DIY: How To Make A Wheelie Bin Screen

Our local council supplies us with 3 big wheelie bins for general rubbish, recycling and garden waste and we keep them at the front of the house in the driveway.

The bins don't make the best first impression to our visitors who walk past them on their way to our front door plus they take up space in the driveway where we want to park our cars.

So when we designed our front courtyard we included in the design putting the bins in the corner of the courtyard so they are out of the way. Having 3 bins all lined up was still pretty unsightly so we decided to make this wheelie bin screen in front of them to hide them from sight.

The finished timber look wheelie bin screen 

Initially I wanted a screen made from decorative privacy screens but because of the patterns you would still be able to see the bins through them and the screens and a frame would cost over $400.

So then we had the bright idea of making a screen from the Alitimber metal fence slats which we used on the courtyard fence. This would mean the screen will blend in with the fence behind as it's made from the same product, plus we could make little to no gap between the slats so the bins were hidden properly and we had a few lengths leftover so the cost would be less.

The pack of metal fence slats, support posts, inside channels, caps and cement cost us about $300. The other items needed for this DIY is a circular saw, tape measure, level, drill and screws.

DIY: How to make a wheelie bin screen

First things first we worked out how long we wanted the screen to be to fit the 3 bins. Then Mr P cemented a support post into the ground on one side and attached the other support post to the exterior brick wall of the house.

Next we fitted an inside channel to the middle of the support poles with a few screws and used a level to make sure it was straight. The inside channel is what you screw the metal fence slats to. 

Once the two support posts were in place we waited until after the courtyard had been paved before making the screen otherwise it would be in the way of the guys laying the limestone pavers.

This may have taken us almost a year to get around to finishing but as the saying goes Rome was not built in a day! Renovating takes time as well but we get there in the end!!

So over the weekend Mr P got out the circular saw, measured the distance between the support poles and cut the metal fence slats to size.

Using the level again to make sure it was straight Mr P attached the fence slat with screws into the channel in the support pole. Working from the top to the bottom once the first slat is in and straight then the rest are easy to install. We didn't want a big space between the slats or you'd be able to see through the screen so we used a 2mm spacer so there was only a very small gap.

A cap is placed on the top of each support pole to stop any water getting in and then it was done.

Now all 3 wheelie bins sit behind the screen out of sight. The screen also hides the reticulation controls and power supply.

We now have our entire driveway to make use of for parking the cars and it just looks so much nicer at the front of the house without the big green wheelie bins in the way!

This was a great DIY weekend project to tick off the to do list and in fact is the last project to tackle in our front courtyard garden - it is now officially done and we can sit outside in our outdoor oasis and enjoy what we've created.

Where do you store your outdoor rubbish bins?

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Backyard Subdivision Progress - Retaining Walls

As you may have seen me sharing on the Jarrah Jungle social media pages over the last few weeks work has started on our backyard deck and patio project.

The retaining wall had to be built first - this took about 4 days which was spaced out over 2 weeks due to the need to let the concrete and blocks set and dry and the stonemasons other work commitments.

Check out these before and afters of the amazing limestone work involved
in building retaining walls for our newly subdivided backyard block

First a trench was dug and a concrete footing was poured for the limestone brick wall to be built on top of. This had to be left to dry and set for a couple of days.

Next the metre long limestone blocks arrived on a great big truck and the driver used a bobcat to unload all the blocks and drop them off around the back of the house.

Then the guys got to work clearing the site which included the concrete steps from the laundry door out to the backyard being taken out - which gave me a fright when I opened the door to step outside and they were gone!

For a few weeks we had to do a commando leap sideways onto the new limestone wall to get outside and our furbaby Lexi has impressed us with her ability to jump up and over the wall with no trouble at all!

  

The limestone brick wall was built by P & P Stone who also built our front courtyard garden and the side limestone retaining wall for our new dividing fence.

Once we find good tradesmen we use them again and again for each renovation project that we do - we stick with the same plumber, electrician, cabinet maker, etc as you develop a good relationship with them, they look after you by doing a good job and you look after them by giving them continued work.

The backyard will be half deck and patio and the other half will be a courtyard with paving and grass - we included the grass so it's pet friendly for our rescue dog Lexi.

Mr P waterproofed the inside of the courtyard as it will be filled with sand and get watered once the grass is laid so we need to protect the limestone so it doesn't stain.

To waterproof - first Mr P mixed up some mud and plastered it onto the inside of the limestone blocks to fill the gaps and left it to dry. Next he painted on two coats of waterproofing all the way around the inside of the courtyard walls, he used the same waterproof product that we used in our courtyard garden beds - it's like a thick black tar, is heavy duty and perfect for wet areas like garden beds.

This new retaining wall defines our newly subdivided block so this is going to be the size of our new backyard.

It's a lot smaller than it was as we have essentially cut our block in half because we plan to sell the back block of land in the future and keep and live in our renovated home at the front. Being able to 'retain and build' is a great way to climb up the property ladder and is quite a popular thing to do in Perth for those of us on big suburban blocks of land.

I'm so happy our limestone retaining wall is built .... next up is the deck and patio build!

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Courtyard Garden Update: Outdoor Furniture

I had visions of how I wanted to design our courtyard garden with a beautiful lounge setting, outdoor rug, bar cart .... all I needed was a cabana boy and the fantasy would have been perfect!

But the reality is with our courtyard being open to all the elements, whilst it has a shade sail this is made from a fabric which lets the sunlight the rain through so it's not as protected as say a solid roofed patio area would be.

Plus it is at the front of the house and people walking past or cars driving by can see in so I didn't want to go too over the top with flashy furniture and decor out here - I'll save that for the backyard and deck area which will be completely private and with a patio roof so protected from the elements as well.

So I had to be sensible about the type of furniture and decor I picked for the courtyard.

I picked these acapulco chairs for a few reasons - they are modern and add a splash of colour and there is no fabric on the chairs so they won't get damaged in the rain and weather (a few outdoor cushions adds a bit of colour and I picked them up for $6 each so if they don't last I won't be too worried!).

The chairs were a bargain from Kmart - I got the blue chairs about 2 years ago for around $30 each and the black double chairs on sale for $29 each.

Once we had sealed the courtyard pavers to protect them and the shade sail was installed it was time for the fun part of setting up the outdoor furniture.

The chairs are really lightweight and so easy to move around so I set this up one weekend while Mr P was busy helping a friend. The ceramic stool is a perfect little side table and I found it at Bunnings on sale for $10 - I have 3 more ceramic stools in the house in different colours which I may bring outside as well.

We have been sitting out here in the late afternoon after work enjoying the last of the suns rays and watching the sunset.

I'm still on the look out for some nice feature pots and plants to add some greenery and the veggie and herb gardens need some more plants and TLC as well and then the courtyard garden is pretty much finished.

What style of outdoor furniture do you love .... lounges, chairs, a hammock, something else? 



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Before + After: Our Courtyard Shade Sail

On the weekend we finished installing the new shade sail in the front courtyard and it looks amazing!

When your vision turns into a reality it's such a good feeling ..... this is why I love renovating to look at the before and afters and see the changes we have made to our 1960's humble abode! 

You may recall back in April Mr P and I installed the metal shade sail poles ourselves before the courtyard was paved.

It took a lot of concrete ... 360kg in fact .... to secure the poles into the ground so they would take the weight of a shade sail attached to them and so they would last for a very long time (forever!).

After the paving was finished, the garden beds were built, grass laid and everything else was done in the courtyard we were ready for the shade sail.

We waited until the wet and windy winter season was finished and then called our shade sail guy from Big Fat Snapper who we'd already worked out the design with, to come out and do a final measure between the poles, so he could make the shade sail to fit the space perfectly. 

He made the shade sail that week and then came back on the weekend and install it. It took about an hour with Mr P and I on a pole each while he jumped from pole to pole to tighten the ropes and get the sail at the right angle and at the right tension so it was nice and straight and firm. There's a real art to this and you can tell he takes a lot of pride in his work and wants you to be 100% happy with it and for it to look great because let's face it nobody wants a saggy shade sail flapping around do they!

There were lots of colours of shade cloth to pick from - we went for a charcoal colour to match the roof of the house and the metal poles we picked a colour to match the limestone courtyard walls - I think it all blends in with the house nicely.

It's such a practical feature and when the sun beats down at the front of the house now we can sit under it in the shade. It stops the heat of the sun too as it's all fully UV sun safe.

Now all we need to do is set up the courtyard with our outdoor furniture and decor and make it all pretty and nice.

I need to find some nice feature pots and plant them out to add some greenery out here too.

Our vegetable and herb garden also needs some love and attention as well!

I'm loving how our courtyard garden is really coming along now ... check out more before and afters of the house exterior in my House Tour page!

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