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Paving over grass
christoff.84
Posts: 1
Hi! I'm after some advice.Im wanting to pave over my back garden! The problem I have is I have no access to a skip or mini digger near my garden so basically I'm going to have to lay straigh onto The grass. Laying a membrain of some sort is the idea I have! Is there any other ideas or what type of membrain to use? Thanks
0
Posts
First question why? You have grass which will need cutting once a fortnight will absorb the rain where as paves it has nowhere to go. Please can we have the reasoning for your plan. Laying paves is a hard job and they are usually laid on concrete a splurge on each corner and one in the middle will do, it would need a hard pan to start with, grass would not do, then be either grouted along the joins or sharp sand packed in.
OK I am a gardener who likes grass and hates paves but think it through and come back.
Frank.
You'd have to kill off the grass to start with. Unless it's an absolutely solid, level surface, the paving will shift unless it's incredibly well mortared down, and even then - it will still probably shift and become uneven as weather conditions change.
You'd need to build a supporting timber or brick edge and fill it with hardcore or sand to lay the paving on if you can't get a digger in. Or get several strong folk to come and dig it out for you to lay a base.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Laying paving directly onto grass, without any firm base, isn't going to work in the medium to long term. After heavy rain the ground will soften and any uneven areas will become more apparent and that will get worse with every season.
I think you're asking the wrong audience if you're planning to destroy a garden by paving it over.
A raised deck with support posts firmly concreted in would be another approach. Kill the grass beneath and cover with weed membrane.
But for the love of all that is sacred, leave some planting zones around the edge! Low maintenance shrubs etc. Would be much nicer.
We have no idea why the OP wants/needs to pave over the garden, and it's their garden anyway.
leaving aside the question of why, grass will rot if you cover it and as it rots it will sink unevenly and your paving will go with it. If you want it to stay level you need to take off all plants and topsoil and either lay the paves onto subsoil or build the level back up with hardcore (rubble) and sand.
If you lay paves over grass with a fabric membrane, it'll probably last a year before it needs redoing.
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”