I am trying to straighten part of my back garden which is a mixture of aggregates and weed with a ring of some red bricks around it. Originally, I want to slap it up, to level it with my drive which is slightly higher and slapped over. However to do that will go beyond my budget, so, to save money, I am hoping that I can simply fill the area with sharp sand, cover the sand with black fabric and then finish it off with a layer of aggregates on top, will that work? Oh, the area is roughly about 9-10 m2.

Many thanks,

Dottie

That will be fine unless you intend to walk on it. Maybe you could provide some photographs so we can see how it lies, what's around it and what it is. That way we could offer some more relevant advice.

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Phil
Advise rhymes with rise. Advice rhymes with rice.

Thank you for your advice, unfortunately, the place needed to be walked on from time to time. I was hoping may be I can simply level the area with sharp sand then cover it with a layer of aggregates and then further cover it with some cheap barks.

Without the work, that area constantly grow lots of weed, I simply want that area to be weed free and ok to walk on from time to time.

As advised, I have taken some pictures of the area. I'd most grateful for ideas and advice.


Dottie.

I would spray the area with roundup then wait a week,
then cover using type 1 hardcore 20 mm to dust, hire a wacker plate and compact it,
lay the hardcore with a fall so the rain water will run off,
you could lay the hardcore so the level is about 60 / 70 mm below your existing slab level and walk about on your hardcore for a year
or once a month you could buy say four slabs and bed them down so you just keep adding till done.

Sorry, I am a total idiot in gardening that I am struggling to understand what exactly do u mean by hardcore...to dust, with a fall..


Dottie.

Hardcore is a mix of large and small chippings with dust in it. Just ask for "Type 1 hardcore" at your local builders merchants.

The term "with a fall" means with a slight slope. It is used for describing the way you lay solid materials, like paving, so that the water runs off. It isn't applicable to hardcore because the hardcore is permeable.

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Phil
Advise rhymes with rise. Advice rhymes with rice.

Thanks, but if I lay the hardcore on top without digging out the top layer of the area, will it cause problem in the future when I lay some slabs on top of the hardcore like the other guy suggest?

Thanks.

Dottie

Yes it would. I was only explaining the terms used by izalarfin, not agreeing with the advice he gave.
Having looked at the photograph, I can't see any really cheap method to achieve the stability you are after without digging up what is there and making a permanent change. I think you will be disappointed if you tried to do half the job now and finish it at a later date.

_________________
Phil
Advise rhymes with rise. Advice rhymes with rice.

To be honest, I barely use that area, I think I'll simply stick to my original plan. i.e. lay some weeding fabric and top it up with some cheap aggregates.

However, since the area is very uneven, you can see in the picture that some part of it is pebble whereas some are bricks and concrete. I need to smooth the area before I can put fabric on otherwise, it will bound to be torned. I was wondering, can I simply spread a layer of sharp sand directly on the area to smooth out all those sharp edges/bumps that might damage the fabric. In terms of aggregates, I am thinking of something like bark etc. What do you think?

Dottie.

Sharp sand over the solid area will not drain freely and it would be like walking on porridge, you want to do it cheap and like
Geewizz said my way was a cheap cover and not the proper way, It should all be dug out and hardcore to at least a 100 mm thick,
if you don't want hardcore try and get 6 mm stone, or ask for grit ask some sharp sands have to many fines in it.

Hi,
I have found a site showing diyer how to do their patio cheaply. The site is http://www.greenfingers.com/articledisplay.asp?id=504

Since the area where I intend to slab over is exactly 7inches below my drive, that means I pretty much can lay the hardcore and the rest on top. What do you think? Do you think what the video suggest is too good to be true?

I have also browsed through wickes wanting to order some paving blocks, I have found some that is small and light enough to handle and cheap enough for my project. Here it is, what do you think?
http://www.wickes.co.uk/Stamford-Block- ... nvt/187885

I am just hoping that might give my son a bit more space in the back garden to ride his bike on and also safe the hassle of weeding all the time, and hopefully the place a bit more delightful than it is now!

Dottie

Also, there are a few things I am not very clear what the video says
"Allow at least 150 mm below the level of your damp proof course." Do you know what it meant by damp proof course here, it didn't seem to explain it any further on this.
Also, it says
"Cover the area with a semi-dry foundation mix of 6 parts sandy ballast : 1 part cement. Firm this with a piece of timber and check that you have allowed enough depth for your paving slabs to finish 150 mm below the damp proof course"
Do you know what it meant by 6 parts sandy ballast? Does it mean hardcore or??????
Also, about the depth to dig, is it 150mm or double that, I get really confused! I would really appreciate some help here!!

thanks,

Dottie.

I didn't see any video in your links. Also, your first link is for laying paving slabs and the second link shows block paving. Laying block paving is a whole different ball game.
If you want to pave the area then you will need to dig up what is already there and lay a proper sub-base with hardcore which is then compacted. If you want to lay block paving then you need to lay a base of sand on the hardcore. If you want to lay paving slabs then you can lay them on sand or mortar. I would recommend you lay slabs on mortar.

_________________
Phil
Advise rhymes with rise. Advice rhymes with rice.

I am thinking of block paving as handling slabs will be too heavy for me, being a slim built woman. I now intend to pave the area with bricks as they are small enough to handle. Also, I then can get away with expensive electric cutter which will be essential for cutting big slabs.

By the way, for the project, I need to order materials for the base, I wonder if you can recommend some companies for it. I have measured the area, it's about 18m2. The cheapest that I have found on the web cost almost £300 just for hardcore, as it charge about £85 plus delivery for 900kg hardcore which roughly enough for the depth of 3" for an area of 10m2.

Dottie.

You should be able to get hardcore much cheaper than that. Phone around a few local builders merchants for a more competitive quote. If you intend to pave with slabs then you'll get away with 2 bags of hardcore. If you are using block paving then you won't be able to skimp on the hardcore and you'll need the 3 bags.

_________________
Phil
Advise rhymes with rise. Advice rhymes with rice.