Adding A Planter Box Rather Than A Rail...

Latest Images! The boxes are done and look great. Next is gravel, sand, dirt and you guessed it, PLANTS!

We have a small concrete block wall near a small patio. Beyond the concrete block wall is a drop off that is easily high enough (perhaps 10' in some areas) that a rail is needed. But what options are available instead of a rail? One idea is a planter box. A planter box allows one to grow plants and thus have beauty that is beyond what the average rail can provide. A planter box does however block some view but also provides a wind block. In our case the trade off of some view (we can sit in higher chairs and regain that view) for a wind block (we can sit in lower chairs and be warm and extend the time we can be out on the patio) is well worth it for us. Having a large nearby growing space is also a major bonus. Note that each version is numbered as part of the name of the image.

"You can change the overall look or change the total function..."

This article is a work in process so we hope to add more to it. The boards come from the lumber yard in 8' lengths and are 11.5" wide and close to 1.75' thick in their rough sawn state. For this project we have trimmed the edges off so the boards are 11" wide and planed them smooth to about 1.5" thick. Some questions to consider are, should the planters be lined, have drainage or any kind of built in irrigation? Also will dirt escape from the seams? The graphics were made in Inkscape...

There are a number construction methods to choose from so at the top we added a few we were considering.

The planter boxes now have a second coat of natural deck oil on them and so we set them in place to see how they look and how they fit. We still need to build two more. Putting the first three in place will allow us our measurements to build them. We decided to use Spax 10-by-2-1/2-Inch Flat Head Stainless Steel Screws and small cedar blocks to hold the sides together.