Lynn and Greg Duffy wrote to Burke's Backyard asking for help with their tiny apartment courtyard. The area was originally part of a driveway that was divided up to create small courtyards for the ground floor units. Part of the problem was that a concrete verandah jutted out into the space, creating a split level effect.

Don's solution was to ask Scott Cam to build a deck at the concrete verandah level, making the area much more spacious and functional. He then added plants in troughs, which were inserted through the decking.

Building the deck Posts (H4 treated pine, 90mm x 90mm) were concreted inground. Because the area to be decked was surround by walls, Scott dyna-bolted wall plates (H3 treated pine, 90mm x 45mm) to the walls to support the bearers. Bearers (H3 treated pine, 140mm x 45mm) were put from wall plate to wall plate and fixed to the posts using galvanised cup head bolts. Joists (H3 treated pine, 90mm x 45mm) were attached at 450mm centres. Scott needed to fasten a joist to the concrete slab and make sure it was level with the joists in the frame. He used Mak Wedges (adjustable packers) to bring it to the correct height, drilled through the timber into the slab, and then nailed the joist in place through spaghetti tubing. (Tip: use spaghetti tube to hold the nail tight.) Decking boards (H3 treated pine, 90mm x 19mm) were cut to size and fixed to the joists using a nail gun. (Tip: Always use galvanized nails in treated timber.) Scott cut the deck out around the banksia, so that the tree didn't need to be cut down. He also left room for the trunk of the tree to expand. Steps were built from the back deck to the ground. Finally Scott applied a coat of Cabot's decking stain ('Jarrah'), and the stain was left to dry overnight.

Planting

Next day, Don returned to do the planting. He started by cutting the bottoms out of three concrete troughs using an angle grinder. This will allow the plants to grow down into the ground, they'll grow better and won't need to be watered as much. The area where the pots were going to be put was then levelled and the troughs were placed in position. The tubs were placed away from the wall to avoid problems with ventilation and dampness inside the house.

Don filled the troughs with potting mix, and planted them out with oranged coloured kangaroo paws (Anigozanthos 'Bush Ochre'), blue/purple native daisies (Brachyscome ‘Break O’ Day’) and violet-purple hebes (Hebe ‘Inspiration’).

Finishing touches Decorative pebbles were put at the base of the steps. The clothes line was rehung.

Costs (approx)

Deck Timber, $1600 Galvanized Dyna bolts, $2 each Mak Wedges, $48 per box from hardware stores 4 litre Cabots decking stain ‘Jarrah’, $65 900 x 320 x 320 concrete tubs, $104 each

Plants

Anigozanthos 'Bush Ochre’, $14.30 for a 170mm (7") pot
Hebe ‘Inspiration’, $16.50 for a 200mm (8") pot
Brachyscome ‘Break O’ Day’, $10 for a 140mm (5") pot.

Copyright CTC Productions 2004