Seattle landscape designer Scot Eckley created a magical backyard for a client’s home near Puget Sound, Washington. For the yard’s Zen-like garden, Eckley topped the ground with permeable gravel and stepping circles filled with black beach glass. He also designed an alluring aluminum ring gate to separate the yard from the garage. Discover the process that Eckley and his team used to create this one-of-a-kind gate. Scot Eckley, Inc. Scot Eckley and his team intended the aluminum ring gate to provide both security and style. “The homeowner lives alone; therefore security and privacy were definitely considerations,” says Eckley.
Because the gate is transparent, the homeowner can see who is on the opposite side; it also has the benefit of allowing light into what would otherwise have been a dark corner of the garden.

Project cost:
Design and mock-up: $1,000
Fabrication: $4,000

See the entire backyard here 1. To create the aluminum ring gate, Eckley and his team first built a mock frame for the gate and screwed it to a sheet of plywood. Then, using a band saw, they cut sections of various-sized PVC pipes into approximately 200 rings.
2. Using an assortment of locking pliers, hammers and elbow grease, the team arranged, pounded and recut the rings into various designs until they came upon a desirable pattern for the gate.
3. The team then spray-painted all the rings into place onto the plywood frame, completing a template of the gate design for the metal fabricator to replicate.

Browse other inventive DIY projects Scot Eckley, Inc. 4. The framed template was sent off to a metal fabricator, who cut rings of hollow aluminum piping to the exact size and dimensions of the PVC rings. The fabricator then welded the aluminum rings together to create one solid yet transparent gate. Here’s a close-up of the finished aluminum rings.

Tip: “Cutting and welding aluminum rings is no easy task,” says Eckley. “My suggestion is to let professional fabricators handle the last step.”

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