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Side access - Job done!

Hi All, I had to post and share - finally finished the side access to my house (but still have the other side to do!). Am stoked it’s now done. A big job that tested a range of skills - plumbing (basic stormwater drainage), concreting, paving, retaining walls, pergola, screened fence and gate, screened gas meter and some plants for good measure. The pergola serves as a shed (about 6.5m in length). The gate can be secured. Happy to pass on the lessons I learnt. Am enjoying a cold one tonight.

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Decking and Paving

Building and Construction

Planting and Growing

Landscaping

Fencing and Screening

Comments

redracer01

This is excellent work! Very tidy good finish.

Jason

Brilliant job @Allan72. I'm sure your work will inspire many community members and visitors alike.

Can you tell us about some of the lessons you learnt?

Thanks for sharing,

Jason

Allan72

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/5163#Comment_5163

Hi everyone,
Jason has asked that I share some lessons learnt. Gladly - there were a few.

Safety was probably the first and most important lesson. I used a 6 foot ladder to build the pergola and was often up and down it. At one point my safety bail dislodged from the constant moving the ladder around. And yes the ladder collapsed under my weight when I was up it. The fall hurt (a lot) but I was ok. The lesson - don’t get complacent, check your gear and check again. It was a close call.

When laying concrete - get your fall right (no pun intended). I originally put too much slope in my concrete under the pergola area. In fact I laid these slabs first before the courtyard you can see in the background. In retrospect I should have started with the courtyard first and worked back from there. I ended up removing these slabs (it was hard work) and then recasting with new concrete work and a drainage design. I’m glad I did. The finished product is so much better

Finally, I’d recommend investing in two hand drills, especially for decking work and in this case a screened gate and cabinet for the gas meter. It’s worth the investment in time when you get a good run going pre-drilling hard woods and then fixing with a Phillips bit. So there’s a few lessons learnt. I hope they help a few folk. Keep safe.

Allan72

Jason

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/64734#Comment_64734

Fantastic, many thanks for sharing @Allan72.

I've also had a close call with a ladder that makes me extra careful these days. We had a plumber at our place attempting to fix a pesky leak where the old roof met the new. I went up to join the plumber on the roof, up a fully extended ladder. As I clambered onto the flat roof, the ladder gave way (the plumber hadn't locked the sides) and I could feel myself teetering backwards. Very fortunately, the plumber (a strong bloke) grabbed by arm and helped me to restore my balance as the ladder crashed to the ground - about a 3-4 metre drop.

Jason

Allan72

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/95028#Comment_95028

That was a close call @Jason. I’ve certainly got wiser with safety as I’ve gotten older. You realise that ‘bits’ once broken never come back the same!! I still sometimes forget the little things, especially when getting into a job. My wife will often come and check on me and safety (it’s nice that she does). So there I am cutting pavers with my angle grinder - in clouds of dust - with my P3 mask and safety glasses sitting on top of my head. Kind of missed the point...and she points it out!! @Allan72

jodie_21

Hi there Allan 72,

Just looking at replacing our wooden railway sleepers with the concrete ones and love what you’ve done with the wood on top of them. Just a couple of questions.....

what sort of wood did you use on top of the sleepers? And,
what product have you used on the front of your pergola? Looks great!
thanks

jodie _21

MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @jodie_21.

It's fantastic to have you join us and I'm sure Allan72 appreciates your feedback on their project. Let me mention @Allan72 so they are alerted to your question and to see if they might be able to answer it for you. It appears the timber used on top of the concrete retaining wall was the Ironwood Sienna range of treated pine sleepers. The slats on the front of the pergola seem to be similar to Specrite 42 x 18mm x 2.7m Finger Jointed Merbau Screening or perhaps Specrite 69 x 15mm x 2.7m Finger Jointed Merbau Screening.

We look forward to hearing about the projects around your own home and garden and I trust you'll find plenty of inspirational projects just like this one within the community. Please let us know anytime you need assistance or had a project to share.

Mitchell

Allan72

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/9124#Comment_9124

Hey there @MitchellMc and @jodie_21 Spot on! The gate and fence are 42 x 17mm Merbau screening. The are two different types of timber on top of the concrete sleepers - ironwood nearest the gate, whereas the remainder are cypress pine. A bit more expensive but they look great when oiled and go the distance.

NoComment

Well done... looks great and you certainly deserved that “cold one” you had to celebrate, way back in November, 2018!!!
I'm feeling inspired and just between us, having recently turned 60, that doesn’t happen all that often! I stumbled across this post when looking at the Bunnings website for ideas to provide some privacy as well as to hiding those unsightly bits and pieces you don’t particularly want on display in a minuscule rear yard... thanks for sharing our endeavours!

MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @NoComment. It's brilliant to have you join us and many thanks for jumping into the discussion.

It's fantastic to hear this project has inspired you. Let me mention @Allan72, so they are notified of your kinds comments.

I've been making great use of our Merbau screening around my property to hide those unsightly bits and pieces. It can be budget-friendly and is ready to be installed. Some great examples are the SpecRite 1800 x 902mm Merbau Slat Screen Panel and SpecRite 1800 x 600 x 33mm Merbau Garden Fence Panel.

We look forward to hearing about your projects around the house and garden, and we'd encourage you to let us know if you ever need assistance or would like to share them with us. I trust you'll find loads of inspiration within the community as our amazing members are contributing their projects here every day.

Mitchell

jodee-bee

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/9124#Comment_9124

Wondering - what is the best way/product to fix the sleepers on top? And would it be suitable to sit on, or just more of a bench or aesthetic solution? Thank you !

Jason

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/68143#Comment_68143

Thanks for joining in the discussion and apologies for the slow reply @jodee-bee. Let me tag @Allan72 for you to see if he might like to share how he secured the sleepers in this popular project.

I will also tag experienced members including @Brad and @Adam_W for their thoughts.

Normally the ever-helpful @MitchellMc would be on hand to assist but he is taking a well-earned break this week. Many thanks for your patience in the meantime. We are looking forward to reading more about your own plans.

Thanks again,

Jason

Adam_W

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/68143#Comment_68143

Hi @jodee-bee if it was timber it's easy enough to screw them down using long bugle-batten landscape screws but as it appears they are concrete sleepers you'd need to use a suitable landscape-grade construction adhesive.
If properly fixed this way they should be suitable as a light-duty bench-seat.

Adam_W

Great project, well done @Allan72 and excellent points on ladder safety. Maybe worth bringing up this older video of mine with some ladder use tips...

Allan72

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/68143#Comment_68143

Hi @jodee-bee

I secured the timber sleepers to the concrete sleepers using galvanised masonry anchors (2 per sleeper). I drilled through through the timber sleeper and then drilled corresponding holes into the sleeper. I was careful not to make the hole too much of a tight fit for the anchor as I didn’t want to risk cracking the sleeper as I fastened it in (with a socket wrench). It worked well - no cracking, even after a couple of years. They are stable and can be walked on, which I often do to cut the hedge you can see above the fence. I also applied a small bead of silicone around the top of the hole as the anchor’s were fastened in, just to provide some protection against moisture getting to the sleeper’s internal reinforcement bars. The other option is to glue them down as per @Adam_W @‘s suggestion. This would work too and I did think of it at the time. I went with the anchor screw as I thought it might make it easier to remove/replace the wooden sleeper if and when I needed to. Hope that helps.

Allan72

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/11467#Comment_11467

Thanks @Adam_W. Great video! It was the safety bracing on the 6’ safety ladder that got me a couple of years ago. I had engaged only one of the two safety braces and it became dislodged as I moved the ladder, often, when working on a pergola. I didn’t end up in hospital but gee whiz the fall hurt. I ended up with a big impact cut on my stomach. The scar is still there today and it is a good reminder that complacency kills.

Adam_W

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/68173#Comment_68173

No worries @Allan72 and ouch... so easy to do isn't it? I think statistically that ladder falls year after year make up the highest number of accidents in the home for blokes over 50...
And yes, masonry anchors can work well in such situations but personally I'd avoid any of the 'expanding' type bolts. Screw-bolts are the best choice when you have thinner masonry substrates or are close to an edge.

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