DIY Wood Bridge, 16 feet long, under $800

My dad and I build an easy wooden bridge that cost me under $800. It took us three days to build and complete. I have watched other DIY bridge builds and i tried to make this one as easy and realistic to build over a small creek, but feel free to take some of my ideas and do your own.

[@gauthy]

Excellent DIY video. I will build your bridge across my creek as well.

[@joshuapruden4906]

This is encouraging as a well built bridge. Thanks for your professionalism and good clear teaching.

[@relerfordable]

I like it. Gives me another way to think about crossing a stream I have. I would like tractor and SUV to cross it also.

[@markcoile9152]

Thanks for the ideas! I used your bridge as a template for the one I just built over my creek, I really like how it turned out!

[@Sandwichking-hikes]

I’ve found if you concrete pole up to surface and slope concrete up pole and inch or so above surface it dramatically reduces wood rot at surface in clay soil, I also put little gravel under pole as well

[@combsd3283]

I'm ready for part 2 where you drive the truck across it.

[@dallasarnold8615]

I would have installed the posts for rails before or during flooring in between the beams for more reliable support. Never know who is going to lean hard on that rail. Then just fit flooring around posts as was done at the end posts. And would help prevent beams twisting over time, trust me they will. Should add bridging between the beams at least every four feet.

[@chancehall7662]

Amazing video and so well explained. Thank you.

[@mereonituiloma2368]

Wow...brilliant idea. I should have watched it before I did mine too. Thanks anyway. Great work.

[@robertgoss4842]

Wow! Nice work. Looks like a pro job.

[@mjmeternal2696]

Excellent work

[@brunosvlog24k]

Awesome job, sir! 👍

[@waterbuoy9121]

Looks good BUT I think I would have extended the handrail posts down between the side rails so it all tied together and then cut the deck boards to fit around that. I suspect your climate is more favourable to timber bearers than here in Scotland!

[@rupe53]

Most bridges of similar design add a 2x12 on top where the tire treads travel and that spreads the vehicle weight over several boards.

[@eddarby469]

This also saves wear on the transverse deck boards. The longitudinal boards can be replaced easily.

[@benbarkley4375]

Not a bad idea! I just built this bridge, I think I will add those to it.

[@podline16834]

Thanks for posting

[@Agent11198]

Should have watched this before building mine 😂

[@charlescurry5549]

I would put the boards going appropriately where the tires would be for strength.

[@s.porter8646]

This is an awsome vid, I'd recommend a lis of materials, we are going to build this exact same dimensions...thanx again

[@chrisMcG17]

Thank you!

[@jamesjohnston5947]

I have virtually the same project ahead of me. Thanks for your good video. What about staining or painting the bridge to prevent rot? Also, what about pressure treated lumber for the same reason?

[@jackward7269]

this is cool

[@pmscatterax]

It seems that if the posts are spaced 25 inches apart, your span would only be54 inches or so assuming separation is measured from center of posts. To obtain the 74 inch span from outer edges of outer posts, corresponding to the crossbeam, you would need to have a space of 33.5 inches on center. Otherwise, this is a very helpful video and I plan to model mine after it for a UTV bridge. Thanks!

[@TrehanCreekOutdoors]

You have built a very good foot bridge that should be strong enough to handle any type of ATV or UTV easily. I wouldn't push your luck trying to drive across it with any type of truck or tractor however. Those 2 x 6 boards you used for the support beams have a limited weight bearing capacity which is strongest right now when the lumber is new. But over time, exposure to near constant humidity from the creek below and rain falling on it from above plus dew, frost, or snow, will cause any type of wood, even treated wood, to degrade. The bottom line is all wood rots eventually. We got 73 inches of rain here in Mississippi this year and wood rots very fast in our hot subtropical climate. Most of the bridges built that are intended to last for a long time are built out of metal or masonry, such as concrete or bricks. We seldom get more than three to five years of useful life out of unpainted treated wood boards that form the bridge decking. Because they lay flat, water pools up on them easier and standing water really degrades wood very fast. Unless your climate is pretty dry, you may find yourself rebuilding these wood decked bridges much more often than you desire. And the cost in materials and labor eventually exceed the cost of using more permanent materials. It's a great bridge, I give you that. And it will work...for now!

[@BrescherFilmingEdit]

Thank you, yes i am just comparing it to the other DIY wood bride videos that i have seen online, and i would prefer mine.

[@TrehanCreekOutdoors]

@@BrescherFilmingEdit I would prefer yours too. It's a great looking project. I just hope it holds up in your climate.

[@BrescherFilmingEdit]

Also all the boards are treated and will last every bit of ten to 20 years. 2 years later the bridge has not moved and is in use every day

[@TrehanCreekOutdoors]

@@BrescherFilmingEdit As I clearly stated, all wood, treated or not, will rot left outdoors exposed to the elements. It's pace of decay depends upon your local climate. We get about 75 inches of rain each year here in Mississippi. Treated wood rots....just not as fast as untreated. I simply wanted your viewers to realize that treated wood works fine in Phoenix, AZ where the average rainfall is 9 inches per year. Throughout the USA, the average rainfall is 38 inches per year. But here in our semi-tropical climate with 75 inches per year it simply won't last all that long. Part of the equation however is how the treated wood is treated. Some chemical treatments are better than others. Also, the drying time is a factor as lumber dried to a low moisture content helps somewhat. And finally, the orientation in which the wood is installed matters. Horizontally flat treated deck boards won't last nearly as long as vertical support posts even if the treated wood is exactly the same. I'm a trained and certified inspector. I'll be happy to show your viewers tons of photos of rotten treated wood that didn't last 20 years! I do sincerely hope you get the life span you hope for. If all factors are favorable where you are located, then you just might. But that doesn't mean that anyone anywhere in the world who might view your video will get similar results.

[@Desmo-]

Love your bridge, I don't know if will help but I had a wood deck utility trailer and found if I treated the wood with used engine oil the deck would last 10 times longer, it is a little slippery when wet but worked well.

[@rupe53]

Desmo-1064 ... if you wait 3-6 months for the PT wood to dry a little then the oil will soak in better and wont be as slick. If you did that annually the wood will last 50 years or more.

[@pyro323]

Slippery when wet huh? You don't say! 🤔

[@peacefulscrimp5183]

I need to build something like this for my property, but I want to be able to move it around to different locations 🤔

[@scottmcdonald359]

Must have purchased the would before March 2020. Would have cost 3x that much with today's material cost

[@wjgoh653]

Be sure to have beer handy...more important than any of the math. The math gets easier after about 6.

[@naudiatf2791]

you should title this video "man records 1 man building a bridge"

[@bobd3089]

Those railing post should have been bolted on the side rail

[@MrFlhx08]

Where would one find the material list?

[@mikebeasley553]

All I can say is get some better beer!

[@linzierogers5024]

What about the span over the creek? No need for support posts?

[@nikxohs3925]

dose double beams need small supports between them. they will shrink and deformed different way if you leave them like this

[@SG-zh5xd]

called cripples glue and screw will help big time I always do it ,I over build decks ,but for a bridge not really over building .

[@sth9460]

Nice looking bridge. It’s plumb the post not level them.

[@sarcza2]

You mention in the beginning you can use 2 8 ft boards instead of one 16ft. How would you connect the two 8ft pieces?

[@BrescherFilmingEdit]

No i said use 16 foot by 8 inch boards, but i descided to use 16 foot 12 inch boards for more strength.

[@sarcza2]

Gotcha

[@eddarby469]

You can still build a bridge longer than your lumber with some good joinery and some knowledge of beam stresses. This bridge would not meet some code requirements. Handrails are very demanding.

[@jbmortensen]

@@BrescherFilmingEdit Did you use 2x10 or 2x12? In the video you note 2x10. Nice bridge either way.

[@BrescherFilmingEdit]

@@jbmortensen I used 2x10 boards, I "said" you could probably use two 2x12s or two 2x8s most likely, obviously etherway they need to be 16 foot long no matter what. But i used 2x10 to make sure it was strong. This bridge was built in 2020 and has been flooded over multiple times and has not budged one bit.

[@benbarkley4375]

I'm going to mimic this video. However, do y'all really think it can support the full weight of a pickup truck?

[@raycaster4398]

Bolts low shear strength. All beams should rest on supported wood. No wood should contact wet soil, ever.

[@BrescherFilmingEdit]

Bridge was built in 2020 and has not moved an inch in 3 years, No wood is sitting on soil. Its only resting on 4x4s.

[@stanbanks7289]

In beginniing, you "Plumbed" the posts....said Leveled. Level is a horizontal term.

[@benbarkley4375]

It won’t let me post a pic but I just got done building the exact same thing. A few quirks I wasn’t prepared for but it came out pretty nice. Have you tried driving your tractor over it?

[@BrescherFilmingEdit]

Thats awesome, no my tractor is too wide, but in three years it has not budged. Water has flooded over the top multiple time and everthing is still strong.

[@benbarkley4375]

@@BrescherFilmingEdit Thanks for posting this video. I looked at a lot of them but this was the one that I thought I could do (not much of a carpenter here) and I was amazed at the outcome. I figured the 4X4's on the ends would be off so I cut all of my 7" deck boards first and positioned them before screwing them in, saved a lot of hassle. Also, I marked a line down the side and cut a nice straight line after they were all screwed in. I just have to put in the gravel and it's done. They wanted to charge me 4-5 grand to build a bridge for me, lol, I just said no thanks!

[@strokerace4765]

Should have used red bags of cement

[@alabastardmasterson]

I hope you meant a power wheels truck and not a real one. Cool bridge but its not for commuter vehicles

[@iu2297]

NiaDuff linkd

[@douglaswigg5812]

'

[@nsbstrong3624]

Didn't leave a gap to save on lumber ...huh ..novices..what would you save..maybe one board?

[@jonnyinch8158]

Main benefit is better water drainage

[@ImFieldy]

i thought gaps help allow for seasonal shrink and expansion

[@jamesjohnston5947]

@@jonnyinch8158 my thoughts exactly. Don't want accumulation on the wood.

[@donnathompson3906]

plum not level

[@pmscatterax]

plumb, not plum

[@guillermofloresjr6951]

can this support a 600lb mooching mother in law.....

[@nsbstrong3624]

That would be $2,400 some material right now...thanks democrats..arses

[@benbarkley4375]

No, I just bought everything, about a grand in materials.

[@Amas1970]

good design and construction but left the foundations of the bridge very far towards the edge, did not think that the water is undermining the ravine and over time knocks down the bridge