Suggestions for Outdoor Area - Shade + Seating

trankillity on 09/01/2023 - 16:30

After having our yard completely landscaped almost a year ago, we're now looking to kit out our fairly empty entertaining area with some shade and outdoor furniture. I received a LOT of Bunnings gift cards for Xmas, so will need to use them to supply either/or/both.

The space is about 3m x 4m, so not huge. Due to the fact that it's on the fence line, I don't think I can get any permanent structure installed. Budget for the whole kit out is around $2k, but could potentially stretch to $3k for the right products.

I have a few main questions for the brains trust:
1) What sort of covering would be best for this area? Would I be fine with a large retractable cantilever umbrella? Or should I really look to get shade sail attached to the house and a pole sunk in? I can't really run shade cloth all the way to the fence line as it will shade the plants too much.
2) Most outdoor furniture is listed with "UV protection coating", but I understand most people have fully covered patios/verandahs for their "outdoor" furniture. What sort of lifespan should I expect out of outdoor furniture that is sitting in full sun for 3-5 hours a day (between two 2-storey houses, so only gets midday sun)?
3) We would want a lounge-like corner setup with the ability to stretch out and read a book in the shade. Open to suggestions on furniture that matches this.

TIA for any advice!

Home & Garden

Comments

  • MS Paint on 09/01/2023 - 16:36
    +3

    Don't forget to budget for your 85" Sony indoor outdoor TV. Keep the receipt.

    • trankillity on 09/01/2023 - 16:43
      +1

      Huh? Why would you want a TV outside?

      • Jimothy Wongingtons on 09/01/2023 - 16:51

        its forum meta

      • mapax on 10/01/2023 - 07:32
        +1

        I guess you haven’t reached peak bogan yet?
        It used to be the dream of the bogan to have an outdoor tv to watch sport, bonus points if you also had a spa.
        At some point it leaked over, the dream not the spa, from bogan culture and the types of people that claim they aren’t bogans also started getting “al fresco” entertainment units or whatever they call them.

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 09/01/2023 - 16:53
    +2

    Invest in a good furniture cover imo.

    Nothing **** me more than having to clean the cushions and the actual outdoor funiture itself considering how little we actually get to use it.

  • tsukito on 09/01/2023 - 16:56
    +4
    1) Covering

    I'm a big fan of shadecloth/shadesail; relatively cheap and easy installation, replaceable in case of damage, can drain rainwater so no sitting water on top, and chances are you can likely mount a triangular cloth (most shadecloth is triangular) with 2 corners on your house, and the 3rd corner onto a permanently sunk post, or if you're good friends with your neighbours, ask if you can fix the 3rd corner to their brickwork (obviously you'd owe them a favour in the future).

    Cantilever umbrella works too, depends on placement, and obviously a bit sketchy when the wind picks up, but ironically really heavy to move, if needed.

    2) Furniture Lifespan

    In my experience, no matter what the furniture/salesperson/website says, outdoor furniture always gets worse if not protected, either by being undercover, or having covers put on the seating when not in use. Wood fades and splinters, plastic fades and becomes brittle, steel rusts, etc. Years ago, I had wood outdoor furniture out in the open, and I had to sand it and tidy it up once a year when I wanted to use it in the summer for BBQs, etc. My in-laws have that plastic woven, wicker look furniture, which seems to fair much better, even once faded.

    3) Corner Lounge Setup

    Sticking with what Bunnings offer as you mentioned the gift cards, I picked out the following:

    Cheap: $399 (plastic covering, steel frame)
    * Marquee 3 piece Bayfield

    Mid-upper range: $1649 (timber frame)
    * Mimosa Corner Lounge

    High range: $2769 (timber frame)
    * Mimosa Mandala Timber Corner Setting

    Keeping in mind that timber can always be sanded/oiled to extend the lifespan.

    • trankillity on 09/01/2023 - 17:18

      Thanks for the fantastic tips! Those seating options were definitely the ones I was already eyeing off.

      What are your feelings on semi-permanent gazebos? Most of the ones on Bunnings' site seem to be exactly the right size for the area and could be bolted directly into the brickwork (as well as filling the legs with sand). They all look pretty clean to me, and they all have an anti-UV polycarbonate roof. It seems like none of them are really waterproof so rain will leak through the joins, but I'm not above a liberal application of silicon to prevent that…

      • tsukito on 09/01/2023 - 17:50
        +1

        Looking at the photo you posted, are you thinking of bolting a gazebo into the grey brick pavers on the ground? Unless they have been concreted in (which I assume not), they will lift straight up and out of the paved area, meaning any gazebo bolted to a paver would simply fly away during moderate to high winds.

        Filling the legs with sand is a new concept to me, so I don't know if that would provide enough weight to prevent instability during wind.

        One of the reviewers on the Bunnings site mentioned that the fittings included in the box aren't so great for stability, so they poured concrete footings for each leg, which worked well. Personally, I would go this DIY route; lift up a few pavers in each corner, dig a fence post hole, fill each hole with a $9 bag of concrete, let it cure, bolt the gazebo legs to each one, put the pavers back in however they best fit and back fill with sand. Great weekend project, or any handyman could do this for you.

        Another reviewer mentioned having to pay $3000 for a permit from the council. If you don't get a permit and go ahead with it, small chance the council will sniff you out, either through a nosy neighbour dobbing you in, or through aerial photography, which is how they find out people have put in a pool, under the table.

        In summation, some of these gazebos look pretty nice (Mimosa Portsea), however, I would recommend securing it the right way, the first time. I had a similar gazebo at my wedding with concrete weights on each foot; it still completely toppled over the morning of the wedding! Luckily my in-laws have 5 sons and they fixed it fast.

  • CurlCurl on 09/01/2023 - 17:28

    First to do is cover that dog ugly fence in the background as it will kill the atmosphere.

    • trankillity on 09/01/2023 - 20:39

      Yep, will for sure be doing that too. The fence is pretty rotted and will eventually be replaced by body corp, so will be getting some screening cover until then. Thanks for the tip!

  • toecutter69 on 09/01/2023 - 17:30
    +1

    I landed on using https://mywicker.com.au/
    Still only 4mths old but the pricing, quality and service has been great. Will be extending the set with some additional add ons soon.

    • trankillity on 11/01/2023 - 11:43

      Those look really nice. Unfortunately most of the budget that I have available is in Bunnings gift cards, so needs to be from them as stipulated in the original post.

  • Gojkins on 09/01/2023 - 17:57

    Make friends with someone that works at Bunnings and get one of these: https://www.bunnings.com.au/mimosa-3-x-4m-coast-portsea-louv…
    Split the savings with them or buy them something nice if it helps.
    It's only a semi permanent gazebo ;)

  • AngoraFish on 10/01/2023 - 01:27

    There is no chance that you are bolting directly into the brickwork. Those bricks are on crushed rock, which is a leveling pad only. Best you will get out of that is 5-7 years before the brickwork becomes uneven. Probably not even that since there's no concrete or similar haunch to stabilise the edge bricks.

    Posts need to be in-ground or you're buying a weighted down temp tent/gazebo roof only, maybe good for 3-5 years. Fix it to the fence with some wire so it doesn't blow away in the first storm, put some weights or heavy arse duty tent pegs on the other legs, and ride it out until it rips in a future storm and replace, repeat. That will seriously be your cheapest option.

    Anything with UV protection should be good for 8-10 years, all things being equal, probably not a lot more but will depend on your tolerance for faded, mossy and cracked. Maybe 15 years plus before it becomes actually unsafe. Even a professionally installed shade sail isn't likely to last more than 10-12 years anyhow. UV stabilisation isn't UV-proof.

    Place the gazebo structure on the fence line. You can see which way the shadow falls in the vid, so you should be good for at least a metre beyond that, which would be adequate.

    Shade sails are by definition not strictly waterproof. They're a woven material, and the tiny gaps are what lets most of the sun though. Having said that, drips will mostly be limited to the low/sag point. Either way, the odds of you being out there in the rain should be zero.

    A permit is not normally required for structures under 10 square metres (caveat - your state may vary), and mostly not at all for 'temporary' structures. Above that the cost will be prohibitive, allow nearly $2K for the building surveyor alone. Something around 2.5m x 3.5m (8.75 sq.m) should be fine, and should not require a permit or building surveyor either way.

    The odds of being able to attach something to the building are low. The building needs to have been designed to take those kinds of uplift loads, and even if it has been the documentation to substantiate that will likely be hard to find. If you can get that to work, however, that will likely be your cheapest medium to long term option.

    I wouldn't over-think the plants. The landscaper have done something right, and largely specified indoor species that should cope with reflected light.

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