I'm after ideas! Small garden w/driveway.

[Steve]

Having moved into my house, I tried to park my car on the driveway (back garden), but the camber of the road means my car, with its long front overhang, cannot get onto the drive without scraping the road! So I'm going to be digging the driveway out so its level with the pavement. The drive currently consists of two paved tracks surrounded by gravel and sand. A bit rough (see photos). I have also had a shed removed, which has left a big concrete base to get rid of. I dont want to break up the concrete. I'm not keen on the hexagonal slabs that are there either. I'm open to ideas really. My plan was to deck the concrete area close to the house. But I dont know what to use for the drive, or what to do with the shed base (right).

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Cheers. Any ideas welcome. I'm on a limited budget for this. Most urgent is the driveway, due to idiot drivers.

 

[Deluks]

a big concrete base to get rid of. I dont want to break up the concrete.

Your gonna have to call superman then, cos you won't lift it up by yourself!

Can't you contact the council and complain about the camber if it's excessive. If you really have to dig out the driveway then just reuse the existing slabs and surround it with gravel, pretty coloured stuff if you're fussy.

You could extend the lawn all the way across but those hex slabs will stop you from treading mud into the house when you go from car>house in the winter. At least replace them with more attractive ones.

 

[Steve]

Thanks Deluks, I meant I need to hide the concrete.

The camber is 100 years old, I dont think they'd do anything about it (not without relaying the entire road anyway). The previous owners got a car onto there (a Megane), but I have a C4 and it has a long overhang at the front. The driveway has only been there for about 15 years, its not original. Most of the houses round here are terraces with on street parking.

Part of the driveway issue is that the wall that was removed to form the access has a wooden plank laid over it, to hide the top of the brickwork. This is a step, and then a step to the paving slabs too. Eliminating all this will help. So I need to remove a course of bricks from underground, then form some kind of surface. I dont want gravel at the edge of the pavement, because it'll get nicked by kids, and I want a nice threshold. Perhaps a foot width of concrete, then paved tracks, or I could just have a big concrete slab laid, with pretty flowers or grass at each side. How much concrete to cover this area? A cubic metre? More? And how much £££s?

Deluks, would you put soil over that shed base and grass seed it? Someone mentioned drainage to be an issue.

 

[Deluks]

No idea about the concrete qty, you're just gonna have to dig it out and measure the hole. I'd imagine less than a cube though.

Right about the grass, unless you had a decent depth of soil underneath it (which you won't have) it will get sodden. Could break the concrete up and leave in situ, then try grassing over that, lawn probably won't look too healthy though, expecially during dry spells.

How about building up a raised bed where the shed base is, and planting it with loads of green stuff? If you build the bed first then you could lose half your spoil and rubble in there from the drive

Build it with concrete blocks (cheap) and clad it all with decking or 6x1.

No point trying to cut corners, if you can't afford to do it properly then don't do it, simples.

Hmmm, now what was that comment on here the other day about Yorkshiremen and Scotsmen?

 

[Steve]

I have been thinking actually, I need someone to keep the dustbins and recycling box. I could do with some kind of structure where the shed was, for this. Or I could put them at the end of the driveway at the top left corner on the photos. A big raised planter would be nice, with drain holes on the sides. I would probably render this though, not board it. Maybe 18 inch high, two blocks.

Then re-lay new slabs to form a path to the drive. The concrete patio would be decked to the edge of the lawn.

I'm loathe to lay more concrete, so might get the driveway block paved. Or just lay some new strong slabs on concrete.

Lots to think about certainly. Cheers. Anyone else?

 

[Steve]

OK, I've decided. Block paving on the drive, a straight square of it.

Then new trellis right across, with a gap in the middle, on which I'll plant new climbers. I want to be able to see the car from the house, but not for people passing by to see my garden. I'm going to put bamboo screening across the wrought iron gates (After I repaint them). The new trellis will have sturdy vertical supports, and a top beam running the whole width of the garden, which will provide additional support for hanging a washing line from.

A sensor floodlight at one end of the driveway. (getting electrician in for this)

The rest of the garden decked, except the lawn area. I'll gradually replace the fencing all around, as I can afford it.