Share
Hi all
I'm working how to go about creating an outdoor planter box with seating. Got a few questions. I'll attach a pic of the space and what I hope to achieve.
Plan is to build with narrow besser blocks and rebar with 2 separate footing leaving sand ground between, filling with rocks, landscaping mesh and then soil for planting.
1. Will this be sufficient drainage?
2. How do I waterproof the exterior as I want to butt it up close to the garfen shed and fence?
3. What can I use to fill the gap between the fence and concrete so it doesnt fill up with leaves, nuts etc and create moisture against the wall?
First question
Hi @michy81,
Thank you for your question and welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.
Is the idea to have your seating area where I have marked below?
Were you planning on having pavers or stones in the seating area like in your inspiration image?
Assuming the area is already fairly well-draining, having two parallel footings for your besser brick wall, where natural earth is left in-between, topped with drainage gravel, geotextile membrane and then soil, sounds like it will be more than fine in terms of drainage for the planter boxes, but it may be worth installing some sub-surface drainage in the form of agi-pipe to divert water that collects in the landscaped area between your planter boxes.
You might like to check out How to install garden drainage for some guidance on this.
You can use Bastion Exterior Waterproof Membrane, for waterproofing, however, it would be tricky to paint the backside of your besser bricks as it needs to be painted in one continuous membrane to be truly waterproof. Against the fence, you could temporarily remove fence panels to paint the membrane on and with the shed, you could temporarily move it before re-anchoring it.
To stop things falling between the fence and your planter boxes, you could use a product like this Saxon 180mm x 8.0m Black Plastic Gutter Guard.
It sounds like a fantastic project that is going to be very exciting to see come to life. As you're still in the planning stage, allow me to tag some of our helpful members to see if they have any advice or inspiration they can offer, @Dave-1, @Nailbag, @Codey.
Let me know if you have any further questions.
Jacob
Morning @michy81
I like your thinking and also your concerns. The suggestions from @JacobZ follow mine almost.
I am never keen to have anything against the fence, I just think it drops teh lifespan of the fence more then its worth so i would be factoring in how to keep debris away from the fenceline type deal (sealing it helps but having nothing against the palings are better. Id have a gully of at least 10cm wide and when you mow your lawn, you check the gully for debris.)
As I was thinking of going through and mentioning each of your questions I came up with a better idea, pretty much what I do for any project and that is to sketch it out. Makes no difference how bad you may think you are at sketching it really brings to mind any issues that are around.
For instance "Drainage", you know your yard, you know the wet areas after rain or even just normally. Does any of that area end up pooling? If so then the Age pipe is a good way to goas @JacobZ suggests tho were would you run that to? These ar the type of things taht I think sketching really helps solidify. Plus you ahve something to refer to when you get to an "issue" taht isnt going the way you expect. 
Dave
Hi @michy81,
Expanding foam could be an option or perhaps you could use a timber capping to cover the area. It's best to allow a certain amount of airflow as it will help to keep the area dry. If you seal it off and moisture still get's into the area it could create quite a humid environment.
Mitchell
