Just wanted to share this very simple project.

I needed a lightweight structure to support a shade sail for my tiny house deck. I wanted an arch for aesthetic reasons, and resisted attaching pipe to the house (don't want to cut through those lovely shingles more than necessary). I thought I would see how minimalist I could go while maintaining safety.

I used 1" conduit, some store-bought connectors (1" to 1" and corners) and Maker Pipe connectors (the more secure 1" to 1" for the horizontal length of the arch, as well as the 45 degree connectors). When building the arch on the ground, I used metal screws in the storebought connectors to pierce the pipe and make the connection more secure. We do get some high wind gusts (50 mph or so) and I was a little worried about this thing coming apart.

To mount the arch vertically, I pounded 4' rebar sticks into the ground 2' deep. We have heavy clay soil so it holds the rebar securely. I don't think this would work in sandy or loose soil.

The protruding 2' of rebar I covered in 3/4" PVC to form a sleeve for the 1" conduit. I have to admit I asked ChatGPT for this solution and I thought it was quite elegant. It took two people to lift the arch onto the rebar/PVC "stubs".

Once in the air, the arch was a little wobblier than I expected. I attached the shade sail (2 sides to the arch, 2 sides to the studs in the walls of the tiny house) and kept an eye on it for the first few windy days. I think the flexibility of the structure is actually to its advantage. It bends and sways with the wind. It's actually quite beautiful to watch!

Once I was satisfied that it would last (2 months of summer thunderstorm trials) I took it back down and spray painted it black. Now it really looks classy.

Thanks Makerpipe! This was my first project and I believe there will be more.