Forum home› Problem solving
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Advice on resurfacing large back yard

SusanperkinshomeSusanperkinshome Posts: 2
in Problem solving
I live in an old detached house. It is surrounded by gardens on 3 sides, with parking etc on the fourth - a back yard (approx 10m x 8m) from which  everyone enters the house, where the greenhouse is and where cars are parked. The cracked and patched concrete surface, some very old, some less than 15 years old, definitely needs renewing.

I have pots etc on it around the back door, raspberries and a fig against one wall and a flowerbed under the yew hedge that edges the (raised) main garden. Access to that part of the garden ia across the unsightly yard.

We are thinking of resurfacing it entirely, all in one go. My husband says it must be concrete again, because eg block paving would be too expensiveand because he washes the vehicles on it etc.

Does anyone have suggestions for softening the appearance of such a large expanse, or of how to make it more interesting aesthetically?
«1

Posts

  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    Quite a few houses around here have got driveways in concrete that's imprinted and coloured to look like paving. I don't know how long it would last, but it might be worth investigating.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • BenCottoBenCotto Posts: 4,718
    A revamped garden centre near us has hard surface areas made of bonded gravel on top of a surface with a sort of bounce. It is probably extremely expensive and might not support the weight of cars but it pleased me. The same surfacing was also used in the flowering moat at the Tower of London.
    Rutland, England
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    edited June 2023
    Could it be loose?  Fine chiipings, sea shingle?

    I had a tarmac path, I spread Colas(±)  and sprinkled chippings on this.  It lasted for 20 years, and is now entirely un-stuck.  But still effective as a "countryside"look. 
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • debs64debs64 Posts: 5,184
    Just don’t get block paving unless your favourite thing to do is weeding constantly. It’s a nightmare! 
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    Susanperkinshome said:
    Does anyone have suggestions for softening the appearance of such a large expanse, or of how to make it more interesting aesthetically?
    Find a Jackson Pollock type artist.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • SusanperkinshomeSusanperkinshome Posts: 2
    Thank you for your suggestions. Events are overtaking us. Yesterday, a camera down the main (sewage) drain that runs from the yard and down the drive to the sewer revealed that  joins between hundred-year-old ceramic pipes under the yard have loosened and so seepage beneath the concrete may account for some of the deterioration. More expense... but more urgent! I was wondering whether, if we cut out the large damaged areas, we could have lines of setts let in around the new work. Would that look silly?
  • purplerallimpurplerallim Posts: 5,287
    I would go for bonded gravel.  It is porous, so no standing water to slip on, can cover a large area and have decorative edging if you want. 
  • bcpathomebcpathome Posts: 1,313
    I would have loose gravel It’s the cheapest and also best for keeping away intruders with no good intentions. It can be a pain in that it gets into places you don’t want it eg edges of borders but in the long run I would recommend it for a large space .
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    Loose gravel has the advantage that it can be raked aside if further excavation works are needed in future. Self-seeding plants (and weeds) will grow in it though.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Loose gravel over a hard smooth surface can be hazardous tho … it can slip/skid underfoot … I know someone (previously fairly young and certainly fit) whose foot slipped as he was getting out of a car and he broke his ankle. 




    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





Sign In or Register to comment.