For summer rain, trellising can be covered with shingles, shakes, reed fencing bamboo, window screens, louvers, canvas, glass or plastic. Removable sections allow extra control of wind, light and insects to make a deck or patio more livable. The design possibilities are almost limitless. A well-planned redwood trellis greatly complements your home and its surrounding landscape. Redwood is a natural choice for shelters because its inherent dimensional stability helps to keep posts, beams and joists from twisting or splitting and other elements such at lattice and louvers from warping.
Redwood is available in a variety of grades to suit almost any style.
Construction Heart and Construction Common, the knot-textured garden grades of redwood, are more economical than the clear grades commonly used for siding and paneling. No matter which grade you choose, make sure to select all-heartwood lumber for posts and ledger boards. Because posts are close to the ground and ledger boards tend to trap moisture, they are more susceptible to decay. Natural extractives in redwood's heartwood help protect it from decay and from insect attack as well. For beams, joists and shade elements, it is not necessary to use an all heartwood grade.