Remove the lawn and do tiling instead

Kinsden · 16 Mar 2009

Hello all,

I have a front garden (not really a garden..some grass and lots of weed and stones, I would say!!) that I want to get rid of and instead, want to put tiles. What would be the systematic approach to doing this? Would I require weed-proof membrane, cement in addition to tiles? What else? Also, how much deeper would I need to dig the soil?

I am relatively a new DIYer so my basics are weak; any help would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks.

^neo^ · 16 Mar 2009

id say dig down about 8", put 6" of hammered down road planings / hardcore, next some sand, and then slabs.

But i'm a welder so don't take it as gospel!

dextrous · 16 Mar 2009

Much easier to use a load of pea-shingle or gravel instead over a membrane, and sack the concrete flags idea.

Kinsden · 17 Mar 2009

dextrous said:
Much easier to use a load of pea-shingle or gravel instead over a membrane, and sack the concrete flags idea.

So do you mean not to use any cement and tiles, just shingle or gravel?!?!

Kinsden · 17 Mar 2009

^neo^ said:
id say dig down about 8", put 6" of hammered down road planings / hardcore, next some sand, and then slabs.

But i'm a welder so don't take it as gospel!

How do you mean 'hammered down road planings', what does it look like?!

dextrous · 17 Mar 2009

Kinsden said:
dextrous said:

Much easier to use a load of pea-shingle or gravel instead over a membrane, and sack the concrete flags idea.

Click to expand...

So do you mean not to use any cement and tiles, just shingle or gravel?!?!

Yes. You can drop a few tiles in as stepping stones if you want. Easier to maintain, cheaper to install.

If you're still insistent on concrete flags/slab/tiles then neo's reference to "road planings" means MOT1 type hardcore, also known as scalpings. Knocking down refers to getting a vibrating plate from a hire shop to compact and level this hardcore base. The thickness of this will really depend on what you intend to put on top of the surface - such as a car!

Kinsden · 18 Mar 2009

dextrous,

Its mainly going to be a walk way to the main door of the house, put some flower puts. But that's about it really!! No cars or heavy stuff. And I would like to keep the cost to a bare minimum. So which one, as per you, is the cheapest (but still durable) option!? Thanks again.

^neo^ · 18 Mar 2009

Kinsden said:
dextrous,

Its mainly going to be a walk way to the main door of the house, put some flower puts. But that's about it really!! No cars or heavy stuff. And I would like to keep the cost to a bare minimum. So which one, as per you, is the cheapest (but still durable) option!? Thanks again.

Sorry, i thought you wanted to pave the whole area!

Kinsden · 18 Mar 2009

Yes, that's the idea. To remove the so called 'lawn' and pave the area. Am I mis-understanding something? Pardon for being thick

dextrous · 18 Mar 2009

Cheapest option will be gravel. If you go for paving, you need to dig down a bit fo some sort of hardcore base, which will need compacting, then you'll need sharp sand and cement to bed the tiles in, then you'll need the tiles. So that's possibly 2 or three delivery costs to be included, quite apart from hiring an angle grinder and the possilbe wastage from miscuts and offcuts. Doesn't have to be as deep as previously suggested since not going to carry a heavy load - unless you're obese of course

- 6" down with 3" for hardcore, 1" dry mix and 2" concrete tile (approx).

Whereas peashingle requires a layer of 2-3" over garden membrane, all preferably whacked down with a light vibrating plate. As previously said, you can then drop/slightly embed strategically placed tiles to act as stepping stones - the whereabouts of these will be determined by observation over a period of time. If they move/drop a bit over a while, they can easily be relifted and levelled by respreading gravel underneath.

The reason why a completely tiled area requires more groundwork is that the tiles will need to be level thoughout (at a slight fall to allow drain-off), and if the sub-base isn't firm and "fixed" then lowspots will inevitably occur over a period of time as rain water gets through and the occasional tile will drop accordingly, which will not be quite so easy to lift and reset.

Gravel can be of a mix of colours (saw one recently where they incorporated a few rocks and dressed part of the area with slate to create a water feature lookalike), and can easily be topped up and/or lightly raked over. You can even plant a few manageable shrubs instead of relying on pots. Finally, keeping it weed free is relatively easy since weeds can be pulled up with their roots very easily.

Kinsden · 24 Mar 2009

dextrous said:
Cheapest option will be gravel. If you go for paving, you need to dig down a bit fo some sort of hardcore base, which will need compacting, then you'll need sharp sand and cement to bed the tiles in, then you'll need the tiles. So that's possibly 2 or three delivery costs to be included, quite apart from hiring an angle grinder and the possilbe wastage from miscuts and offcuts. Doesn't have to be as deep as previously suggested since not going to carry a heavy load - unless you're obese of course - 6" down with 3" for hardcore, 1" dry mix and 2" concrete tile (approx).

Whereas peashingle requires a layer of 2-3" over garden membrane, all preferably whacked down with a light vibrating plate. As previously said, you can then drop/slightly embed strategically placed tiles to act as stepping stones - the whereabouts of these will be determined by observation over a period of time. If they move/drop a bit over a while, they can easily be relifted and levelled by respreading gravel underneath.

The reason why a completely tiled area requires more groundwork is that the tiles will need to be level thoughout (at a slight fall to allow drain-off), and if the sub-base isn't firm and "fixed" then lowspots will inevitably occur over a period of time as rain water gets through and the occasional tile will drop accordingly, which will not be quite so easy to lift and reset.

Gravel can be of a mix of colours (saw one recently where they incorporated a few rocks and dressed part of the area with slate to create a water feature lookalike), and can easily be topped up and/or lightly raked over. You can even plant a few manageable shrubs instead of relying on pots. Finally, keeping it weed free is relatively easy since weeds can be pulled up with their roots very easily.

Thanks, dextrous, for the detailed explanation!! Makes sense..sorry, couldn't reply any earlier !! Cheers

dextrous · 24 Mar 2009

Glad to have offered an alternative.

Kinsden · 25 Mar 2009

dextrous said:
Glad to have offered an alternative.

A very quick one : how do we deal with water logging if we use gravel/pea-shingle?

dextrous · 25 Mar 2009

Kinsden said:
dextrous said:

Glad to have offered an alternative.

Click to expand...

A very quick one : how do we deal with water logging if we use gravel/pea-shingle?

The fabric membrane under the shingle is porous, so shouldn't be an issue. If you are concerned, you could dig a slightly deeper soakway (about 2 to 3 foot square, by about 6" or so deep) filled with rubble before laying the membrane. But this isn't really necessary unless you're expecting a tsunami.

Kinsden · 6 Apr 2009

Cheers dextrous,

Sorry for the long pauses between the posts..just had a teeth extraction a week before and it was painful!!

Back to the business, I have ordered the bits required for my lawn conversion project to start Easter weekend. Hopefully, the weather permits!!

Had a few questions about brick wall if you can help:

I am planning to put a small brick wall (2 feet high and 10 feet long) as a boundary marker in my front 'gravelled' area:

1) For a wall of such a height, how deep would you recommend a foundation to be? Mind you, its just a single brick wall acting as a fence; won't be taking any heavy loads.

2) Will engineering bricks do just fine for the task?

3) For a 10-12 feet long brick wall, at what intervals do I need to build the piers?!

TIA for the help!!

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Remove the lawn and do tiling instead

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