Browse Forums Outdoor Living 1 Apr 28, 2010 9:05 am Hi All, I'm drawing up some plans to build an L-shaped bench seat with planter boxes on the ends and in the coner/junction. After doing my first plan, I sent it to the timber yard people and they suggested that I had used more posts than necessary and that I could get away with fewer. So I have revised my plan and now wonder which I should use. Obviously less posts is slightly cheaper and less work to dig holes, but are the savings worth it? You can see the two plans here: V1 - more stumps: http://2brndgs.com/seat/Bench-Seat-plan-v1.png V2 - less stumps: http://2brndgs.com/seat/Bench-Seat-plan-v1.png The posts are 90x90 treated pine. Will they be fine concreted straight into the ground (400mm) or should I use stirrups? The beams are 90x45 treated pine, and the span for these is the main bit I'm seeking guidance on. - On Plan v1 the spans are max 992mm. - On Plan v2 the spans are max 1395mm. The tops and faces will be clad in merbau decking (90x19mm) - screwed or nailed? Thanks in advance for any advice. Cheers Edit: changed picture location - Flickr made them too small to see measurements Re: Building a bench seat - which plan is better? 2Apr 28, 2010 12:08 pm If the spacing between the posts in the ground is aroun 100mm thats fine, to increase the span you can try using hardwood bearers or laminate 2 x 90 x 45 tp which could increase to around 200mm. 400mm holes are a little exessive. Maybe max 300 would be better. As there is a fair bit of weight in your project you would probably only need 'pads' where the concrete that you put in the hole is more of a seat for the timber posts to stop them from sinking rather than keeping your project in the ground. Re: Building a bench seat - which plan is better? 3Apr 28, 2010 12:19 pm foc1 If the spacing between the posts in the ground is aroun 100mm thats fine, to increase the span you can try using hardwood bearers or laminate 2 x 90 x 45 tp which could increase to around 200mm. 400mm holes are a little exessive. Maybe max 300 would be better. As there is a fair bit of weight in your project you would probably only need 'pads' where the concrete that you put in the hole is more of a seat for the timber posts to stop them from sinking rather than keeping your project in the ground. Thanks for the responce. 100mm? That's not very far. Do you mean 1000mm maybe? Re: Building a bench seat - which plan is better? 4Apr 28, 2010 4:41 pm I had another thought. What about if I bolt together 2x 90x45 beams for each length? Would that allow me to span the required 1.4m on Plan v2? This will be slightly cheaper than the extra posts and with less digging which can only be considered a good thing! Re: Building a bench seat - which plan is better? 6Apr 30, 2010 10:22 am Great, thanks foc! Sorry for claiming "I had an idea". I just reread your post and realised you said exactly what I did! I must have been subconsciously referring back to that information you gave! I’m loving the potential versatility and practicality of a bench seat in a shower. Anyone had one of these done recently? Not sure if they are straight forward and easy… 0 762 brokers will also be in a position to get you a better rate than the advertised rate most times. 6 7575 That's a bit of a vague question. Either cupboard size is fine. With no real advantage or disadvantage to either, apart from the fact that the 900 cabinet fits more into… 1 728 |