Thread: Advice on a bench seat.

G'day Chris and welcome to the cubby.

Firstly, I love that outdoor covered space. I can imagine pots of bromeliads, ferns, gingers and all sorts of plants there.

As to your questions it will partly depend on the lokk you want as to the materials you use, Do you want a rugged or rustic look or a more refined look?

How far apart are the centres of those retaining wall sections? From what you have said about you proposed approach I think you will be massively over building and that will cost.

Treated pine for the posts an bearers sounds fine. What do you plan to use for the seat? ( refer to my first question ) Jarrah, Kwilla, another type of Aussie hardwood?

Might also pay to visit the Renovate Forums further down tis page.

Thanks for the reply artme. We've been working hard to get the area looking OK. You're the second person to recommend Bromeliads for the area. I'll have to take a look and see how they'll grow in that area.

As for the bench, I was looking at either Jarrah or Merbau, but I'd like to hear other recommendations for a darkish hardwood timber that would look OK next to our Jarrah doors.

What do you mean exactly by massively overbuilding? Do you mean that the benches will be too long? I have had comment that it will make the area feel a bit like a bus stop , but I think it is a great way to make the area practical and hide the ugly wall.

Thanks again for your reply and suggestions.

Your retaining wall looks a bit basic now but when the plants are established you will want to look at it as a feature. I would be putting in a simple bench design so as not to overpower the plants in the background. Perhaps planks supported on sections of log or brick or stone piers.
Regards
John

Hi cmooring,

I agree with orraloon, that retaining wall will look great when planted out.

As for spacing of supports, if you are using sleepers they are 2400mm long so you would need a support/post every 2400mm, and then one in between would make a support every 1200mm.

Hi again Cmooring. What does C stand for, BTW.

By massively over built I mean that having a leg at each point you mention would most probably be unnecessary, depending on the thickness of your slats and therefore the span for them. You will have to check out all these factors. Others on the forum know more about this than I do.


Provided Broms. are kept frost free they should do well. Tree ferns should do well there also, even staghorns. Perhaps Raphis Palms

Thanks for all the replies.

Artme, the C stands for Chris

We previously had plants right throughout the concrete retaining wall, and unfortunately, we always ended up with loads of dirt and mulch all over the pavers. Therefore, we are definitely going to cover the wall.

In terms of the look of the bench, and ideas on it's construction, we are looking to follow a design similar to the one shown in the following thread;
https://www.woodworkforums.com/f40/bench-seat-89136/

The only exceptions are that ours will be cemented into the ground, and the back of our bench will be complete.

Chris, I must be going Senile. Addressed you as Chris the first time.

Zarguld's bench is a beauty!!

What do you intend to use for the legs as there is plenty of evidence in these forums of treated pine twisting, and you don't want that.

I built a retaining wall with treated hardwood sleepers and soaked the ends going into the ground in creosote by standing them in a bucket and filling with creosote to the pencil line I marked. Let 'em soak a few days before concreting in. I chose the hardwood because I was advised it would move less. 15 years on no problem.

I was planning on using treated pine purely because of my fear of white ants. My place is built in an area that used to be a pine plantation, and there are termites everywhere here

Any other recommendations for some other treated timber that would suffice as a frame for the bench, and still be cost affordable are much appreciated.

Thanks,
Chris

Hi All,

I am resurrecting this thread as I am about to attempt my bench/daybed build and need lots of advice and guidance.

An updated image of the area we are building the bench on is as follows. The top layer of the concrete retaining wall will be removed;


An example of the design we hope to end up with can be seen below. We will differ from this a little (ie. probably won't have sloping areas on the bench as seen in far right of image);


Lastly, I am need of help and advice on how to construct the frame for this beast. I have ideas on how it will go, and have whipped up a quick image in paint to give a basic impression of what I want. This is as follows;





The questions I'd like to start with are;
- Is treated pine likely to be OK for the framework? If not, what alternative would you suggest, and could you suggest a place to source it in Perth?
- What size post would be best at the front of the bench?
- How frequently should I be spacing the posts given the size of those concrete U shaped things are approx 900mm?
- What size bearers would be suitable?
- I already have Batu decking in the shed to clad the seat. Would you recommend 316 grade stainless 10Gx50mm screws for the decking timber to the frame (as suggested by this thread - https://www.woodworkforums.com/f14/de...screws-118988/)?

Any ideas are much appreciated. I'll keep this thread going with progress pics as things progress.

Thanks heaps,
Chris