How to decorate Outdoor room in progress

[Jewelleryrescue]

A woman gardeners  retreat i am making,  so ladies please feel free to share your ideas to making this a womans retreat you would love to spend time in as its for her.

Sun problem ; Externally outdoors is where I was looking to place a wind proof  set of shutters *Ie dosnt flap around like a  canvas blind.  I am thinking building my own shutters as a first idea but I have never seen  timber shaped like curved plantation blades or another solution. Or other  solutions   or creative ideas,  I could try shape my own blades or leave them flat timber shape. I am thinking external shutters to create variable shade , internal shutters will block light but the heat will be trapped once  it passes through the clear plastic wall. I allready can feel the heat trapped inside build up from the sun having entered plastic wall.  So the idea is some sort of  external variable sun shade (a winter sun will be welcome so  thats why I  need a  variable solution. The outer green posts are solid uprights I can build to approx 1230mm apart, Tall side is 1930mm shorter side is 1680 mm but I can build a  rectangle to match shorter side as it is a sun block for my wifes garden workshop.  In front of the outside  photo I am planning a garden bed with  a couple of tall roses in front of shutters maybe to partly frame the  windows this will block some light to adding green coolness.

So no solution is off the table If you have any thoughts to help  I was even considering  buying second hand louvers and  weather proofing  them.

So thanks for your creative thoughts in advance. 

Oh into the room I am going to add some shelving and a desk/garden work bench so my wife can do some plant stuff shes the gardener, I will have separate garden shed for tool storage etc so no clutter in there.

I want to make it a dreamy little space too a lady  would love to spend some time in some soft curtains and a  comfy outdoor seat  the idea is to make it also  part outdoor room to  relax in with climbing rose  decorating the structure. I have added power outside for extection cords to power radio or spotify music etc I can add in a  small 900mm ceiling fan, metal butterflys for decoration but what else a guy  cant think of?

Out door room with garden space

[MitchellMc]

What a fantastic project, @Jewelleryrescue!

Have you considered installing a Solar Roof Vent? That would help evacuate some of the built-up hot air. A 240v wall exhaust fan would move more air than the solar units but would require professional installation. 

Another option might be to overlay your clear roofing with a solid colour during the hottest parts of summer. A smooth cream polycarbonate will allow 44% light transfer and block 67% of the heat, whereas your clear allows 90% light transfer but only blocks 14% of heat. If heat levels are a real issue, you could consider adding a window tint to the glass, which will assist further.

We have plenty of comfy chair options to choose from. I'd suggest something along the lines of a Marquee Reader Wicker Statement Chair. 

Let me mention @prettyliving, @mich1972, and @LisasGarden to see if they have any thoughts.

I can't wait to follow along with your build. Please keep us updated and let us know whenever you have a question.

Mitchell

[Jewelleryrescue]

Thanks @MitchellMc  for your feed back its helped me grow some more advanced ideas that I think will work.

Mitchell you  are right that  shaded and coloured polycarbonate does cut down UV and also varing degrees of heat thanks for reminding me of those materials propeties.

We used  solar window tint  for some areas which is great mid summer but we use it sparingly as we  want to warm the house in winter with as much as we can get out of the sun too.  Basically our idea there is to use some of this new electronic blinds that can be programed to open  diffent times for summer and winter. Not yet done as there are so many home systems sprouting up that may become obscure still researching.

Yes a good comfortable chair is a great idea and I have  being scrolling through your suggestions of the links to other people doing projects  thank you some food for thought there.

I practice passive heating and cooling where i can basically that out door space is all ready  providing shading  for the north wall of the house and dramatically cut down on heat reflecting through the windows and doors and we used to  grow a  grape vine  on that pergola and it  was green cool till  we planned the out door  room and swapped the rambling rose. We have allready planted a  rambling rose to grow across the roof as shade and to break up buildings harsh lines but that rose will need  2 to 3 years to get the coverage.

I was talking about going to install timber louvers inside the end sun tuff wall end (facing NW hot afternoon sun).  But MitchellMc your idea about a flexable system might be the perfect passive  solution.  As the idea is to block the heat before it enters the outdoor room so  we dont have to extract it later.

So I have decided to buy for $200  approx  a pair of the old fashion floor to ceiling glass window louvre system that I will mount parallel on two wall vertical studs 50x 200mm on the extenal (in front of the  suntuff walls as a variable sun shade system.  The  louvres dont have to be all glass they can be polycarbonate, full block out timber stain glass on polycarbonate,  metal strips. All most endless less options now.  And at winter time the panels  can be changed to allow  the welcome winter sun  in.   The only weakness with my idea is  the angle of the sun louvers will have to be varied  from outside  which I can live  with.

That  window will look out across our new to be formed raised vegie  patch out in the sun.  Ironically the inside of the  outdoor room  in question was the old  vegie patch but as it is tucked in behind the north fence and didnt get a good amount of sunlight vegies need. I placed  full length mirror on the wall of the house to try reflect some sun light in that helped.

Next  step is to lay a marble floor in there (honed Quality ie some saw blade marks in the stone you can see some  tiles  laid pre cut in  the photos on the floor) I plan to attempt to fully polish the floor with my belt sanded and orbital  starting at 80 g and working to 1200 wet and dry should give a  nice shine.  this worked on a  marble test wall Need 3000 to 6000 for ultra polish shine but will need to crawl before i can walk. Ie grow  my skills.  Normally we should use  specialized wet polishers for this  task the good machines start at $1000

I also going to use some left over 50mm by 200mm treated  pine timber to make solid timber work bench I plan on buying vinyl flooring planks and covering exposed surfaces with that I will need to look at vinyl planks and see it they can make a good working surface.  WE where hit by moderatly aggresive termites  around the house for 2 years (but we stopped them coming into the house)  so out doors we try not to use plain wood that  attracts them. We think we have won the termite battle for now but  ever vigilant.  WE use  out door termite traps 20 of them with timber in them as bait to  test for new invasions.

[MitchellMc]

Hi @Jewelleryrescue,

It sounds like you have some great ideas there, and I trust this will be an amazing space once completed.

Please keep us updated as you go, and reach out again if you have further questions.

Mitchell

[Jewelleryrescue]

I retitled this project to invite people to view the outdoor room and offer creative design ideas for it as I build.

Thanks @MitchellMc  for updating title and merging.

The out door  room is  for my wifes gardening potting desk and other project ideas and it then  will have a  second comfy seat for just sitting next  to a  small sheltered garden.

Gardeners  Question:  that small garden is open to the sky  with mixed shade from the gazebo beams over head.  Would orchards like that  space ie no full sun?  I was thinking wall gardens too?

MichellMC  has kicked started those ideas with a comfy seat  at the  potting bench  as  well as  other ideas as I am  going to add a gardeners work bench and a a few  shelves for  stuff.  Keep in mind I will make separate shed for garden tool and general  other garden storage like wheel barrow. 

I was going to add some stained glass to sunny windows and some tin art butterflys to the house  brick wall. Think grown up cubby house but young at heart. 

New  update just added marble tiled floor. Stuff my knees again even wearing pads

Honed Marble floorOutdoor room and end garden

These tiles are honed finish that means has  minor saw marks in them. I didnt  clean all the glue off as  I am going to sand them.  With belt and orbital sander for starters. 

So I plan to get in there and sand it nice maybe  even polish the marble as my skill grows. To  do marble needs  the wet  polisher. Think variable speed angle grinder with water flowing from it for a proper  stone polisher. Start  price $1000 is it worth the money. 

The floor was less them perfectly flat hand screeded on old knees but I did get my desired fall in the  slab 1:10 approximatly incase there is ever an water spills/ roof leaks in there the water  will flow out and drain away.

[Jewelleryrescue]

Hi all

A quick  project update  the marble floor has being belt sanded to get all the honed (saw marks ) out 5o grit paper then Orbital sander to around 500 grit  wet and dry paper.  This is as much polishing  as we  want to do a slick   outdoor  floor is asking for falls. Typically  a purpose  polishing wet  grinder will go 3000 to 5000 grit for mirror finishes.

The marble was then sealed with a color enhancing Sealer to contrast the marble  patterns in the stone look before and after re previous post photos.Pre polishing and sealingSealed marble tiles 12- 15mm thick

The  back window (which is actually a door turned sideways) To le more light in looks at a color bond fence so to keep the light but not the view we used Stained glass look contact adhesive.  Note the panel  with blue triangles that ply wood saved me a trip the the glaziers.  

Removable stain glass contact adhesive

We  then  had western sun heat issues coming though the tall polycarbonate panels so I found at Bunnings  a window film with 99%UV ,90% inferred and 28% loose in visible light.  well this took a lot of the sting out of the suns rays but it is still to uncomfortable to sit in the sun (keep in mind we want the winter suns  warmth).   So  plan c will be  addition of old fashion louvers outside I am still debating what sort of  block out to use on the louvers.

I am going to cut up a new sheet of 5mm thick polycarbonate into 1200 mm louvers I may have to stiffen then with  glued on alumunium 10mm angle I will cross that bridge as  i need to.

The photo shows the Tint fitted behind the box Yep  there are a couple wrinkles that refused to come out. Its  garden outdoor room i can live  with that.

Tint is shown applied behind product box

Next I assemble 2 units of Bunnings  cube storage cubes 4by 1. and joined them together to make 8 by 1 and  secured them to the over head rafter and rear wall.  While  building the  cubes I used glue and 4 times the extra screws as they typically not meant to by used they way They only need to support them selves and light boxes.  But I swing  my whole body weight off them not dramas 

8 x1 Floating cube storage

Next The desk at the end I was going to use clunky braced  angles super strong but visibly  intrusive for inside and out. So went  for a side mounting timbers and a cross alumunium support of high no flex strength out of my scrape  pile.  Followed by a strip of mounting foam and the desk top with a tight fit.simple Desk frameBunnings laminated desk

So still not finished I am aiming to get it ready  for Xmas day for the  most part then I will help my wife  place her decorative touches in.

I followed some of @MitchellMc  advice and got her a comfy chair with white  wheels so marble not blackened ? 

[Jewelleryrescue]

Hi  All

Work continues

Today built and added a  flat pack added   chest of  draws and trimmed the legs to the same height as the desk top and window sill to increase desk top area.  Then I added a desk top offcut between the set of  draws and the upright 2x 4 cube storage to increase more desk space.

The  Artiss 6 Chest of  draws was purchased at bunnings  I/n 0356366 via Market place whom posted me the flat pack $234.95

The Artiss flat pack was very well made for the  price it had little details  like counter sunk  spaces for  screw heads and  the draws had a chipboard cross support under the draw base normally I have to add them myself.   

The slide  out draw mechanisms  are a little low grade but work I sprayed them with  silicon to help them move more smoothly

The cabinet tops  and desk tops arnt very hardy I was gong to plastic cover them but instead I am going to try  an experiment and Clear high gloss  uv resistant polurethane finish  them to give them a  hardened top. At least if the srcatch  they can be sanded lightly and re coated.  

The desk tops are behind polycarbonate window  out of the weather and  roof sheeting which has nateral UV blocking properties so I dont expect  later Gloss sun damage.

Furnature legs cut to match desk height

[Jewelleryrescue]

A quick  up date.

I added a  timber  balcony hand rail  I still am not sure  why I like it.  I think it  just helps define the space with out actually enclosing the space  which is  only 1.2 meters wide on the  inside,  a personal quirk.  My experiment  worked the high gloss  polurethane is giving the desk and side returns a  nice sheen my  main goal is a hardy or  sacrifical) working surface to resist scratches to desk and furniture soft laminates.

Hand rail just to define the are a bit more.

Well in the effort to make this a nice place for my wife I added some  multicolored rope lights for night with some cute special  effects  for a bit of  fun. I dont expect her  working in there at night those but  the leds  can go white and give a decent working light.  I wanted  her to have a radio and good ones cost $100 plus.  So Instead I took an  adventurous first journey into Google Home speakers that sound pretty decent and you can  ask it to put on any radio station and play just about any music  you can imagine via  Spofify ( a music app )  I listened to the very first LP record I ever bought as a teen ager as a test for free how  incredible.   The  important thing about the google speaker  (or Alexa if you go that way)  is it is voice  controlled which means a person non technical  can use it once setup disabled or older people, myself.   

I heard  a story that crooks call out to Google and ask it to open Garage doors though closed windows,  Well my doors arnt connected to that and also they  are learning to recognise and strictly respond to invited user voices to stop outsiders  messing with your devices. lol

Just dont ask it for a  joke they are a little cring worthy. 

Funky purple

[MitchellMc]

Love the handrail @Jewelleryrescue; it's a lovely timber feature that compliments the rest of the build nicely.

It's great to see your project is still coming along well and looking a treat. I can't wait to see your results.

Thanks for the update.

Mitchell

[Jewelleryrescue]

Thanks for following the story @MitchellMc 

After you sharing your ideas I have added the solar film I  decided to buy her a  small desk fan(bladeless)  I bought a bunnings industrial fan to mount on the post but it was over kill  in size and returned before mounting it to Bunnings ( the return option is the best thing  as unneeded whole materials can be returned  and replaced)   Further more to our ideas as the solar film is still too warm to sit behind I am adding the external olde fashion glass louvre windows but using cut up poly carbanate roof as glass panels  if at need I  can add aluminium foil as a sun blocker so  finally then the sun can be controlled for winter  warmth vs summer  roasting. THE louvers are reversed and operated from outside as the outdoor room panels (clear are fixed like a wall.)

Now I need to start making a custom seat at the garden end of the outdoor room.  I searched high and low for a commercial off the rack curved seating solution.  

It was so nice building those Cube storage units and not have to  think about then apart from reenforcing then to hang from rafter as side walls are not much stronger than internal doors,

Whats a good waterproof or water resistant material you know of ia m not into current fabrics My mum did teach me to sew and stuff as she wanted  me to be independant.  It is a  use full skill to have.

Well after  xmas day my lady has  some xmas  gifts  to pimp up her space whatch this space