the picture and its very sturdy. 2 full sized adults been walking on it for a couple of months now and no problems at all. Think it was a very good value for the money. We painted it but didn't water seal it and it has survived a wet winter just fine. Only reason its a 4 instead 5 of was the assembly. Took some head scratching when I took it out of the package to determine which piece was which. Was a bit if of a pain getting the pieces to fit together correctly and the spacing of the floor boards was a little tricky. You'll want to have 2 people for a couple of the steps on the instructions. However, I'm kind of a perfectionist about those things and even I admit the finished product looks great and we've received several compliments.

All materials were accounted for. One of the side rails was slightly damaged. Was fairly easy to assemble but you will need some help in some parts of the assembly. Would recommend that the support beams come with some type of reinforcement due to the quality of wood used. I ended up reinforcing the support beams with 3 2x3s 28 inches in length. Recommend the supplier remove the comment about the solar light kit as they are no longer available

Yes, there's a lot of pieces but if you stick to the instructions, especially in the beginning, it'll look just like the picture. I wanted to see how long it would take using only hand tools (screwdriver), and it took 2-1/2 hours. And that was taking my time. I reccomend that you sand it down with a fine grit sandpaper and seal/stain it afterwards. I'm absolutely pleased with the purchase and can't wait to add it to my front yard landscape.

This is an awesome bridge. Well designed and easy to put together (you will want an electric screwdriver for the 100+ screws).BEWARE however that the size is incorrectly identified in the description. Only after fully assembling the bridge did I notice that it measures 29 inches wide and 90 inches long. However, the product description said it should be 33 wide and 84 long. After contacting customer service (and they were good about responding), I was told that there was an advertising error. They offered a refund if I wanted to return the bridge, and would have issued a prepaid UPS label to send it back. But I decided to use the bridge even though it was not as wide as described.

:)

Bridge is perfect!