The Carlton Gardens Tennis barbeque area was due for maintenance work and an update: the club's committee planned for a bar/drinks ledge facing the courts and inviting people to socialise.
The existing fence and its footing were in no shape to support the new function. We needed to start from the basis up.
The access to the tennis courts had to be reconfigured and integrated into the new fence/drinks ledge structure.
The H-section retaining wall posts were used to keep the sleepers and soil in place and support the drinks ledge.
The posts were set into 800mm deep solid concrete footings.
Some formwork around the new and reinforced step and landing
Loose pavers and rotted hardwood sleepers are replaced by a neat and durable step and landing in concrete.
the new retaining wall is nearly finished.
For the drinks ledge, we used some beautiful ultra-heavy recycled timber.
The completed new structure consists of the ledge for plates and glasses, a back offset from the shelf for water run-off and easy maintenance, and a rail with hooks for rackets and bags.
On the other side of the clubhouse, the existing fence was in good shape and was adapted to the same new function.
During Covid, the supply of first-rate timber was limited. Although sealed and oiled properly, one section of the timber started to split and had to be replaced.
Superficial sap veins were recessed with the router and filled with tinted marine grade two-pack epoxy resin (liquid glass).
Bar - Tennis Club
Location: Carlton
Building Type: Landscaping
Budget: $32’000
We were asked to build a drinks ledge to enhance the BBQ area of this public tennis club and to stop soil from this elevated area from falling onto the tennis courts.
The retaining wall was about to collapse and had to be rebuilt, which allowed us to integrate both tasks into one elegant design solution. Since we were able to install our design from the ground up, we could guarantee the durability of the new structure for thirty-plus years.