Ugly fence be gone using Merbau panels

[WendyL]

We have become obsessed with these premade merbau panels from Bunnings.  They are perfect for hiding our fence and creating a nice view of the courtyard.  The structure itself does not touch the existing fence and the premade panels mean installation happens pretty quickly.  We did this over the space of about two weeks during our spare time outside of work, painting the timber before any cuts were made, installing the frame in sections and then finally the panels.  We had a spare panel which worked perfectly to hide the hot water service aswell as display our plant we like to call "Dreadlocks" (no idea what it actually is).  We are thrilled with the way it has turned out and have our eyes on a pizza oven for pizza parties!  We are now looking for ideas for the concrete as it needs a little something something....any ideas?  Since these photos, we have introduced some potted trees and more grenery with more plants to follow and some funky outdoor furniture.

Instagram: Standbackimhavinganidea

[WendyL]

@PMck86 

@EricL 

The courtyard slab wasn't perfectly square, so our starting point was the straight brick wall of the house.  We measured out to find the placement of the first vertical post and then ran a string line to find where the following posts were to go.  There was a lot of double and triple checking going on to make sure we got the placement we wanted.  Within the vertical posts, we fixed horizontal timber to hold 2  merbau panels per section. These were set back by the depth of the panels to get the flush finish.  The Merbau panels themselves have their own frame work on the back, which meant we were able to sit these on our horizontal supports first to check placement before we did the screw off.  At this point we would also use the level to work out the pre drill lines.  We repeated this process for each section just so we could tweek as we went along and maintain the straight lines.  We also used self tapping decking screws.

[WendyL]

Hi @pats6182 

Thanks for the complement.

We used 90X90 treated pine posts and Carinya brackets.

Next time would probably use something different as some of the horizontal posts have twisted.

[PMck86]

Thanks @WendyL , I started my screen over the weekend but am struggling to get enough panels. I was able to get my hands on 6 but need to find another 4 but everyone is loading up on them at the moment so need to wait for the new batch to come through. Hopefully not to long. Thanks again for the inspiration, we got quoted $3k+ to get a privacy screen down the side of the house from a builder but I will be able to do it for less than $850 and it looks great. 

[MitchellMc]

Hi @PMck86,

I'll contact you via private message to get your location details. I can then check your local stores for stock availability.

Mitchell

[pats6182]

Hi @WendyL that's a bummer, having the 90x90 posts twisted. Not an expert but I guess hardwood posts  are rated F27 so less likely to twist as compared to treated pine F7 rated. Noggins would work as well. Did you use some spray paint over the Carinya brackets?

Thanks