How to build a raised garden bed with seating?

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/45182#Comment_45182

Thanks for taking time and going through my question @EricL

I will go through your suggestions. Please find the updated plan

outdoor plan v2.jpg

EricL

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/84693#Comment_84693

Hello @nvelaga

Thank you for posting that bigger picture. If you can put in some measurements, we'll be able to give you an approximation of how many sleepers you'll need to use for your garden bed. I also suggest looking at seating arrangements and see how you would like to have your seats positioned.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/107401#Comment_107401

Hey @EricL

Here is the updated drawing with measurements. Please guide on how i need to plan material and process involved. Apologies for delay 🙂

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/121067#Comment_121067

Hi @nvelaga,

Thank you for the updated design.

Please give me some time to go through it and do some calculations and I will return to you with the details you've requested.

Jacob

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/129438#Comment_129438

Thanks @JacobZ,please let me know if anything is unclear.

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/134735#Comment_134735

While @JacobZ @comes back, some tips based on my experience

1. You need atleast 50 mm width for your bed.

2. The posts for the garden bed should be atleast for each 1M.

3. consider 600mm height.

4. Put rubber paint on the portion of the post going underground for longevity.

5. Use liner inside of the sleepers for same purpose

6. plan your irrigation line before building.

7. Plot a design to a detail of how many batten screws are required and at which location

8. You can plan the seating section to have some screen behind them.

9. A fire pit can go well along with the seaters

10. plan the plants as well based on how long sun is available during the day

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/134735#Comment_134735

Hi @nvelaga,

Alright, I've done some basic calculations on just the garden beds at this point.

My suggestion is to use these 200 x 50mm Sleeper H4 Treated Pine Sienna MicroPro with your garden beds being 600mm and 300mm deep. You'll need to have a row at the back and a row at the front which leaves you with 200mm space for planting and a 300mm wide seat.

At 600mm high like @J-P has recommended, which I agree is a good height, you will need 3 layers of sleepers. Each layer requires approximately 60 lineal metres of sleepers, so going 3 layers high, you'll require approximately 180 lineal metres of sleepers. If you use 3-metre sleepers, you'll need 60, if you use 2.4m sleepers, you'll need 75.

Using longer sleepers will be more economical as it will reduce the number of posts and concrete required to anchor everything in place. I'd suggest using the 1.2m Ridgi sleeper posts to anchor and join your sleepers together. If you're using 3-metre sleepers, you'll need 18 x 1.2m Galvanised Steel H Joiner Posts and 6 x 1.2m Galvanised Steel Corner Posts.

For each post, you will need approximately 2 bags of concrete, meaning you'll need 48 bags. For simplicity's sake and so you have some extra in case, I'd suggest you work on the idea of using 50.

This will get you started. I'm happy to assist further if you have specific questions.

Let me know what you think.

Jacob

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/138177#Comment_138177

@J-P Thats a great insight. Thanks a lot for these details.

How do we generally plan irrigation ? are you referring to something like this How to plan an irrigation system ?

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/138180#Comment_138180

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 ?

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/140483#Comment_140483

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

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/142177#Comment_142177

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 ?

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/143378#Comment_143378

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

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/144284#Comment_144284

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.

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/140482#Comment_140482

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)

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/144941#Comment_144941

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.

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/145463#Comment_145463

Hey @J-P Thanks heaps for all the gudiance 🙂

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/144284#Comment_144284

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 ) ?

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/144944#Comment_144944

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

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/145464#Comment_145464

thanks @JacobZ ,

if we need to use posts, does these suffice ? 100 x 100mm 2.4m Post H4 Treated Pine Sawn CCA - 2.4m , i think we need to cut them into half.

Let's say i have used, retain-it posts. Is it easy to cover those with merbu cladding ?

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/145868#Comment_145868

Hi @nvelaga,

If you need to use timber posts, anything that is H4-treated will work. The posts you have linked to are a good option, but they will not be the same colour as the sleepers. You can use a sleeper as a post, you'll just have to dig the hole wider to accommodate it.

If you use the Retain-It posts, cladding them with merbau will hide them extremely well and is a great way of doing it. There might be a very slight bulge where the merbau crosses the posts, but you can cut a shallow rebate in the back of the merbau board before attaching them to remove this bulge.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/146183#Comment_146183

Thanks @JacobZ , i am thinking to use the posts inside as shown in the community project - so that posts will be inside and hidden.

Would you be able to guide me on below

1. Timber screws that are needed

2. Does 600 mm depth sufficient ?

3. Do we need to coat those posts with rubber paint ?

4. Diameter of the post hole ?

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/146183#Comment_146183

@JacobZ Would 3m sleepers hold without budging with just 2 retain it at the end?

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/146449#Comment_146449

Hi @nvelaga,

You can certainly mimic the style of anchoring @lcantem used in their Pallet timber raised garden bed. The one thing I would consider if you chose to use these posts is that you will have trouble concealing them with a decking board used as capping timber. If you are fine with this, then go right ahead.

You can use either galvanised batten screws or galvanised cup head bolts to attach your sleepers to posts. Bolts are usually a better option as they can be tensioned far more than a screw can.

600mm of depth for your posts will be sufficient.

It's a good idea to coat your posts in a rubber membrane such as this Gripset Betta 1L Waterproofing Membrane Bitumen Rubber. It will add a layer of protection that will increase the longevity of the posts at a relatively low cost.

Post holes should be large enough that there is at least 100mm of concrete on all sides. With a 100x100 post, it should be 300mm in diameter. If you use a sleeper as a post, it should be 400mm in diameter.

Let me know what you think.

Jacob

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/146449#Comment_146449

Hi @J-P,

Yes, 3m sleepers can be used with Retain-It posts at either end when used in lower-level retaining structures such as garden beds, but you may experience some warping over time. Thicker 75mm hardwood sleepers will handle the pressure much better than thinner pine sleepers. You can also add a mid post to reduce the potential for warping over time.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/146661#Comment_146661

Thanks for all your guidance @JacobZ . Let me put all things together and try it out. I will reach out i am stuck any where.

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/146660#Comment_146660

Thanks @JacobZ , when you say there's a trouble concealing the posts, are you referring to the areas that are left open for plantation or the seating ?

i think posts will be visible in the areas bed is not covered with decking boards for seating. Would you be able to clatify this ?

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/146839#Comment_146839

Hi @nvelaga,

Yes, I mean in the areas you are using as planters.

I have made a render of what it would look like with a 100x100 post, a 200x50 and a 90x19 decking board as a cap.

It's not a big deal if the posts are exposed, but it may detract from the aesthetic and it is worth considering. You could use a merbau stain on the top half of the posts to blend it in if you'd like to use this method.

Let me know what you think.

Jacob