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Inspiration for backyard makeover

Hi all.

I’ve been contemplating a deck and new retaining walls and pergola for some years but have been putting it off. Now I’m keen for some inspiration- 2021 may just be the year!! At around 360sq metres it’s a big backyard and I’m thinking it could be really great. Any thoughts on where to start?

note there is an existing tiled area and pergola. I’m thinking of a deck at floor level with some steps up to a retaining wall at approximately the 48m contour.

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Decking and Paving

Gardening

Landscaping

Comments

MitchellMc

Hi @pepsp,

You might like to start by reading through How to plan a garden makeover and How to give your garden a makeover by @Adam_W.

You should also find these step-by-step articles useful:

How to build a retaining wall.

How to build a raised garden bed.

How to build a low-level deck.

How to plant a tree, shrub or a rose bush.

A tool I've used before is the myGarden planner by Gardena. It was essentially created to plan out an irrigation system. However, I find it a useful design tool for backyard planning.

For inspiration, I'd encourage you to check out our Top 10 most popular garden makeovers. A great place to start would be selecting several elements you'd like to have included and then making a plan of attack. List these elements from most important to least and then start something that will have a dramatic effect. You might like to remove things like the raised garden beds, dead trees and the rocks pile if they are not to be incorporated.

Let me mention @redracer01, @mich1972 and @Yanick to see if they had some ideas for you.

Mitchell

pepsp

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/11699#Comment_11699

Thanks @MitchellMc for the starting ideas. I’ve had a look at some really excellent garden makeovers on this site. I’m thinking of some pine sleeper planter boxes around the edges of the yard and painting the fence in a charcoal grey as a starting point. I have some really ugly rock retaining walls on the boundary I’d like to hide and I’m thinking those decking clad planters stained in a merabu colour would be great.

What paint would you recommend for spray painting the old metal fences?

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/68295#Comment_68295

@pepsp,

They sound like some great ideas.

Water-based acrylics are suitable for painting over Colorbond steel, and a suitable product would be Dulux rapid finish. A Dulux RapidFinish Paint Spray Gun would be convenient for spraying such a large surface area.

Mitchell

pepsp

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/97046#Comment_97046

I have the Wagner W100 wood and metal paint sprayer. Would that be ok to use? Might be a bit slow I guess as it’s a small one @MitchellMc

mich1972

Is it me or are your fences really low. Your plans look good @pepsp

Look forward to seeing your renovations.

I hope you add in some fruiting trees or large hedges to block out your neighbours maybe ? Good luck 😊

pepsp

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/11718#Comment_11718

I was thinking citrus trees on the western side and Lilly pillies dwarf variety cherry surprise up the back @mich1972

I have heavy clay soils so a bit of work to do to get the plants growing.

re the fence height, I’ve never measured them. Could look low because of all the weeds not under control!!

mich1972

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/68298#Comment_68298

Ahhhhh heavy clay makes it hard in that case. Adding plenty of Gypsysun to help break it down and heaps of organic matter to add into the clay to break up the fine particles. Plant selection sounds good.

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/115154#Comment_115154

@pepsp,

The Wagner W100 would also be suitable. You'll just need to take your time doing panel by panel, a perfect chance to have a coffee and biscuit in between them.

Mitchell

pepsp

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/125410#Comment_125410

Ok so I did some research and calculations. We’re talking about 60 metres of fence to spray. Plus I need to do the exterior wall at the back of my house, let’s call that 15 metres. Then I eventually need to repaint a couple of rooms inside (especially ceilings). I’m thinking this may actually be worth a bigger investment in say the Wagner Control Pro 150 or 250. Brains trust, any advice on this?

@MitchellMc

redracer01

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/132313#Comment_132313

Hello @pepsp

The best thing about the bigger models is you don't have to reload all the time and you get paint consistency through your project. The Wagner 100 is good for small to above average projects. But if your doing your whole fence the house and ceilings you want to be able to load the paint hopper and paint till the projects done. The Wagner 150 will take a 4 litre can no worries. The Wagner 250 does straight from the can! Your choice which one you want to use for convenience!

Red

pete_brig

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/68298#Comment_68298

Hi @pepsp

I think I got a question from you on one of my posts that I have to reply to.

Some comments for here:

For spray paining, I bought a smallish(?) spray gun (can't remember the brand) from Bunnings & used it to do about 60m of 1800 pine panel fence. Took a few hours--can't remember how many--but doable with either me of the missus doing cutting in on detail & the other doing the spraying. Main problems for me was getting the paint consistency so it didn't clog the gun & having the paint soak into the timber so wet it down before we did each section (2.4m panels). Otherwise, for a one off project, maybe hire a sprayer--I did that for another fence.
I'd recommend looking at what you want to achieve: play area for kids? outdoor area for entertaining?, vege garden? plants for you to enjoy looking at... Use those ideas to break the yard into areas, & work out how you want to flow between them. I'm in favour of irregular spaces/boundaries using trees/shrubs to create the outline and nooks. Combination of trees for shade & shrubs for screening--I like a "rainforest" look with lots of greenery so various syzygium for coloured leaves & fruit, waterhousea floribunda for shade, grevillea baileyana--tall with musty perfumed white flowers, cordylines for colour, native gingers for greenery/tropical feel, backhousia citriodora for a lemon scent from the crushed leaves (can be used in cooking), Elaeocarpus eumundii, etc And I don't like a yard with things around the perimeter & a big open space in the middle hence using lots of plants to soften the boudaries & blur any straight (fence) lines--nothing much in nature is straight :-). Also make use of any fall with light terracing e.g. a flat space for kids play area with a step or 2 to get back onto the slope of the land.

Cheers, Peter\

pete_brig

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/136512#Comment_136512

@pepsp Most of the plants I mentioned in my previous post have been used in the makeover I discussed in my Yard reno post This was on red clay (at Caboloture in Qld).

Planting tips (from a DIY gardener):

dig large holes (e.g. for a 45l container, the hole was approx 400x400x4-500),
back fill with "good soil"--I used a home made mix of garden soil, compost, & coarse sand in roughly 70/20/10% proportion.
Before planting, fill the hole with water then let it drain to saturate the surrounding soil.
before planting out, submerge the plant in water (e.g. in a tub/wheelbarrow/or the hole) for about 5-10 mins to ensure all the soil in the pot is thoroughly wet
Break up the roots of the plant--I usually use an old hand saw to cut off matted roots on the bottom & to square up the side, getting rid of matted roots and stopping the round& round growth. I put 4+ deep vertical cuts (i.e about 1/4-1/2 way back to the trunk of the plant) around the outside of the plant to further break up the roots.
When backfilling around the plant, leave a saucer depression approx 25-40mm deep to help trap water & direct it to the roots. Wh I water I just fill the depression once or twice & know that the plant has got plenty of water to the roots.

Cheers, Peter

pepsp

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/139407#Comment_139407

Thanks @pete_brig @redracer01 for your responses. I think I’ll give the existing paint gun a try and see how it goes. If it’s taking too long I’ll upgrade or hire. Although at $250/day it’s hardly worth hiring unfortunately.

On the subject of paint, I didn’t specifically mention that my fences are metal, and are fairly weathered and have some surface rust. I checked the dulux website and it says Rapid Finish is for timber surfaces. There’s no datasheet but it got me thinking, if I’m spending all of that time painting, am I better to go for a specific metal product like White Knight? They have a quick dry water based product and information specific to weathered metal fences. They also suggest a treatment approach for rust. Is it worth the extra $ for this type of acrylic metal focused product or is it basically the same thing as Weathershield or rapidfinish or similar?

https://www.whiteknightpaints.com.au/tips-tricks/refresh-your-fence-with-white-knight-rust-guard/

pete_brig

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/141342#Comment_141342

Well, @pepsp , I have no background in paint products but I'd opt for something intended for metal surfaces & something to deal with rust--if I invest the time to paint the fence, I wouldn't want to be redoing it any sooner than necessary 😀 BTW, I did notice they were metal--my comment about having a timber fence was to give context with the issues I faced but still painting approx 60m with a smallish sprayer. Good luck whatever you decide.

pepsp

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/142801#Comment_142801

As a follow up- I contacted Dulux regarding Rapid Finish on colorbond, who provided the following advice. Might be useful for anyone else with the same questions.

Hi Catherine,

Thank you for visiting the Dulux website and for taking the time to contact us.

For your metal fence, I have some advice for a few of the more common types of metal fence.

Wrought Iron

Remove rust with a wire brush either manually or with a power tool attachment. If you are coastal or near an industrial area, wash with sugar soap and rinse well to remove any soluble salts. Paint as soon as it is dry. Two coats of Dulux Precision All Metal Primer followed by either two coats of Dulux Super Enamel or Dulux Weathershield. Another option is Dulux Metalshield All Surface primer two coats followed by two coats of the Dulux Metalshield Premium topcoat. Following recoat times on the label and allowing 7-10 days for full cure.

Colorbond

Clean with sugar soap and a green scouring pad. Rinse and let dry. If there is bare metal spot prime those areas with Dulux Precision All Metal Primer then apply Dulux Weathershield using 2 coats over the whole surface. Adhesion will develop over the first few days so avoid undue stress to the paint film, allowing 7-10 days for full cure.

Zincalume

Remove any rust with a wire brush either manually or with a power tool. Sugar soap wash with a green scourer, rinse and let dry. Apply one coat of Dulux Precision All Metal Primer and then two coats of Dulux Weathershield. Allow 7-10 days for full cure.

The Dulux Rapid Finish is a product you can use on any of the above metal fences. Just follow the above priming instructions for the type of fence followed by the Dulux Rapid Finish. It is not recommended to use the Rapid Finish spray gun for any other paint, it is set up for the Rapid Finish only.

I hope this helps with your painting decisions for your fence.

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/143825#Comment_143825

Hi @pepsp,

It's great to hear that you have clarified that the Dulux Rapid Finish product is suitable for painting metal Colorbond fences. The preparation steps you've mentioned above will certainly ensure the longevity of the coating. Preparation is always the key to a great finish.

We look forward to seeing your results. Please keep us updated on your project.

Mitchell

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