Poolside fence makeover

[ProjectPete]

Shared fences can present a design challenge when the neighbours have different tastes, but fixing timber to an existing fence can create an attractive feature wall.

• The project
• Before and after
• How to add an extension to a Colorbond fence
• Popular fence and screening projects

The project

Unsurprisingly, I'm not a fan of Colorbond fencing, and particularly not the cream colour the estate decided to go with.

Again unsurprisingly, given my love for timber, I thought "Why don't we just cover it with wood?". So off I went to my friend's timber mill (a seven hour round trip) to pick up 800kg of freshly cut Marri wood.

I framed it with treated Pine and staggered the rough sawn Marri across the lot for a rustic and 'cosy' effect.

If you're tackling a similar project, use these Buildex 14g x 50mm Zinc Alloy Bugle Batten Tek Screws to fix timber to the top and bottom rails of your Colorbond fence. The rails are thicker than the sheeting, so your screws won't penetrate the neighbour's side. An impact driver is best, or a hammer drill should do.

Clamp the timber to the Colorbond as close to your drilling point as possible because once the screw penetrates the timber and begins drilling into the steel, it'll have resistance and will push the timber off the fence. 

It took an average of four minutes to file the rough edges and oil each piece of wood and there are over 100 pieces in the project. Add to that the time it takes to frame and fix the pieces to the frame, which was particularly hard with slightly misshapen rustic wood and dealing with Perth's heat, it was a big project. But we're stoked with the end result. I painted the remainder of the fence Shale Grey, which I'm much happier with.

Before and after

How to add an extension to a Colorbond fence

While the standard install height for Colorbond fencing is 1800mm, for a small investment you can add privacy and security to your boundary fencing with D.I.Y. extensions taking the finished height to 2100mm. Pete shows you how to add an extension to a Colorbond fence in this step-by-step guide.

Popular fence and screening projects

You can transform a dull fence into an attractive feature of your garden or pool area. Find ideas for your own space in our Top 10 most popular fence projects and Top 10 most popular screening projects, and check out more of Pete's projects in his Feature fences discussion.

[Tuulaan]

Hi @ProjectPete ,

Beautiful work which has inspired me to embark on a similar project to your Marri clad fence.

Question on the framing, I can't see how you've joined the vertical and horizontal timber together in the pictures. In fact, are they even fastened together or are they separately attached to top and bottom colorbond rails?

I've been thinking hard about this as I cant quite figure out also if horizontal frame is needed. Would've thought that the vertical pieces are holding most of the weight and I simply need to space them 1m apart to avoid sagging?

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Tuulaan. It's brilliant that you've joined us, and many thanks for your questions about this fantastic project.

Hopefully, @ProjectPete will be able to get back to you shortly about your questions.

We'd be keen to hear more about your project and encourage you to start a discussion so other members can assist. If it's anything like Pete's project, the transformation will be sensational.

We look forward to hearing all about your project, and please reach out if you need assistance with it. You might also like to check out our Top 10 most popular fence projects for more inspiration.

Great to have you on board.

Mitchell

[infinjohn]

Dear @ProjectPete 

thanks for this awesome overview. I am looking to fix James Hardie Axon cladding to my colorbond fencing using the same support structure you mentioned. Having a bit of doubt as i have been told the structure needs to be cemented in. Is this the case or can i follow a similar method to yours above?

thanks in advance!

[EricL]

Hello @infinjohn

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. Thank you for joining the discussion.

Let me tag @ProjectPete to make sure they see your kind words and question. Looking at the timber panels that have been attached to the Colourbond fence it looks like it can bear the weight of all that timber. The James Hardie Axon cladding does not appear to be extremely heavy so it should be possible to install the cladding onto the timber frame.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[Dave-1]

@ProjectPete 

Love how you have transformed the space! It brings it in from being cold and functional to being inviting and relaxing. Do you know how far the fence posts go into the ground? I worry that my fence wouldnt carry the weight of timber directly.

I just realised you did this in 2016! So Any chance to have an updated photo?

It really has defined your yard from your neighbours

Dave

[MitchellMc]

Hi @Dave-1,

Hopefully, @ProjectPete can get back to us on the specifics of this project. From the discussion, it appears that this was a standard Colorbond fence installation. I'll include their recommendations below. I presume the depth of Pete's fence post would be dependent on his soil type.

Mitchell