Garden · GA-056
Removable gravel splash-pad border
Keep a shallow loose-stone splash surface in its own removable border beneath a small existing outdoor water discharge.
Editorial construction draft. Original digital diagrams; no physical build or load certification. Read dimensions, fit and use limits before making changes. US customary dimensions control; metric values are references.
Before marking and cutting
- Measure the stated stock sections before cutting. Use the cut-list geometry, not scale measurements from the drawing.
- US inch dimensions control; millimeter values are rounded conversions. Ordinary cut target ±1/16 in (1.6 mm); fit commercial accessories before boring attachment holes.
Use limits
- Original bounded garden component, not an occupied structure.
- No human standing, sitting, climbing, lifting or fall protection use. No stated safe working load.
- Geometry and fastener quantities are editorially checked; no prototype build, wind test or crop trial is claimed.
Materials and cuts
| Part | Qty | Size to cut | Material |
|---|---|---|---|
| P01 Front and rear border boards | 2 | 24 × 2 1/2 × 3/4 in 609.6 × 63.5 × 19.05 mm | 1 × 3 in board sound untreated cedar or other durable untreated wood |
| P02 Side border boards | 2 | 22 1/2 × 2 1/2 × 3/4 in 571.5 × 63.5 × 19.05 mm | 1 × 3 in board sound untreated cedar or other durable untreated wood |
Hardware and consumables
- 8 #8 × 1-1/2 in exterior screws, 2 per corner
- 4 small external angle braces with compatible short screws
- Clean rounded loose stone, local site/material choice; no fixed fill depth prescription
- Optional permeable separator only if appropriate to the existing soil/drainage plan
Tools
- Tape measure and steel rule
- Pencil, square and clamps
- Saw suited to the stated stock; eye and hearing protection
- Drill/driver, countersink and bits matched to fasteners
- Sandpaper and edge file; gloves when handling cut mesh
Assembly
- Plan the removable gravel splash-pad border for this result: Keep a shallow loose-stone splash surface in its own removable border beneath a small existing outdoor water discharge. Confirm the design reference before cutting: Border outside 24 × 24 in (609.6 mm square), open bottom. In the drawings x runs left to right, y runs front to rear and z runs upward.
- Verify the required stock before laying out these parts: 1 × 3 in board: actual 0.75 × 2.5 in (19.05 × 63.5 mm). Reject split or twisted wood and unknown salvage; thinner stock requires recalculating the joints, not simply using the listed lengths.
- Cut and label the finished parts: 2 Front and rear border boards 24 × 2.5 × 0.75 in (609.6 × 63.5 × 19.05 mm), mark P01; 2 Side border boards 22.5 × 2.5 × 0.75 in (571.5 × 63.5 × 19.05 mm), mark P02. Keep saw kerf outside each finished line. Rip only where the finished width is narrower than the actual stock; use a suitable guide and target ±1/16 in (1.6 mm) for ordinary cuts. Dowel triples mean length × diameter × diameter, not square dowel stock.
- Assemble a 24 × 24 in open-bottom border with 22-1/2 in side boards between front and rear boards.
- Clamp square, check matching diagonals and install two 1-1/2 in screws at each corner, at z = 5/8 and 1-7/8 in.
- Install one small external angle brace at each corner with compatible screws that do not project into the interior.
- Mark drainage gaps centered in all four lower board edges, each 2 in wide × 1/2 in high. Remove waste and round their corners.
- Place the empty border on the already suitable landscape splash area, away from structures and paths. Do not excavate, dam a swale or cover a drain.
- If a permeable separator is appropriate to the existing site plan, fit it loosely inside without covering the drainage gaps. Add clean rounded stone in a shallow layer below the gap tops only when that does not obstruct flow.
- Test a small discharge and observe water leaving freely through and around the border. Stop if water ponds, erodes soil downstream or moves toward a building.
- Use solely as a removable stone organizer for the existing splash area. Design of runoff volumes, slope, infiltration and foundation drainage remains outside this small assembly.
- Complete the acceptance checks below before putting the assembly into service. Record any changed stock thickness, fastener or equipment fit on the project sheet. The published geometry has not been physically built or load-tested.
Checks
- Border outside 24 × 24 in (609.6 mm square), open bottom.
- Four 2 × 1/2 in drainage gaps remain open; actual site test shows no new ponding.
Operation
- No storm-flow, erosion-control or foundation-protection rating. It is not a water-treatment device.
Cleaning and maintenance
- Lift and clean beneath seasonally; remove sediment and check wood decay.
Primary context
These sources inform the context and do not endorse the original construction design.