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It was time to say goodbye to our kids sand pit & cubby house and hello BBQ summer days and winter firer pit nights.
we have used merbau screens for the fence with Un-Real hedge panels & created our own custom bench seat utilised more merbau screens also.
this took us multiple weekends but the end result is totally worth it!
cost wise, the fence was around $2000 & the bench seat/paving area was about the same including the pavers & rocks ect.
before
after
custom seat & utilising the merbau panels for a great result
all built for our measurements & safety requirements for the pool ect
lots of pre work completed also for the pavers & new full size double panelled fence for privacy
side fence also completed
Back fence with hided gate
Hello @craftyhopper
I totally agree, it is an amazing transformation and gives the area a fantastic new look. Are you having thoughts about doing something similar? If you are please make sure to keep us updated, we would love to see any plans you might have.
Eric
If you look at @lcooksey88's photos on the first post in this discussion, you can see there's a portable fire pit with a timber panelled cover.
If you need a hand with a fire pit project of your own, please don't hesitate to hit the Start a discussion button. We'd love to help.
Jason
Hi @lcooksey88, I realise this is a post from four years ago (eep!), but I just love the look and would love to be able to replicate something similar.
I was wondering if you are able to help me with a couple of questions I have?
- Are you able to share any plans you have/used/created for the seats?
- Which stain product did you use to colour match the pine to the merbau slats?
- How did you attach the prefab'd slats to the pine seat frame as I can't see any screw heads - did you attach from the back and base, and go through the depth of the pine, or were there other fixings that I can't see?
- What maintenance products do you use and how often?
They look fantastic and I am sure you're still very pleased with it.
Thanks for sharing on the platform 
Hello @Bolts_Live
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about the fire pit area.
While we are waiting for @lcooksey88. I've placed an approximate plan at the bottom of the page to give you an idea of how the seat framing can be put together. There are a number of ways to modify it along with how the back of the seats are fixed in place. For hidden fixings, you can use a Kreg Pocket Hole Jig 320 to anchor the uprights to the seat.
The SpecRite 1800 x 902mm Pre-Oiled Merbau Alternating Slat Fence Panel has been cleverly cut in half to form the seat and back rest. The angle of the back rest is not a fixed rule, and you can modify it to your needs. The Merbau panels can be fixed from the underside of the frame so that you don't see any fixing screws.
The seat frame was designed using 90mm x 35mm H3 treated framing timber. I recommend using ZENITH 14G - 8 x 75mm Class 3 Galvanised Bugle Batten Screws to anchor the frame together. For timber staining I recommend looking at the Cabot's 250ml Merbau Water Based Deck And Exterior Timber Stain.
If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.
Eric
