paving a garden

Dubs1990

Hi guys,

Recentley moved into a house , The back garden was a mess and now the it is just muck after we cut down all the weeds , the area would be around 15ftx6ft. The problem I am having is that I have dogs and would love this to be paved or graveled . I dont have the spare cash to get somebody in at the moment and would love to tackle this myself. Would anybody have any opinions on what to do and how to do it ?

Thanks

Ian

macraignil

Not sure if you can post a picture of the space as this could tell a lot about what would be required. Is there any drainage in the garden and what height is it in relation to the house? You should keep the eventual ground level lower than the house and if possible gently sloping away from the house. You can get "hard core" crushed stone to form a foundation. Then a layer of pea gravel and paving stones on top of this. Simply sweep sand in between the cracks between the paving stones. You can buy prepared patterns of paving stones but a simple combination of different coloured paving bricks could look good. I think smaller paving bricks look better in a smaller area particularly if colour can be used to add to the overall garden design. Getting the levels and the drainage right is worth spending some time on and if you have to cut paving to fit into every available space there is a lot of dust thrown up by the con' saw. It might be easier to fill space outside the paving area with gravel or flower beds so cutting paving to fit the space exactly could be avoided.

Dubs1990

there is a small path already in place using the small bricks running to the shed , could I just use this as a level and run it from that ? also it looks like at one point there was a concrete shed at the end of the garden as there is pritty level cement laid could this also be used as a level ? the extra soild could be used as flower beds etc if needed.

Thanks for the reply !

mr chips

I've had good success with both concrete flags and smaller block paving with the following method: once the ground is clear of weeds etc, put down some good-quality weed barrier. Cover this with quarry dust to a depth of 1-2 inches - where I live, you can get a ton of this for around $20. Spread the quarry dust reasonably evenly - don't spend ages getting it right, but no big dips/peaks etc. Spread builder's sand (same sort of price) over the quarry dust - put more time into ensuring that this is spread evenly and firmly. Lay your concrete flags onto the sand and spend a bit of time getting them level with one another - walk on them, jump up & down on them, see do they rock at all, scatter an extra trowel or two of sand under a corner that dips or scrape a little out from one that's too high.

You might want to wait a week or two to see if there's any further settling - another option is to hire a vibrating/whacker plate, at least if you're using blocks but I dunno if that'd be advisable for bigger flags. Once you're happy with the level etc, mix up some sand & cement DRY (ratio of about 4:1 IIRC) and sweep it into all the joins, then lightly water it with a spray that won't wash the stuff out of the joins again. The mortar will set and keep the flags in place, plus it prevents weeds etc from seeding in between the paving. Job's a good'un.

Depending on the size of flags/bricks etc you use and how fit & capable you are, the job could be done in about 3 days without help and with basic tools. Doing a lot of cutting with an angle grinder will add greatly to this! I'd suggest flags of 2 foot square are the optimum size - big enough to cover an area reasonably quickly, light enough to lift without hurting your back/hands. I've done blocks and it took ages, done 3 foot square flags and they were heavy enough to be exhausting for the amount of lifting etc. Be sure to follow the advice above about ensuring the finished patio has a slight slope away from the house, otherwise you'll be directing all rainwater towards your foundations - probably easiest do this at the sand-spreading stage.

Good luck!

Dubs1990

Thanks for the reply ! will give this a bash , fingers crossed !