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Mid-renovation Cost Shocker

februarysgirlfebruarysgirl Posts: 835
in Garden design
August 2018, like a lot of people, my lawn was devastated by the heatwave. After giving it consideration, I decided against re-turfing since I didn't want to spend all that money when it's quite possible it'll happen again in the future. Plus, I'm sick to death of dandelions. So, I decided to completely overhaul it, keeping in mind I wanted something that I could still manage 20-25 years from now. I decided to go for raised beds and gravel but I didn't get the raised beds finished until November last year, by which time it wasn't practical to think about putting down gravel. I had intended to do it last month but while this covid-19 business is going on, I decided to hold fire. I'm still being paid in full but I don't know how long my employer's generosity is going to last or whether they'll decide to make some cuts a few months down the line. I don't want to spend money I might need later. I hadn't previously looked into the cost of gravel but decided to measure up today and take a look. It turns out I grossly overestimated the coverage of a bulk bag whilst simultaneously underestimating the area I needed to cover. It turns out that there's 27 square metres and to cover it at the recommended depth of 5cm, would take 16 bulk bags and roughly £1700. I have the money for it but really don't want to spend that much as there are other things I want to get done with the house.

So, I'm looking for suggestions for a vastly cheaper option. Overall I want a rustic feel so no sleek paving or sharp lines and I would still like to incorporate some gravel. We have a bit of a problem with shed break ins round this way so I'd like to be able to hear if anyone's in the garden.

Anyway, this is where I am at the moment with the garden (apologies for the untidiness), your suggestions will be gratefully received :)



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Posts

  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    Wood chip would be a much cheaper alternative.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    punkdoc said:
    Wood chip would be a much cheaper alternative.
    Call some local tree surgeons, they might deliver it free of charge if you 're not fussy about the content being 100% uniform
    Devon.
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    Hello February'sGirl. Love the design. Only alternative I can think of would be bark mulch, over a really tough, thick membrane. You might have to top it up every couple of years and there will be occasional weeds but it's probably cheaper than gravel. 

    Most lawns though will survive heatwaves, you just have to be patient and wait for them to regenerate. Keeping them well watered, fed and weedfree also helps. You could just rake over the bare bits and re-seed, rather than turf. Put a shed alarm and a very strong padlock on the shed to deter burglars and put trellis fencing all along the fences (agreed with neighbours if necessary) to stop people climbing over.
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • SuesynSuesyn Posts: 664
    I think the calculation is wrong, I wouldn't think you would need more than 2 or 3 bulk bags, which each contain a cubic metre. Maths is not my strong point but 16 bags is definitely too much I think. 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I'd agree with @Suesyn. A bulk bag will do a few square metres, so you'd only need around 10 bags.
    Also - what sort of gravel are you looking at? That's very expensive for 16 bags.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Mary370Mary370 Posts: 2,003
    I'd go the way of putting down bark too, it looks lovely, it's soft, it helps suppress the weeds and helps the soil.  One word of warning,  for the first few weeks after it being laid, the blackbirds throw it all over the place lol.......they soon get bored doing that
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    If the area was 5m x 5m (so 25 sq m) with a gravel depth of 5cm you'd need 3 bulk bags - so 4 would be more than enough
    from this site-
    https://www.gravelmaster.co.uk/calculator



    Time for a glass of wine and relax :)

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • steephillsteephill Posts: 2,841
    27x0.05= 1.35 cubic metres, a bulk bag is usually 1 cubic metre so a couple of bags will do the job very easily.
  • SuesynSuesyn Posts: 664
    I think someone got the decimal point in the wrong place when they did the original calculation, it might have felt like Chesil Beach 
  • februarysgirlfebruarysgirl Posts: 835
    Well this is all very embarrassing. I used the gravel calculator all arse about face 😳 My other half has a maths degree and I'm NEVER going to hear the end of this! 

    The bark chippings do sound nice, we already have some down the bottom of the garden and in the beds. I love seeing the hedgehog scamper about in it and watching the blackbirds chucking it about. Down side though is, cats tend to use it as a litter tray and it would need replacing on a regular basis which is more maintenance than I was looking for.

    Thank you to everyone for replying to my completely unnecessary panic! 
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