How to build a raised garden bed with seating?

[nvelaga]

Hello experts, 

I am total beginner and planning to step up my DIY journey.  

I am planning to setup a raised garden bed with seating options in couple of places. Along with it i am planning to install part of my back yard with decking ( deck with will be partly on concrete slab ). I have attached my plan and the sample raised bed i am considering. 

I am looking for suggestions on how should i plan the project , tools needed and procure materials ? I am finding lot of information over internet and its confusing. 

Thanks in advance

 

[nvelaga]

Thanks for your guidence @JacobZ.Reading through that gave me the magnitude of what i am dealing with. In order to get the look of merabu, do we need attach merabu pre oiled deck on top of the sleepers ?  

[JacobZ]

Hi @nvelaga,

I won't lie to you; it's a big project if you've never done something like this before. While each step is relatively simple, they all take time to get right and cutting corners is not a good idea. If you break it down into steps and make sure you get them right before moving on to the next, it is definitely achievable, and I am more than happy to continue to offer support and guidance. 

Yes, you'll need to attach merbau decking to the top of the sleepers if you want to replicate your inspiration image closely. The Micropro sleepers I've linked to above look similar in colour to merbau, but if you'd like to closely match your inspiration image, you may even need to clad the front of the sleepers with merbau decking to achieve the same look. This will obviously have to be priced in when coming up with a materials list for the project.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

[nvelaga]

Morning and thanks again for your advice @JacobZ . Understood now. I was reasearching on how much gap we need to leave between garden bed and fence and most of them mentioned to leave 200 mm, is that a sufficient gap ? 

[JacobZ]

Hi @nvelaga,

Yes, a gap should be left to prevent issues with moisture against the fence. 

200mm should be perfect as it will give enough space for air flow and access to clear out any leaves or debris.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

[nvelaga]

hi @JacobZ 

thanks for you consistent guidance. With the information available i will try and plan things. I will reach out to you for your expert advise if i am stuck anywhere. 

[J-P]

Sharing based on what i learnt:

1. Partners are obsessed with soils being completely wet to accept that the plants are watered well. Only small jet spray will fulfill that purpose.

2. drip is good for trees

3. small sprays are good for small shrubs

4. how many you connect depends on the attachment type.

5. Use the natural bend of the pipe to avoid spending money on joints 

check my other response in this forum related to irrigation for more info 

https://popeirrigation.com.au/diy-guides/

this is a good document. Follow this but by the cheaper brand (turo I think)

[J-P]

If this is your first DIY then few things for you to consider 

1. You need to stringline to achieve garden bed in straight line

2. you need a mitre saw to cut all the timber

3. a nail gun is good to hold the merbau cladding in place while you drill pilot hole and attach with screws 

4. think about a pattern on merbau cladding. Plain straight lines won’t look good. Some vertical bars are needed at regular intervals

5. calculate the raw material and get good quantity. Higher number screws are cheaper per screws than small size 

6. You are looking atleast 0.5m3 of excavation. There could be rocks that will make it even more trickier. A good idea to save them for filling them at bottom.

7. Plan for deck lights if you like them

8. invest in safety gear (googles, ear muffs, mask etc) - you are going to be whole lot cutting.

in my opinion it would be about 40-60 hrs of work if not more. Having said all of this it is not impossible to do.

[nvelaga]

Hey @J-P Thanks heaps for all the gudiance

[nvelaga]

Hey @JacobZ , 

Hope you are well ! Would you be able help on below.

Does it require to coat micropro sienna sleepers with bitumen rubber waterproofing paint for the areas in touch with soil ? Additionally does this sleepers need builders film on either the sides or bottm ? 

I was looking at some projects done by community members where they have used timber posts instead of retain-it joints , which one is better ? 

if i am building using retain-it 1.2m corner and joints, Once we stack the sleepers , do we need screw them as well ? 

Can the sleeper be on the ground or does it need to be few mm in ground ( ~50 ) ? 

[JacobZ]

Hi @nvelaga,

Thank you for your follow-up questions.

The Micropro sleepers are H4-treated for in-ground use, so there is no need to coat them with bitumen paint. For some details about different timber treatments and their meaning, see How to choose the right timber for the job.

As the sleepers are treated for in-ground use, there's no real need for builder's film in your garden beds.

Retain-it posts are a good option because you concrete them in, drop the sleeper in place, and then use a wedge to lock the sleepers in place. There is no need to use screws with the Retain-it posts.

Using timber sleepers as posts will also work and will be closer to your original inspiration image in terms of aesthetics. The one downside to using sleepers as posts is that you will need to screw every sleeper in place, with additional considerations for corners.

Your sleepers can sit on the ground, there's no need to dig them in.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob