How to Make a Drive Way Arch For Christmas Lights
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- Опубликовано: 5 авг 2024
- This video goes over how to make arches out of PVC pipe to use for Christmas decorations.
Build list:
I bought everything at Lowe’s
PVC Coupling $0.49 (two per arch)
PVC Pipe ¾” - $5.35 per (3 per arch)
Oatey PVC PVC Cement and Primer - $10
0.375 in x 10 ft #3 rebar $5.48 (2 per arch)
Round combo with nuts ¼-20 x 2 in - $5.98 25 pack (2 per arch)
100 ct LED Christmas lights in warm white $5.98 per strand (2 per arch)
Project Source Black Spray Paint - $1.48 (1 per)
Utilitech 40ft Extension cord 16 gauge - $14.98
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Another thing that works nice is 1" pex and put the lights inside the pipe. Use 1" CPVC couplers. Awesome video!
That is a neat idea. Thanks for the comment!
I will definitely try this and do 3 arches and build one per month starting in September to see how they hold up with the wind with solar lights. Also, Home Depot will cut the rebar if you don't have the tools and they probably will drill a hole in the PVC for the screws if you ask. Thanks for the video!!
That HD comment is a great tip. I didn't know that! Best of luck.
I have 5 archways on my drive way. But I have a chain link fence on either side. So I use the fence poles to hold my PVC pipes, and I used 4, 1 1/4. It spans 20ft, about 14ft high. I also use digital LED's. My neighbor came over and looked at it, then he put one up. Great job on yours.
Sounds like a nice setup. Thanks for the feedback!
Beautiful lights, thanks for sharing. Merry Christmas 🎄
Thanks for the comment, and Merry Christmas to you as well.
Awesomeness 👌
What a great husband and dad. I'm definitely gonna try this. Tfs
Best of luck!
I'm going to use this concept to build a greenhouse. 🙂
Good luck. Not sure how well it would work. Perhaps if you braced it from arch to arch.
@@y2kok I just need something small and temporary.
Black gorrilla tape around the couplings instead of glue and screws makes for an easy tear down and set up.
Thank you for the idea. I was searching for a way to build an arch for our Halloween hay wagon . I think I may be able to make this work with holes cut into blocks of wood instead of rebar. Since this will be attached to the sides of an old grain wagon.
Best of luck on your project!!!
Looks really good 👍
Thanks!
Lots of tips for the rebar:
1) Invest in a chop saw. A small one (i.e., 6" wheel) is
Good suggestions. I'll have to look into Xlights.
So awsome thanks for the video
Thanks for the comment!
Great video. Thanks.
Thanks for watching!
Use bolts and cotter pins to assemble and disassemble quicker. You don't really have to worry about losing the nuts or the bolts. Just pull the pin out real quick, slide the PVC pipe out and repin it. That way your hardware just stays in place.
Also a good idea!
Cotter pins are fine. "R keys" are a fast alternative too.
Im doing this today! Very nice and pretty easy!
Best of luck! Let me know how it goes.
@poolman8676 how did it go?
@@NewKidWS well quite honestly, I got sidetracked and made 8 ft candy canes instead. Lol If it doesn't rain tomorrow I'm going to make your arches, then 10' PVC Christmas trees. Thank you for following up. It sure means a lot.
Thank you! I've struggled with the size of the arch. Also, if you get a t-post driver it will help greatly with the driving of the rebar. Beware of the rebound tho. lol
Good idea on the tpost driver.
If you drill a bunch of holes in them you can have them run with 2 bulbs at the bottom.
Thank you!!! I def going to tell my husband build this arch for my driveway lol
Haha, well I apologize to him for the extra honey do, but hopefully he enjoys the project!
If you have an SDS Max hammer drill, I ground rod driver attachment would sink those rebars in seconds.
I am sure that would work very well!
doing the Bernie .... LOL
You are the first to make this comment. I was surprised no one else has made it. haha
Thanks for the video! Any issues with the lateral stability, particularly at the top of the arch, by the end of the season?
No, not at all. They did surprisingly well. Best of luck.
LOL! "And waste a lot of time doing it! Love the truth
Would you consider using pex pipe instead of pvc? Not certain if the exact width, maybe 3/4 inch that we looked at, but was told by depot associate that the pex might work better & cheaper than the pvc. Any thoughts and or suggestions for the switch?
I am not sure if pex would be strong enough to hold the lights and itself. You could give it a shot.
Do you store them with the lights on or do you take the lights off at the end of the season and reapply. I made arches and store with lights in my attic but it was an absolute pain to get them back out. Just curious how you store them.
I take the pipes apart, and leave the lights on. I zip tie all of the pipes together for each arch and that way I only have to worry about 10ft lengths.
Great video! How did you get the PVC to fit into the couplings as dry fitting? I’m trying and they are not going fully in. Thanks!
Try sanding down the ends. I'll post another video.
My driveway is 16 ft wide. Would 4 sticks still work or would I need more support somewhere
I think that 4 would be pretty long. You could always assemble one and see how it looks.
Glad to see OHSAA showed up before Santa Clause did…
Hey, I have had metal in my eye before and it is no fun. Best of luck!
Thank you for this video! I know it was from last year but it’s still super helpful!
Do you have any new videos or a new channel? And whereabouts in Indiana are y’all from????
I’m in Chicago but want to move to IN, WI or MI!!! & we’re neighbors 😂 kinda. 🙏
I just put a couple of shorts on here, and I am working on a couple of other videos as well.
I am down near Kentucky. Thanks for watching.
have you considered running lights from arch to arch?
I did consider it, and thought it would make it look like a tunnel. With the materials that I used, I didn't think that it would be strong enough to support the extra weight when the wind blew. Perhaps it would have, but I didn't want to risk it.
Hi, thanks for the video, how many extension chords did you use for this?
I used a total of four of the green cords that I showed. I had a larger cord running from my house to the first arch.
@@y2kok thank you!
Hi there. I'm wanting to make arches for our Christmas display, what if you don't have dirt/grass either side of your path, my driveway is concrete and there's so grass/dirt either side I cant bang in bars.. what do you recommended
You would need to have some heavy metal plates or blocks to use as supports, and would need to be able to mount the rebar to it. Best of luck, and let me know what you decide to do.
You can buy something like umbrella stands. I made my own with concrete blocks, put a length of PVC a size or two larger, to act as a sleeve, and cemented it into the block for added weight. Worked well enough for me last year but I am going with larger diameter PVC this year to add more lights and reduced sway in strong winds.
Get 5 gallon 🪣, have someone hold a 3-ft rebar in the center, add a 60 lb bag of concrete per each bucket 🪣.
@@craftman5632 unfortunately that still blows over in a moderate wind. Guy lines might be required. They could go to concrete blocks.
Probably could wrap the sections with the lights before mounting them on the rebar.
I am making five more this year, and you are correct. That is the quicker method.
How far did u knock down rebar 1 foot with 4 feet for pvc to go over?
If I remember correctly, it was about one foot into the ground.
You sais "2 strands" per arch. but how many lights per strand? did you get 25 a strand? or 50 a strand? let me know, thanks man?
Hey Daniel,
100 ct LED Christmas lights in warm white $5.98 per strand is what I used. The list of materials is in the video description. Best of luck to you!
What PVC is this? The ones I see don’t bend. Do you have links? Would really appreciate it. Thanks!
They all will bend at a given radius. This is just standard pvc that you find at home depot or lowes.
Thanks for the video. Going to make these for Halloween. Any idea how wide your driveway is and how tall the arches were? Thanks!
Honestly, I am not sure how they tall they were, but they are tall enough for the UPS, FedEx and Amazon drivers to get under with the normal big box trucks they use.
The width was listed in the video, and the driveway ranges from 10 - 12 feet wide depending on where I measure it at.
Best of luck on making them!
@@y2kok Love this idea and really appreciate the tutorial, step by step. Judging by the ladder at 6:49, these appear to be about 12' tall.
@@donleland9157 Honestly, I am not for sure on how tall they are, but I don't think they are quiet 12' tall at the peak. I am a little over 6' tall and I think 10.5' is a more accurate guess.
I held calipers to my monitor and scaled it to his height, and his guess of 10.5' is pretty close, but there are additional variables to consider. For example, if you use different lights and/or wrap them more (or less) densely, then you're going to have more (or less) weight near the top, so there will be more (or less) sag, especially if you add garland, a star, or whatever. You could also step up to 1" PVC (3/4" was used here) which would make it more rigid. Additionally, CPVC could be used for the middle section if you wanted to create steeper sides and a tighter curve (i.e., more of a "U" shape). CPVC of approximately the same diameter and wall thickness is more flexible than PVC. There are other ways to adjust the shape as well, such as making the rebar ground supports taller, maybe trying Schedule 80 instead of 40 (i.e., thicker walls) so it's more rigid, adding/subtracting from the overall length, etc. The base of each arch seems to be about 16.5' wide, so scale things based on that and experiment from there.
@@alexplorer Good thoughts, but using 1 inch pvc probably wouldn't work with the layout that I have. It would be extremely rigid.
When breaking apart to store, does it come apart easily with the liquid cement?
You only use the cement on one side of them. The second side you will need to use a bolt and nut so you can take them apart. It works very well that way. I can try to take a short video and post that.
Are you dry fitting the pvc to the coupling? Or sanding the pipe down? I’m confused how it comes out easy for you. Please do a quick video of it. I’m building mine now and I foresee it being an absolute pain to break down the bolted side, unless I’m missing something.
@@dweckk5343 I just put them back together this past weekend, and they were fine. To get them apart very easy. I will say if you are worried about it, then you could use a little oil and perhaps that could work. That said, sanding would also be worth a shot, but at the end of the season last year I had no issue getting them apart. Good luck!
I know PVC is not flexible unless heated. I didn't see if you used a PVC heater to bend them? I may have missed something. Not sure if you did anything to get the pipe to bend?
PVC isn't completely ridged. It will bend, and it will especially bend over a long distance. Granted, it isn't going to bend like a garden hose. What you see in the video is what I did.
Our entire community is filled with arches over sidewalks made with two 10-foot PVC pipe sections - it bends, expecially the 1/2 inch size. It sometimes pops out of or breaks couplings, but uaually not.
What about delivery trucks going in and out of your driveway, doesn't look like their high enought for them?
Depends on the truck. Most can fit if they go down the middle. I have a new video I am going to post on this topic in a couple of weeks. I now place a bow on the first one to make sure they see it.
How long were the light strands that you used? I’ve already made the arches it worked perfectly.
They were the standard 100 light stringer. They typically are around 20 ft long. Glad to hear the arches worked out for you. Enjoy them.
Also, please remember to subscribe. I am right on the verge of getting 1000 subs and then I can monetize. Thanks!
how wide is your driveway?? Trying to gauge if I need to go shorter or wider than what you did. Looks awesome. Thanks!
The arches are 194" wide, and that gave me around 1.5 - 2 feet on each side. I think the driveway is around 12ft wide. Best of luck!
Generally, you need width of arch to be 3-4 feet wider than driveway. Then multiply by 1.5 and add 10 feet (3 meters) for the ends.
So, for a 12 foot driveway, (12+4)*1.5+10=34 feet. I’d probably just go 35, just to be safe.
Also, electrical conduit has bell ends which are deeper than pipe couplings. Just drill a hole and use cotter pins (looks like a hairpin).
@@TomCee53how did you find that out? My driveway is 20 feet wide, so by that math I should have 44 feet of pipe to make the arch? How tall will that be?
I’m still confused about the bolt. Can you further explain?
If you glue both sides together then you are going to have a solid 30 foot pole. If you use the bolt on one side, then you can detach everything into 10 foot sections after you are done for storage.
quick way for 4 arches 8 ,1 metre poles insert onto rebars x 4 tent poles insert into 1metre poles perfect archs,wrapped with red and white plastic barrier tape for candy cane effect,solar powered lights,merry xmas.
Sounds interesting.
Did you have any issues with the cup links cracking in the cold?
Hey Tim, I did not have any issues at all. That said, it doesn't really get below 20°F for very long here. I could imagine if you are in the northern states that there might be issues if it gets really cold, but I am not the expert. I would check the temperature range for the materials that you plan on using, but the overall stress on the pipes is fairly low. Good luck!
@@y2kok Worked like a charm. It got down to single digits once or twice and even have a wind storm with gusts of 40+ mph and nothing broke.
@@mousetravel71 Glad to hear it! Hope you enjoyed them.
How many lights on each arch to make them look good?
I used two 100 light strands so 200 lights total.
So how many 10ft pvcs did you buy???
Use three per arch. I have 10 arches now so I bought 30.
How tall are the arches at the center?
They are about 128" tall in the center.
Did you have any issues with the drilled holes cracking the plastic couplings over time?
I have only had one crack. So it has had a decent longevity.
@@y2kok Thanks for the response! That is great to hear
@@RIleyCotter45 Absolutely. All the best to you.
Looks great. Did you consider wiring the lights before mounting the arches. Less ladder work.
Haha, yes, I considered it while editing this video. Would probably be easier to do it that way.
The real question is can a UPS or FEDEX truck fit under neath?
I was saying the same thing!
Yes, Amazon, Fedex and UPS can all fit. Perhaps I should say, the trucks they use in my area had no issues.
Instead of buying a grinder to cut the rebar, would 4 foot lengths of rebar work instead - to support 3 lengths of 10 foot poles?
There are multiple ways to cut the rebar. A hack saw would be a cheaper option.
Also, you might be able to get them cut at home depot. Good luck
You mentioned 2strands of lights per arch, but I didn't catch how many lights per strand. 50? 100? Per strand
I probably didn't say, but I used 100 light strands. If I were to do these again, I would consider using 3 stands.
@@y2kok thanks
@@lorettauppercue6400 Not a problem.
Question how did you hook up each arch of lights.
Just ran extension cords from one to the next.
@@y2kok The extension cords I have do not plug into Christmas lights
@@69Ford I have a three way splitter for every extension cord. I use normal 3 pronged extension cords (hot, neutral, ground), and then plug the splitter into it. From there you can run one extension cord to the next arch, and plug your lights into one of the other two slots.
Hope that helps. Just make sure that you don't plug too many things into the same cords. In other words, be safe.
Ok so in the parts list you show only 1 extension cord. I’d like more info please on how you connected everything with power. Maybe I’m missing something 🤷🏼♂️
Hey, I used one cord per arch. Basically, I have a splitter on each cord that way I can plug in the next cord and the plug for the lights at each junction. Pretty easy to do. Best of luck.
What about delivery trucks?
I have had a couple of them go under them, and they made it. That said, a lot of them chose not to go under them.
3/4 PVC in my area is 18.50 per 10 foot. Another 20 bucks per 6 feet of rebar. Sadly that makes the DIY version a lot more expensive than buying it at the store.
Yeah, that is a bummer, but I have never seen arches this large in the store before. As an FYI, 3/4" pvc in 10 foot sections is currently about $9 where I am located (Indiana). Best of luck.
Lowes in expensive California has 10-foot 3/4 PVC for $5.58 if purchasing 8 or more. Qty. 661 available at my local store. Rebar is $6.68 for 10-feet.
@@marci.5597 I guess that means Canada is really in trouble if even California beat us by a wide margin. 14 USD where I am. And Im not even considered rural by Canadian standards.
What’s the width between each rebar?
I have the width at 194" wide. Then I spaced the arches about 18 - 20' apart. Hope that helps.
@@y2kok awesome thank you you had it in your video I just over looked it lol
That's cool until FedEx doesn't see it and drags it back to your house.
lol, actually, they all did fine. Guess we will see how this year goes.
A year later that Project Source paint is $3 a can for black/white (10oz). Spray paint has gotten crazy in price. Even the cheap Walmart brand is not cheap anymore.
I just bought new lights, and they are now $6 a strand. Everything is more expensive now.
How tall are the arches?
My guess is they are about 10.5 - 11' tall.
Also, the Amazon vans / UPS trucks could fit under them without issue.
Or red tape around it for a candy cane effect.
I thought about that as well, and in fact did that for someone else. I just wanted them to be black that way they didn't stand out too much during the day. Best of luck if you make them.
This dude cleaned the pipe before gluing it 🤣 you only need to clean it if you're running potable water through it
Haha, yeah, I said you didn't have to use the primer. I am used to using it so I used it.
Mines keep bending with the sun any tips on them not to bend?
Are you using 3/4" pvc? They shouldn't bend.
Before you drive things into the ground, make sure you know where your utilities are buried
That would be great suggestion for most people.
@@y2kok what do u mean most people
@@jefftown604 for people that don't know where their services are located. I know quite well because I had them marked. I am sure others know as well, but never a bad idea to have them marked again. Best of luck.
They aren't that shallow.
If you dig past 18" then get shit surveyed
Please don’t climb on a ladder over top of rebar. Set the pole on and then climb up. Guys shishkbob themselves all the time
That is a fair point. I don't use the ladder any longer while setting this up.
EXCELLENT VIDEO... Fantastic
NOTE: Your background noise/music was a little too loud making it hard to hear your voice at times.
We do NOT need background noise/music...
We just want to HEAR YOU TALK.
Thank you for sharing this great video.
That is strange. I just listened to the video again, and I can barely hear the background music through most of the video. Thanks for the feedback though.
Zip ties, instead of all that wrapping of the lights. When the holiday is over, snip the zip ties off and done
I used both. If you just run a line of lights then it isn't going to be as bright.
I did this for my Christmas set up this year…didn’t take into account the UPS, Fed Ex, and propane deliveries….they can’t get under them 😮
Bummer. They don't have issues at my house getting under them.
$5.98 per strand of lights, 2 per arch. $12. X 5 arches = more than $55 just for lights.
The $55 was for one arch. Rebar, pvc, and lights. Best of luck on making them.
Know before you dig call 811 ✌🤪
Always a good idea.
This video must've beeb made during colonial days, we can't make these for $55
lol
Per arch he said
I'd suggest to put the lights on first, space appropriately and zip tie. Also cringeworthy watching work on the ladder, slip and possible serious injury falling onto that rebar. I recommend installing a cement base instead of pounding stakes into the ground, unless you've had the ground scanned for utilities.
I have had to restring a few, and have done so from the ground. The light stringing while they were up was mainly for the video. Cringe away.
There is nothing sadder than a one eyed Christmas decorator. Maybe some safety glasses would help.
Agreed, maybe look at 3:26 where I speak on safety.
You think a wind will blow PVC under tension off of a single rebar stake??? Really?🤣
It makes for a nice tight fit, and works much better in my opinion. Feel free to use one if you feel like that is good enough.
Why are you using primer??? It's for pressurized systems and inspection identification. The cement/solvent is all you need. Have you never built a plastic model in your life? It's waste of time and resources to use PVC primer on non-plumbing projects using PVC pipe. Heck, for DECADES primer wasn't ever used and the joints are just fine.
Well, I had it, and like I said in the video, "you don't have to use it." Clearly you didn't listen to the video.
1:21...😜
Why didn't you just use 3/4 bell end pvc? Just curious
@@jacksonbrown5900 Just grabbed what was available at the time.
Honestly who cares that he used primer. Your just looking for something to complain about
@@y2kok I figured as much. I just thought I would ask instead of someone making a rude comment. I have plenty of various PVC pieces from my own repairs, various craft type and plumbing side jobs. This is a wonderful idea...😁
No way that you spend only $55, metal rots are like $10 a piece, plus pvc pipes about the same price in total you are looking to spend $50-$130
These were priced 2021, and I am building more this year. After checking prices this year, they weren't terribly different.
I am also in Indiana so your price may vary according to location.
I have 8 arches over the footpath/sidewalk as driveway isn't long enough to bother. I used 1 rebar on each side, 1500mm long on concrete side and, eventually, zip tied to the fence, other side 1800mm, as drove that side about 300mm into dirt of the naturestrip! Threaded a 3.5m piece of 13mm black garden tube over some garden arches that we had stretched out as far as possible without losing the curve, as driven in rebars are 1500mm from the fence. Arches are also 1500mm apart as well as that was just conveniently how far apart the fence posts are! We then threaded pool noodles in a variety of colours onto each black tube then, with help, I threaded the pool noodle covered tubing with the garden arches inside about centred over the driven in rebar then pushed the other rebar up inside the other end and zip tied the whole thing to the fence posts! Pictures on my Facebook group at facebook.com/groups/284453128865939 Last year I strung led solar strings around each arch and people said they needed more lights, this year I went to the expense of getting in net lights, never worked properly from the start and have been pulled apart, probably by kids walking through the archway! So think I'm going to take them off and go back to the string lights! This year we added pool noodle covered electrical conduit, slightly stronger than the garden tubing, width restrictions as need to fit inside the pool noodles, which provide a colourful display during the daytime! And made a lengthwise joiner along each side at the top of the rebar and down the middle of the top, mostly to support the net lights! I may be able to make a photo montage video on my channel but hard to take pics or videos whilst you are putting things up without an extra pair of hands!