Creating this kind of bench and planters for the garden...

[lsg1r]

One thing Im unsure on is what you do with the inside of the planter block? If you render the top do you need to go down one block on the inside too? IVe read about people saying its worth tanking the inside with a waterproof paint or a membrane? My main concern is the water affecting the render on the front so would rather do it properly and pay an extra few quid if need be!

I'd go all the way to the bottom on both sides, I'd also likely add in a damp course too in the blocks.

You can get specialist renders that have all this protection built in but obviously will cost considerably more so you'll likely end up doing a sand and cement render for a garden wall. You would normally then paint the cement render with external house paint, this is how our render is done with iirc sandtex. You'll likely need to repaint from time to time though.

On the inside you might be able to get away with a heavier duty 'paint' on the inside but I would at least ensure the 'blockwork' isn't directly exposed to the moisture as it could cause structural issues over a longer period.

 

[andystotes]

The Mrs has been prowling Pinterest (need to stop her doi gthis) and as we are getting the garden sorted at the moment for Summer time she's spotted lots of pictures of like raised beds that have benches built into them.

Here are a few ideas of what I'm (she's) thinking of....

Now to me they don't look too complicated to build. The thing i want to get right is the bench aspect. Would I be right in thinking that we just build the actual planters out of breezeblock or similar to the size and shape we want and then get the whole thing rendered and painted?

When would be the best time to integrate a bench and can anyone recommend the best ways of going about it? I thought about building it into the sides of the planters as they were being built but im not sure if this will then be a nightmare to render around and paint which will then end up looking a messy.

Would the bench be something that is better fitted after its all been built and rendered etc? Or is it something that can be made so that it can be removed as required? To me they just look like decking boards so wasn't sure if there any type of supports that could be built planters themselves or if it would just be a case of using some batons to support the bench?

Keen to find out how some of the more advanced DIY/gardeners in here would approach something like this!

hi there - did you end up making this in the end and do you have any images you can share and tips how you made the seats in the end and also the planters in terms of membrane etc? Cheers