Landscape rebuild

[Jimi]

After a lot of digging, monument fence paint, merbau deck extension and lighting, retainer walls and my first build with render to make a bench seat, my son now has somewhere to play. No tradies used other than a concreter. 90% of materials as always, from Bunnings.

[Jason]

Many thanks for joining in the discussion @minimish. Let me tag @Jimi so he is alerted to your question about the bench seat. 

Feel free to post anytime you need a hand with a project around the house and garden. We have loads of helpful members sharing information, advice and inspiration on the site every day. Please let me know if you ever need assistance getting the most from the site.

Jason

[Jimi]

  Hi @minimish, I don't really have specs on the build but I have these images. Basically I built a retainer wall as the back wall and used steel for the basic frame then timber from there. All posts concreted well into the ground, blueboard used where I planned to render, and I also lined the planter box inside with blueboard. Once the frame was done, the merbau top was the fun part, and the rendering took me a few coats before I was happy with the finish.

[Prawns]

Wow!  Nice transformation mate - you gotta be proud of a result like that! Looks fantastic

[TerryN]

What a great result Jimi. Well done.

[Steven]

I’d like to ask how one caters for access to underground pipe work around house in the event one fails and bursts or corrodes when installing concrete paths and boardwalks?

Especially when there is also extra electrical items like cabling for boardwalk lights. 

[Jimi]

Hi Steven.

In my case, I obtained a dial-before-you-dig report where I know all access points and lines are. During the excavation works these access points and lines were catered for. Electrical and plumbing works were completed by qualified tradesmen, where advice was also obtained on how deep/wide works could be carried out.

[PamW]

Hi Jimi,

Wow what a terrific job you have done, it all looks great. What is the colour of your concrete and the render on the planter box? I was hoping to put a wider planter box in our front yard have you got any tips on how to do this as I have never done one before? What materials would I use to build the frame and cover it in, do you put the boards on the inside and the outside then render? Cheers thanks. PamW

[MitchellMc]

Hi @PamW,

Let me tag @Jimi so they are alerted to your question and hopefully provide some advice.

Mitchell

[Jimi]

Hi @PamW,

my apologies for not replying sooner - i had missed the comment.

The render colour is Russian Toffee which matches the render colour on the facade of my house.

I cannot remember the concrete colour, but it is exposed aggregate with a sandstone/white colour base with some blue stones included to blend with my monument fence.

To create a planter box, I cemented in 4 posts, built a timber frame then lined the inside and outside with blueboard and edge trims. The inside I coated with a rot resistant paint and the outside I rendered using a powder base mixture. Everything was sourced from Bunnings. Depending on the plants you wish to put inside the box and how aggressive the roots will be, ensure the frame is built strong and with no gaps for the rots to creep into.

[PamW]

Hi @Jimi 

Thank you for replying, it is much appreciated.

PamW