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: The Last Retaining Wall + Fence

A few weeks ago we had the last of the limestone retaining walls built and a new Colorbond fence installed. 

As you can see in the photo below we have retained and installed new fences on the left side and the back of the house when we did our patio and deck a few months ago. This is what our house looks like from behind now with the new patio coming off the house and the land subdivided in two.

We removed the old fence dividing us and the neighbor a few months ago in preparation for the new fence to be installed and it has taken a bit of toing and froing with our neighbor to agree on the style and heights of the retaining and fence but we got there in the end and when everyone was in agreement we could start the work.

For the other retaining walls and fences we put them on our side of the boundary so within our own block but for this one we were unable to do this and so we had to agree with the neighbor and both sign and submit a form to our Local Council stating that we built on top of the boundary line straight down the middle of where our two properties meet.

We used the same stonemason who has done all our limestone work to build the limestone retaining wall which is a 40 meter long wall from the rear fence towards the road at the front and goes down 3 blocks deep into the ground in a stepped retaining design. 

There was a lot of excavating to be done as the land is so high on our side and the bobcat dug up our sewer pipe on the first day which we had to repair and then the next day it hit our neighbors pipe which he had to repair and then over a week later we realised they had broken our pipe again so we had to repair it yet again! The joys of renovating I don't think we've ever had excavating work done that didn't involve busting open one of our pipes!

Once the retaining wall was built Mr P painted on waterpoof sealer to protect the limestone from water damage - that's the black paint you can see on the inside of the limestone blocks. 

Next we had fence guys out to install a Colorbond fence in classic cream on top of the limestone wall - they core drill into the limestone blocks and install the fence posts into the wall so they are really strong. This fence went up in 2 days which is super fast as there were 4 guys working on it to get it done.

This new retaining wall and fence will define the newly subdivided backyard and will be the driveway for the rear block.

We are now ready to finalise our subdivision with the Local Council to split our original block in two.

As soon as that's done we will be looking for a Real Estate Agent to help us put the block on the market to sell so that someone can build their dream home on it. Exciting times ahead!

Have you been tackling any renovating projects lately?

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DIY: Painting + Sealing The Driveway

We have come a long way in updating our house exterior over the years - here's a flashback to what our driveway looked like before when we first bought the house.

After we had a new driveway laid it was a million times better and safer to drive and walk on .... Plus we built a garage, rendered and painted the bricks, roof restoration, built a courtyard garden, sheesh we've made some changes out here!

But we were a bit slack and didn't seal the new driveway straight away and so it has faded a bit in the harsh summer sun and suffered a bit of wear and tear. So we thought we had better seal it to protect it from the weather and any stains and marks from leaking cars and also to inject a bit of colour back into it by using a sealer tinted with colour.

We used a Crommelin Sealer in Enhance Satin with a Basalt colour additive which tinted the sealer a dark charcoal colour. This is an industrial strength sealer which resists oil and grease so is perfect for the driveway. 

We sealed one side of the driveway and then on our next free weekend (a month or so later!) we did the other side of the driveway. This way we could still park our cars and walk on one side whilst the painted side was curing.

To seal a driveway you need to clean the surface well first and for this we used our pressure cleaner to hose off the driveway and scrubbed off any heavy marks and stains. When it was dry we went over it with the vacuum to remove any bits of sand left behind. Once it was nice and clean it was ready to be sealed. 

To apply the sealer which is like a thick paint Mr P used a paint brush to cut in along the edges and then a paint roller on a pole to paint the rest. We bought a cheap brush and roller so we could throw them in the bin afterwards. We did two coats leaving it to dry overnight between coats.

We spent under $100 on the sealer, paint brush and roller which makes it a pretty inexpensive DIY.

Painting and sealing the driveway has added a new lease of life to the concrete and it makes a great first impression to the front of the house.

Have you tackled any DIY projects around the house lately?

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Garage Clean Up + My Fiance's Other Love

We have been tackling a few home improvement projects over the last few weeks, one of them was to give the garage a good clean out and then seal and paint the garage floor.

This is for Mr P's other love who is moving back in ...

Oh yes I might not have mentioned before Mr P has 3 loves in his life .....

There's yours truly the newly engaged fiance .... Then there's Lexi his adorable furbaby ....

Then there's the she-beast - A 1977 Toyota Celica that was driven over to the Jarrah Jungle home 5 years ago but sadly has never been driven since.

It has been parked in our lovely neighbors driveway for almost 2 years while we built the garage and laid the new driveway and now we are finally ready to bring home the she-beast!

But first, as Mr P famously said to me once (and I never let him forget it!) a beautiful woman needs beautiful things and so the she-beast had to get a clean, sealed and painted garage to move into!

We had a really good clear out and moved what we needed into the granny flat and the rest went on the verge for pickup - cupboards, our old BBQ, a bunch of homewares and within minutes they were gone, being taken to a new home!

Once the garage was empty we used our trusty pressure cleaner to get all the dirt and marks off and left it to dry. Then just before painting we used the vacuum to clean up any dust that may have blown in.

These 2 things we have used constantly since renovating - The Karcher vacuum cleaner and water pressure cleaner - both have been lifesavers and a great investment for doing jobs around the house.

Once the floor was clean, it was ready to be sealed and painted. 

For the paint we used an industrial heavy duty floor enamel paint tinted in charcoal to match the new driveway.

This paint was really strong smelling and we had to leave the garage door open a bit each night to let the fumes out.

Mr P did 2 coats over a few days and left it to dry for a week before we moved anything back in.

Once the floor was painted we could bring the she-beast to her lovely new home. Now that was a mission in itself as the car needs new tyres as the ones on it were worn down to the rims so we managed to find some new tyres and change them over, but then the car wouldn't start, so we had to tow it over from the neighbors house.

I was too scared to get into the car to steer because of the years worth of cob webs, spiders and creepy crawlys so our neighbour came to the rescue and steered while Mr P towed it in.

I think our neighbors deserve a case of wine for Christmas this year, not just a bottle!

Our next plans for the garage are to give the walls a bit of a freshen up with some Dulux Render Refresh paint, which repairs cracks in render. We have a few cracks appearing here in the garage so it will be good to fix those up and see what this paint is like and of course I'll share a product review on the Dulux paint here too!

We also want to set up some shelving and organisation so we can use it for storage, because where we currently storing everything in the granny flat will be demolished in the coming months as our plans to subdivide the block are in motion.

Does your partner have another love? 
Does it also have 4 wheels or is it something else? 

Do tell!

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Before and After: Window Frames With Dulux Paint

The exterior of our house has had a huge transformation and with all of these home improvements we have stuck with an exterior colour scheme of cream of grey: Classic cream render and downpipes, Limestone courtyard, Charcoal roof and driveway, Ironstone gutters and facias and Jarrah garage door and courtyard slats.

 

The colour that just doesn't seem to go anymore is our white window frames - there's nothing else white out the front of the house so it's added another colour to the palette. The white gets a bit lost against the cream render and with the new limestone fence now built it has become apparent that the white has got to go!

 

As timing would have it Dulux has some new colour booklets and I was sent some to check out their tips on picking colour combinations that work together. Finding colours that go together can be pretty daunting so it's good to see some set colour schemes. Flipping through the booklets has given me the inspiration to be bold with my colour choices outside, but still making sure the colours will work together.

My favourite pages from the Dulux Colour Booklets - I love my greys both inside and outside!

My other favourite is the Colorbond range - We have Colorbond Ironstone Gutters and Facias,
Colorbond Classic Cream downpipes and Colorbond Charcoal as our roof colour

Dulux offered to send me some paint to try out their colour schemes - first we picked a prepcoat Dulux 1 step oil based primer, sealer, undercoat in White. This undercoat was oil based and had a stronger paint smell and had to be cleaned up with Mineral Turps. These oil based paints give a really strong bond and protection which is what you want for exterior paints that are up against the elements and strong Australian sunshine all the time.
 

We also needed the right type of paint for our wooden window frames and chose the Dulux Aquanamel in Gloss which is the paint you should use for doors, windows and trim. As for the colour, we went through Dulux's huge range of exterior paint colours and picked out Dulux Colorbond Monument and had the paint tinted to that colour.

Unlike the prepcoat, this is a water based paint which is so much easier to clean up all you need is water, it didn't smell as strong as the oil based paint (better for allergies!) and they were really fast drying too which helped because we didn't have to leave the windows open for long we could close them soon after painting.

 

Our Dulux paint and supplies

  

Dulux Colorbond Monument

Armed with our paint, brushes and supplies we were good to get cracking and give these old and worn out window frames a new lease of life.

  

Before - White window frames

 

In need of some colour inspiration!

 

The frames were sanded back with an electric sander to remove all the flaking paint and rough edges. For the hard to get at areas sandpaper was used. Any gaps, cracks and imperfections were filled with builders filler, then sanded back again lightly with sandpaper. 

 

Sanding off all the old flaking paint

Our cordless sander makes the job a lot quicker and easier!

  

It's so important to spend as much time as you can on the preparation otherwise all your hard work will be a waste of time, the paint won't last it will peel and look terrible!

Once the frames were filled and sanded smooth, they were cleaned and wiped over with a wet cloth to remove any dust and dirt. Then the windows were taped up with painters tape to protect the glass.

We were then  ready to paint on a primer and undercoat - for that we used Dulux All In 1 Primer, Sealer and Undercoat. These oil based paints are a bit smelly but they really are the most durable for exterior use. The smell had disappeared by the next day and it was touch dry within about 6 hours so we could shut the windows just before bed time!

 

Carefully applied painters tape to all the windows

 

Then on goes the Dulux primer/sealer/undercoat paint

 

One frame down and one to go!

When the undercoat was completely dry a few hours later, we were ready to put some colour on these beauties. On goes the first coat of Dulux Colorbond Monument .... there's no going back now!

Now for some colour ....

Mr brother and Mr P made a great painting team!

 

Here's a tip: Get yourself some angled brushes when painting windows and trim they make it so much easier to get into all the grooves and make cutting in around the frames heaps easier too.

 

Window frames can be a little fiddly to paint

 

Many hands make light work!

A few days later we applied the second coat of paint, that's not because it wasn't touch dry enough to paint but because of the wet weather we couldn't paint outside until we had some sunshine!

 

 

Painting on a second coat of Dulux Colorbond Monument on the Living Room window

 

Monument is a similar colour to our roof and driveway which is Charcoal

Once the paint had dried the colour darkened ad had more depth, it was looking really good and is a pretty perfect match to the roof colour too.

Now onto the Master Bedroom windows

Both windows all painted



Lexi the Site Manager is never far away keeping an eye on our work!

 

Peeling the tape off to reveal the windows is such a good feeling I get all excited and butterfly's  .... that moment of Oh My God What Have I Done!?!?
 

To remove the tape I use a knife to break the seal between the paint and tape, it makes peeling the tape off
a lot easier without the fear that you'll pull the paint off with it

The last of the tape coming off

 

I'm so impressed because this tape was on for about 3 weeks all up and it didn't peel the paint off at all!

 

So here we are .... It was a bold move but it really paid off, the windows are definitely stand out features now. I've become so much braver with my colour choices, after all it's just paint you can always scrape it off and repaint it if I don't like it. But I love it.

After - I love the depth of the colour 

Really like how Monument contrasts against the Classic Cream walls



The colour scheme is now working well together

Don't you just love a good before and after!

Yet another big transformation to the front of our house .... here's a bit of a flashback to our home when we moved in almost 5 years ago now to how it looks today. Still a bit of landscaping to do out here in the new Courtyard but we are definitely getting there and you'll be seeing lots more progress in the coming weeks.

 

Before - Our house when we bought it almost 5 years ago ....
 



Now - The power of paint and a lot of hard work!

What do you think of the White vs Monument window frames?

Would you be brave and use bold colours for your home exterior?

 

 

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Disclosure: Dulux partner with bloggers such as me to help promote their product. As part of this promotion I was given some Dulux colour booklets and paint to review. I have not received any payment or compensation for this review. I have not been told what to say about this product, I am free to form my own opinion and share them in my own words. All opinions are my own.

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