I've just spent more time I cared for wrestling with my garden, and the worst part is that I'll have to do it all again in 2-3 weeks, so I'm considering saying sod it and just paving over the whole thing. My idea is to keep a raised area at the side (say 10x4) where I can plant lo-maint trees and shrubs and stuff and then jsut fill the rest of the garden with paving stones. But I'm worried that it would devalue my house. It's a small 2.5 bed, so I reckon any future buyers would be young families who would want a garden. I'm not thinking of selling any time soon, so I can't help feeling I'm worried about nothing, but I'd hate to splash out on my idea and then some estate agent tells me in 5 years time that if I'd left it as it was, he could get me another x grand.
To pave or not?
- Thread starter billy-bob
- Start date
Re: To pave or or not?
Hi billy-bob,
If you are worried about the permanent nature of paving, you could think about putting down gravel, so the garden can be resurrected in future.
Don't take off the topsoil, put down plastic, and then pea gravel.
You can spend alot or a little.
Buy the materials in a garden centre and pay someone to do it and you will spend loads.
If you are rural, a farmer will be delighted to give you old or damaged silage cover ( don't worry about smell, it will be gone ), alternatively ask for some radon barrier or any other heavy duty plastic that is leftover on building sites - using big sheets is easier to put down and easier to take up than rolls of Weedblock.
Buy your gravel by the ton cheaper than bags, and spread it on the cover. Once you've finished puncture the cover in places to take away water.
I don't know if you are talking about front or back. If it is the back you may have to barrow the gravel. Put down lenghts of wood to run the wheel on.
Sorry if I am stating too much of the obvious here, don't know how handy you are. If you are not, and this sounds like alot of work, it is actually not too hard. Two girleens did my garden, front and back - one of them filled every ounce of eight tons of gravel into a barrow and the other wheeled it to the back and spread it. They had a very shiny barrow, sore backs and a lovely garden when they were finished!!!!
Hi billy-bob,
If you are worried about the permanent nature of paving, you could think about putting down gravel, so the garden can be resurrected in future.
Don't take off the topsoil, put down plastic, and then pea gravel.
You can spend alot or a little.
Buy the materials in a garden centre and pay someone to do it and you will spend loads.
If you are rural, a farmer will be delighted to give you old or damaged silage cover ( don't worry about smell, it will be gone ), alternatively ask for some radon barrier or any other heavy duty plastic that is leftover on building sites - using big sheets is easier to put down and easier to take up than rolls of Weedblock.
Buy your gravel by the ton cheaper than bags, and spread it on the cover. Once you've finished puncture the cover in places to take away water.
I don't know if you are talking about front or back. If it is the back you may have to barrow the gravel. Put down lenghts of wood to run the wheel on.
Sorry if I am stating too much of the obvious here, don't know how handy you are. If you are not, and this sounds like alot of work, it is actually not too hard. Two girleens did my garden, front and back - one of them filled every ounce of eight tons of gravel into a barrow and the other wheeled it to the back and spread it. They had a very shiny barrow, sore backs and a lovely garden when they were finished!!!!
Re: To pave or or not?
Why not ring one of the local estate agents and ask their opinion. You hope to be a prospective client in a few years time and would value their advice.
Why not ring one of the local estate agents and ask their opinion. You hope to be a prospective client in a few years time and would value their advice.
Re: To pave or or not?
Hi,
I owned a 4 bed semi-d. I knocked the front wall and had almost the whowe garden tarmac'ed. I left a strip of grass and bit of wall 1.5 mt wide from road to house. then I dug up the grass and filled the spase with
gravel and evergreen shrubs. Big hit with ALL the people who viewed the house. sold for more than I was looking for.
went back to the estate for a look 12 months later and 4 ather houses had same thing done.
Hi,
I owned a 4 bed semi-d. I knocked the front wall and had almost the whowe garden tarmac'ed. I left a strip of grass and bit of wall 1.5 mt wide from road to house. then I dug up the grass and filled the spase with
gravel and evergreen shrubs. Big hit with ALL the people who viewed the house. sold for more than I was looking for.
went back to the estate for a look 12 months later and 4 ather houses had same thing done.
Re: To pave or or not?
Don't put down plastic - you need to provide drainage for water........
On two houses, I've removed the garden all bar 6 - 10' from the back wall, and created raised bed with sleepers. Put in gravel and heathers etc in the bed. Big hit with both occupants. My new house is more or less the same - I fenced off a shallow garden and left the rest of the site outside the fence go wild. Life's too short to spend it behind the mower......
Don't put down plastic - you need to provide drainage for water........
On two houses, I've removed the garden all bar 6 - 10' from the back wall, and created raised bed with sleepers. Put in gravel and heathers etc in the bed. Big hit with both occupants. My new house is more or less the same - I fenced off a shallow garden and left the rest of the site outside the fence go wild. Life's too short to spend it behind the mower......
terrysgirl33
Registered User
- Messages
- 690
Re: To pave or or not?
Speaking as a parent, I'm thinking of doing the same thing.
At the moment, I don't have time to maintain the garden, and when it rains, it gets too muddy for the kids to go out and play. Either paving or gravel would give them somewhere to play, and somewhere to cycle bikes and all the other assorted wheeled vehicles they seem to own (OK, that wouldn't work on gravel, but still).
Speaking as a parent, I'm thinking of doing the same thing.
At the moment, I don't have time to maintain the garden, and when it rains, it gets too muddy for the kids to go out and play. Either paving or gravel would give them somewhere to play, and somewhere to cycle bikes and all the other assorted wheeled vehicles they seem to own (OK, that wouldn't work on gravel, but still).
Yes, you are right, galwaytt about the drainage.
However if the topsoil remains, and the plastic is punctured, it doesn't seem to be a problem. I omitted to say that I left some borders and planted some trees. They need loads of water and I had the plastic running into the borders, so they had no complaints.
I can't say I've had any issues with it.
However if the topsoil remains, and the plastic is punctured, it doesn't seem to be a problem. I omitted to say that I left some borders and planted some trees. They need loads of water and I had the plastic running into the borders, so they had no complaints.
I can't say I've had any issues with it.
)