Building a Green Wall - Part 1

Remember the neighbours trampoline after finishing the deck? Well I love the neighbours kids and all, but them bouncing up and down, and in turn watching us having lunch on the deck (or me trying to sleep!) wasn't the best, so I resolved to have a go at doing something about it. 

Like Hadrian in England and the Chinese with the Great Wall, I also chose to build a wall, but in this instance a GREEN one!

So after discussing with the neighbours and getting the OK it was full steam ahead with the green-wall construction project.

I must do something about the view

Now there's a number of different options available in a wide, wide, range from the really cheap, to the very, very expensive commercial/industrial models. So as always I hit up Google with a few searches on "building a green wall" and "building a vertical garden", from which you'll find lots of options available as well as plenty of DIY information.

You'll find there's a lot of "pot planter" options available on the market which you can pick up from various distributors or even your local hardware supplier. These have the advantage of maximum flexibility. With the area I was dealing with, and the size of the wall I wanted to build, cost was probably going to be an issue though. The whole thing it's 6m long and nearly 3.5m high at the highest point!

Holman Greenwall

So looking further into pot kits I came across the Holman GreenWall. It's a great product with snap in irrigation and pots, that allow you to change the pots (and hence the plants) in and out at will.  The limitation for my use is that it only has 8 pots per $69 unit (priced from Bunnings) and to cover the entire wall was going to take quite a few thousand dollars worth of units, not to mention all the plants needed to then fill all those pots!

After further investigation and emailing, I finally settled on a local product that comes courtesy of Australian celebrity gardener Jamie Dury. He has a product called the Greenwall Blanket, and it was going to fit the requirement just nicely, and without breaking the bank. 

The blankets come in three sizes; small 600x600, medium 1200x1100, and large at 1800x1800. They're hung up by eyelets built into the fabric, they're rubber backed for waterproofing, and they have an inbuilt drip watering system. Each blanket comes with varying size pockets for planting in, so you can have a variety of plant sizes across the blanket (as opposed to the pot systems where generally they're all the same size).

The area I want the wall to cover is 6m long and runs right along the edge of the fence. One of the things I also want to include in the wall is that it won't be a 100% solid wall (I do actually quite like the neighbours!) so I planned to leave some semi-transparent sections as part of the build.

Here's the plan I came up with:

The Green Wall Plan

The wall will be divided into three sections, 2 wide sections on either side, and a narrower one in the middle. These sections will be divided up by four 600 mm wide OutDeco Panels (you may remember I used them when screening the side deck and the garden utility area), using the "Bungalow" pattern, which will give me 80% block out/privacy while still allowing me to still say hi to the neighbours!

For the Greenwall blankets, I will use two large blankets for the left and right outside panels, and two medium blankets mounted vertically for the centre panel. Because the large blankets aren't quite as long as two medium blankets, I plan to fill out the bottom of the large blankets with the Holman Greenwall units, which I'll plant out with seasonal annuals or herbs in the smaller pots, giving me the flexibility to easily change them around. I'll need 3 units each side, 6 in total, which shouldn't break the bank.

So that's the plan, but first things first, is to put 8 posts into the ground to support the wall using 125x75 rough-sawn cypress. There's a 50 cm drop along the fence line, so the last post will be longer than the first.

A row of posts to start

Above you can see the posts dropped in and concreted with the tops levelled off. Let me tell you it was far from an easy job! 

As you might remember there's a significantly large tree in the yard (you can see it in the top photo) and when the neighbours property was completed they put in what is called a "root block". This is essentially a large and deep excavation filled with concrete, designed to stop the roots from the tree entering their property. Well this root block chunk of concrete was sitting pretty much right where I needed to drop the posts in!

It wasn't all bad news though, as there was luckily a 60cm gap between the block and the side fence which was just enough space to drop in the post hole digger with a 50 cm auger attached. JUST enough! Believe me it was a VERY tight fit! 

The block trench wasn't in a straight line either, and as I worked my way down the row of holes that 60cm gap got narrower until it was down to under 50cm. At that point there was no choice left but to head down the hire shop to get a large electric jack-hammer to cut into the root block concrete.

This should do the trick nicely

Eventually after all screwing around with the post-hole digger, the jackhammer, and after a lot of blood, sweat, and swearing, I ended up with eight 70 cm deep holes and all posts in and set down in concrete. Phew!

I can see it already

Above clearly shows the outline of how the wall will look in terms of cover-up. I levelled off the top of the posts by running a stringline, then constructed a wooden jig to support the circular saw. With the jig fitted to each post I then ran the saw around to make them all nice and even.

Once the posts were finalised I then laid some 70 x 45 horizontal timber battens to brace the structure, and importantly to support the greenwall blankets. I notched in one across the top, and then further horizontal members to line up with the eyelets on the blankets in each of the three sections.

Outta sight!

Once the frame was completed, you can see above that I then covered the larger sections in HardieTex blue-board and then fitted in the Outdeco screen panels. Harditex is water and rot resistant, so was going to serve as an excellent backing for the blankets. 

You can also see I got busy with a paint tin and brush, painting the entire structure to match the neighbours fence colour which is charcoal black (you can see their fence in the background top right of the photo above). Thinking ahead I'd painted all the posts, railings and the back of the HardieTex before mounting so I didn't need to go next door to paint the fence!

That's a tall wall

I didn't need to paint the front of the blue board as it was going to have the blankets mounted onto it so I left them blue, but painted around the edge anywhere the board might have been visible under the blanket. 

Why is the middle one painted black you may ask? Because I painted it on the wrong side when I was painting them! You'll have to trust me it's black in the other side as well!

Getting ready to mount the planting blankets

So that's the wall structure completed! It's certainly ugly, but just wait until the plants go up!.

Next time we'll mount the blankets and pots, fit the drip watering system, and lastly plant the plants all in part 2!

Decking to the other side and beyond!

Since I starting to lay the boards on the deck I've now completed the landing, completed the steps on the landing, and laid the boards around the curve. Now it's time to bring it all together and take the boards all the way across to the other side and beyond.

First up is to complete the decking all the way around the right hand side (when looking at the original plan) to meet up with the side gate. There was a complication with the side fence however. Whatever the fencing contractor had used to "concrete" in one of the posts wasn't like any concrete I had ever seen. It had set like black glass, leaching into the wood and destroying the bottom of the post. The timber literally turned into dust.

To fix it I had to disassemble the fence, dig out the old post and that "black stuff", and then replace it with a nice new post fixed in with conventional old concrete mix, and then rebuild the fence.

Once that was fixed I finished the deck up to the gate as you can see below.

Finished the decking to the gate

Now that the right hand side was finished I just trimmed off the end of the deck with a straight edge and circular saw, giving a lovely finished look. There was very little excess to cut off as the Deck Master system lets you pick and choose which timbers you use which minimises waste.

Below is the finished right side of the deck.

Right side of the deck completed and trimmed

With the right edge finished I continued to lay the boards all the way across until I came to the last board for the top of the deck!

Of course the edge of the last board didn't line up perfectly with the end of the joists! I challenge anyone can be that accurate in their planning. All I did was leave some excess joist hanging out which I then cut flush with the edge of the last board using a reciprocating saw. I then cut some front facing joists that connected in on a 90 degree angle to the top joists which will be used later to fix front facing boards to.

To start the last board I began on the left side of the deck near the steps which introduced their own set of complications! 

As you can see below I had to put a slight kink in the board to get around the top step because it juts out about an inch from the deck. Nothing some judiciously and carefully cut mitre joins can't fix!

Fitting around the top of the stairs

Below is the crowning glory of fitting the very last board to the top of the deck. Now if you remember, the Deck Master timber comes pre grooved, and because I didn't want the grooved edge showing I had to use a standard 90x20 mm decking board. Using a standard board requires slots to be cut along one side of the board using a biscuit cutter, to match up with the Deck Master claws on the inside board, essentially replicating how the grooved timber works. 

To fix the outside of the board I used the Deck-Max screws and plugs as I did with the landing steps.

Two connection methods! Claws on the inside and plugs outside

Below shows the last board fixed down! You can also see all the vertical joists that I now have to fix the facing boards onto. This will close up the underneath of the deck.

The last board done!

Below shows all the facing boards fitted, the fixing down the last board! You can see I've left a spot for a small access hatch which I'll knock up later, and this is also where I am putting an all-weather electrical outlet so I won't need to run cords across the deck if I need electricity on the far side.

Fitting the last facing board

The photo below shows the same but from the other end before I "release the clamps!". It's a big milestone to fit the very last board!

So close now

So here it is below with all the top and facing boards completed. You can see the trail I have worn into the ground walking backward and forward along the front of the deck! Nothing a bit of landscaping mulch can't hide I'm sure.

Front facing boards completed

So the deck top,side and landing steps are done and it really has come up a treat. Exactly as I hoped all those months ago when this kicked off. I guess I'll have to do something about the neighbour's trampoline now!?

Top deck completed

All that is left to do now is to lay the boards onto the steps which lead down to the grassed area, and then the job is pretty much finished. More on that next post. Enjoy.

Now screening the uglies

Now the deck is completed (and of course it looks sooo beautiful) it's pretty obvious that it's surrounded by some very ugly structures. In this exciting instalment we're going to erect some screening to hide the uglies, because who really wants to see undies flying in the wind while you're enjoying cocktails on the deck?! First up is the utility area which is going to get a screen makeover.

The first step in building any screen is laying in the frame posts. In this instance I am using some rather tall 125 mm x 75 mm Cypress Pine posts, dropped into 60 cm deep post holes with concrete footings. These will sit in the garden bed right in front of the retaining wall of the garden utility area. The screen is pretty high at 2.5m, as I want it to close off the utility area completely from view.

First step, dig some holes. I told you buying the post-hole digger would come in handy again (at least that's what I tell my wife)!

Dig dig digging again

As you can see below the posts are in and I'm fitting the rails on to hold the screening. The rails are 75 mm x 50 mm treated pine, fitted into notches in the post that I knocked out with a hammer and chisel. Sometimes the old school hand tools are the best don't you think?

Fitting the rails

Here's the finished frame with everything nailed together nicely, and it's even level! Time to fit the screen.

Fence frame done

When I originally conceived this screen in the garden plan my thought was to clad it horizontally with more decking boards. However I changed my mind once the deck was finished as it might just be "too much" wood with boards running everywhere.

On a visit to the Melbourne International Flower and Garden show I came across a fantastic Australian made product called Outdeco Gardenscreen. They are 1200 mm x 600 mm modular panels made from laser cut "tempered hardboard" (very similar to 'Masonite') at 9 mm thick. They come in a wide range of patterns, and include a 10 year outdoor warranty. The pattern I selected is called OSAKA which offers 80% block out, as well as blends in with the overall Japanese theme to the decked area. The panels were available locally from Chippies Timber in Melbourne, but there is plenty of stockists listed on their site.

Sizing up the Outdeco screens

I spaced the posts at 1200 mm centres, and railings at 600 to accommodate 4 panels high by 3 across. 12 panels in total (well 11 and a 1/2 as one needs to fit around the stone wall). The posts had to be painted before the panels are mounted, otherwise you'll see the timber through the panels.

Half way up one row

The panels are very easy to install. I just clamped them up and drilled four countersunk holes across the top of the panel, four across the bottom, and one on each side. I then screwed them down with some leftover decking screws. Once they were all fitted I applied wood filler over the top of the screws, sanded, and then gave them a coat of paint. You could also glue them down, but I thought the screws would be plenty. One ugly done!

First row done, two to go

As well as the utility area to screen off, I also had a rather ugly paling fence sitting behind the water feature that I wanted to screen off. The fence wasn't build level owing to the trees coming over from the block next door, and it just made the whole area look out of kilter.

For this screen I constructed a frame out of treated pine attached directly to the existing fence that I wanted to cover up. It consisted of three posts screwed into the fence, and three rails across the top, middle and bottom. Simple stuff. For covering up this ugly I am going to use a different product called Natureed Screening which I ordered direct from the supplier House of Bamboo in Sydney, . 

Framing up to get rid of the uglies

I really love this stuff because it does such a great job with a really professional looking result. It's made from a collection of 5mm diameter bamboo reed, bound tightly with stainless steel wire. The lengths are woven together in rows to form a complete sheet. I brought two 1.8 m x 3.66 m rolls which was enough to cover the entire length, giving am instant cover up of the ugly underneath! Again, make sure you paint the posts and rails before you fit the rolls, otherwise they'll show through. I dragged out the trusty old Mission Brown again for this occasion.

Natureed

As I'd made the frame the exact size required to accommodate the sheet size, it was a breeze to fit. You just clamp a section of it up, and then staple the cladding to the frame using galvanised staples in a heavy duty staple gun. Get your fingers in and just spread a section of the reeds apart, then staple across the stainless steel wires, then push the reeds back together.Once mounted, I then framed each panel using leftover decking boards with mitre joints on the corners, using the Deck-Max plugs to hide the screws. One more ugly gone!

Outdeco panels are all on, and first Natureed roll is up

The last bit of unintentional ugly left behind is the rock wall. When Stefan built the wall I wanted the top of the wall the be always dead level. Looking at how it was now with the screening up, it would be much nicer if the level changes formed actual garden beds rather than just the slope. 

To achieve this, a new wall small would need to be built across from the drop point of the wall to meet the bottom of the lovely new Natureed screen panels.

Screens completed, time to do something about that wall

I wasn't going to get Stefan to come back just to build a little wall, so I decided to be the hero backyard warrior again and have a crack at it myself. I headed off to a local stone supplier Chris Cross (and no, he didn't make me JUMP, JUMP) and selected a pile of Mudstone pieces that I though would fit the gap. A good selection of big ones and small ones in as squarish a shape as I could find them.

I then just basically followed what Stefan had done, as I had plenty of photos to guide me along! I dug and laid a compacted foundation, put a stringline up, and then picked and placed the stones, fixing them with mortar, and giving the occasional bit of adjustment using an angle grinder with a stone cutting blade. Mudstone cuts like butter luckily, but wear a mask when cutting as it's pretty dusty work!

The end result was a nice enclosed garden bed that met up with the edge of the screen, and you'd never pick that I built it!

Wall fixed

The final piece of beautification was putting in some plants, and of course the objet d'art to fill the hole I'd left in the deck. When I was looking for water features I came across these teak balls being sold at a local place called Water Features Direct. They come in three sizes and are made from distressed teak assembled with nails into a ball shape. Tres' artsy! 

The small one was going to do nicely, so I had them mount it on a concrete plinth (which actually comes from a bird bath) which they stuck some steel reo into, which the ball then mounts onto. Add a couple of lights and the job done is done.

Plants in and looking good

Here's the final side yard product. Deck done, screens up, wall built, plants installed, and lights in.

The side yard is done dude

There's still the ugly old wheelbarrow storage area to deal with, but that's going to have to wait until the rainwater tank goes in up behind the garage. I'll then build a set-back Outdeco screen to match in with the main one giving a (hopefully) seamless view. There's always something to do isn't there?

There's a hole in the fence! Let's fix it.

After the removal of the tree there was a hole left in the fence that needed some repair. The tree actually sat right on the fence line with the fence meeting on either side of it, so once it was removed there was a substantial gap left. Now that the side yard has been fixed up it's a good opportunity for the fence repairs to take place to complete the job.

The south side fence is (in fact all the fences on the block pretty much are) a standard Australian style treated pine paling fence. A paling fence is made up of posts, plinths, rails, palings and a capping. Seriously, who comes up with these names? I really hope you don't have a lisp if you're considering a future as a fencing contractor!!

• Posts: The existing posts are all good as they're 125mm x 75mm Cypress Pine, and aren't that old (but were very poorly installed, but that's another story!). 
• Plinth: the plinth is 150mm x 25mm treated pine to run across the bottom and match up with the rest of the fence
• Rails: the rails are 75mm x 50mm treated pine for the top, bottom and middle
• Palings: the palings are alternating 150mm treated pine under palings (the bottom layer) and 100mm overs (the top layer). 
• Capping: the fence is topped off by 90x45mm treated pine single lipped fence capping to match the existing fence capping

Time to recruit the junior helper again! We started by ripping out all the old timber and then adding in the rails and plinth.

Some expert hammering

It's a reasonably straight forward job, although that doesn't look like he's in a very comfortable position to hammer! Make sure you use galvanised nails (unlike the cheap sub-contractor who constructed the fence in the first instance).

Once the rails are were up it was pretty simple to then bang in the palings, setting the 150mm first, then the 100mm over the gaps between. When it's done just run a circular or reciprocating saw across the top rail to level the tops of the palings. Drop the capping on top, double skewing every 450mm with round flat head 75mm long galvanised nails. Job done!

Oh, and don't forget to throw a ladder over with you before you start nailing the palings on, so you can get back over the fence!

Much prettier than the old blue tarp!

Side yard fence is now 100% whole again!