Building a footbridge over a stream

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Radio interview source: Marlen Kemmet, managing editor, WOOD magazine

We have a marsh across the north side of the pond. Right now you have to wear rubber boots and look for dry patches. Or go all the way around. I don't like getting my feet wet! Some kind of bridge out there would be nice.

Some people build footbridges to get from point A to point B across the water, or simply as decoration. If this is going to be a weekend project for you this summer, the most important part of the construction is the wood you choose.

Marlen Kemmet is the managing editor for WOOD magazine, and says it has to be rot resistant.

"Woods that you could use would be redwood, cedar, or cypress," Kemmet says. "A new type of wood that's come into the country in the last decade or so is called epay, out of South America. It is extremely hard, dense, and will last virtually forever. You can also use treated woods -- the green treated and brown treated have come into vogue."