Trash Container Corral Details

Trash Container Corral Details

Trash Container Corral
The Whole Story:

Someday I wanted to make a nice structure to hide the family's trash cans, An area which is always an eye sore. That project would probably still be on my future list but for our dogs. They learned to tip over the trash cans and were making things very messy so the project went from future to top of the list.

First, I had to design something nice. Something to match our home, be strong, be functional and last a long time. I played with various ideas and studied various structural plans and finally decided how I would make ours.

The Problem
The basic concept was to have 4x4 posts and paneled walls. The posts were to be topped with end caps. The gates would be on both ends of the structure as we have 5 trash cans. We don't need 5 all the time, but some times we do so they are all always there. As such, there is not a middle, but two cans on one end and three on the other. Thus, it's a longer structure than some and called for a middle support area. Also, the middle support area assured that the structure would be stable. With only two gates on the ends and a single wall structure, the wall would topple over with excissive weight being applied. Here, with a center set of poles with 2x4 support, this structure will hold up well for a very long time.

For a nicer design, I used frame support around all four sides of the wall panels. All the wall panels and frame suppport are screwed together to allow long term structure strenght. The end caps are also screwed into the posts. The gates were mounted with a "gate kit" which contained large, strong bolts to adhere the hardware, again, very strong and durable.

The entire end product was painted to match our home. It turned out great. No one notices it too much which is a compliment. It blends in with the home.

As for the production of the project, there were not too many surprises or difficulties. The 4x4 posts did create a time delay: they were presure treated and very wet. I set them out in my shop to dry which took many weeks. I could not sand or paint them until this process had taken it's course. End caps, just cut out some 2x square material which I bevel edges via the table saw, drill three holes in the tops and there you go!