Planning to grass and pave my garden.. few issues..

united4eva

Hi guys,

I have a garden which has (rough guess) approx 5m x 6m of soiled area which is all cleared down of weeds, but bumpy and uneven. I want to pave about a third of this so I can place a lightweight shed and have a general area we can walk about/sit out in the summer.

Have started digging out some of the soil in preparation for the patio/paving and hoping to use this soil (which is pretty decent) on the remaining area to level out.. Not fully convinced I need a rotovator as most of the soil is moist (in Manchester) and is digging out quite well at this time of year.. would a rotovator help me significantly?

I do have a tree at the bottom of the garden and it seems some of the tree roots are getting in the way a bit, but have been able to chop them out so far.

I do however have a couple of issues:

1 - Lots of leaves off the tree all over the garden, should these be removed?

2 - A rather random and annoying piece of metal has been found sticking out of the garden (looks like iron judging off the rust). Pic is attached..

Cant think of why this is there and it won't budge. There did used to be a greenhouse above that area a while back. Looks like will need serious effort to remove. What should I do with this? Saw it off? Persist and remove?

Any thoughts on the above would be appreciated!

moneyistooshorttomention

Someone with an angle grinder having a go at the metal maybe?

Big hefty man tugging on it (which is how I dealt with same situation in my garden)?

Mini digger?

Davesnave

I'm guessing from the footwear that you're female, so might be more challenged than I'd be in just digging that bar out. That's cheapest, and it's not really worth buying an angle grinder for.


As money says, a larger person might be required, but I'd buy some safety wellies (Dunlop, about £17 and in small sizes) then you could jump on it and do work like this better.


Leaves are not usually a problem for long in most parts of the garden, or even at all, though on paths and patios they can be a nuisance. Worms will have those elsewhere.


What you have there though are the seeds from an ash tree, which will germinate freely in spring. As they would be more of a pain to pick up, Google pictures of ash seedlings and then just pull them up as they arise. Be prepared for the ash tree to die, as over 90% of ash trees are likely to do so due to a disease, chalara fraxinea, which is spreading slowly across the country.


If you think these things are issues, where are you going to get the material (free, hopefully!) to go under the patio, how are you going to compact it, level it and lay the slabs? You will need more tools, but no, not a rotovator.

united4eva

Davesnave wrote: »

I'm guessing from the footwear that you're female

The sheer shame of it!! :eek: I am very much male.. please ignore the trainers!!

Wife is away this weekend so will get some decent time to work on the garden. I have done a lot of the digging this week. I will try dig some more and see what I can do with the metal rod thing, strong boots seem like a good idea.

I will also be using the soil I have dug out, to level over the remaining area before sowing a lawn. I assume with the current weather we have had (no frost/ice, plenty of rain) it should be still reasonable to sow at the moment.

I agree that my previous 'issues' were relatively minor and more hard work is yet to come.. Other questions for you guys:

- Any recommendations on where to pickup cheap/free hardcore for the base? (don't try googling 'free hardcore' at work!)
- I only want to use cheap (in price) slabs for the paving/patio as the traffic on the patio will be minimal, and am currently saving for other things too. Have you any recommendations on any such slabs? I've seen some concrete stuff on the B&Q/Wickes website at around £2.08 per 40cmx40cm slab, but have not been able to gauge the quality though the reviews seems decent.
- If I use a decent hardcore base with sand on top, is it necessary to mortar down the slabs? Or can they simply be malleted into the well compacted sand?
- Any particular type of sand I should be using?


Thanks for all the tips so far.

Davesnave

Apologies:o, but I just looked at the metal rod and thought, "Blimey I'd have that sorted faster than it takes to write a post about it!"

But I have the tools. So, if it was a reinforcing rod connected to a huge bit of concrete, I would have something to cut or bash it with.

Hardcore is often available on Freecycle or Freegle etc and you could even advertise there for it. You might get lucky and even have it delivered, now that councils charge.

Again, I have only once used new slabs for my projects, so the above are places to look for those, along with Gumtree and eBay.

I would use aggregate and then sharp sand for covering the hardcore, so too much sand didn't drop into the spaces. Someone will probably contradict that. :rotfl:I actually mix a bit of cement into my covering layer, but then I am a bit OCD.

Similarly, I always lay my slabs on dabs of weak mortar, as I find it hard to get falls right (yes it should drain!) otherwise.

Grass seed sown now may rot. We are having a very mild winter so far, but it probably won't go on like this. I would let the new soil bed down a bit, compact and level it at the end of winter and then sow in spring.

BornAtTheRightTime

Re: tough wellies, I have these and can't praise them enough. Wish I'd got them years ago - as well as protecting my feet from spades etc I can kick down much of the stuff I can't cut through. Fun!

united4eva

BornAtTheRightTime wrote: »

Re: tough wellies, I have these and can't praise them enough. Wish I'd got them years ago - as well as protecting my feet from spades etc I can kick down much of the stuff I can't cut through. Fun!

They look decent, may have to invest this weekend.

Davesnave

BornAtTheRightTime wrote: »

Re: tough wellies, I have these and can't praise them enough. Wish I'd got them years ago - as well as protecting my feet from spades etc I can kick down much of the stuff I can't cut through. Fun!

I have Dunlops similar to those and sold via Mole Valley Farmers. They've lasted a year before splitting, and as I use them every day, that's reasonable value.

Often, it's hard to find wellies if you have small, broad feet. Women's sizes are too narrow and men's start at 7 in most shops. I'm wearing Size 5 in Dunlop with plenty of room and my feet are normally 7 in shoes.

united4eva

Davesnave wrote: »

I have Dunlops similar to those and sold via Mole Valley Farmers. They've lasted a year before splitting, and as I use them every day, that's reasonable value.

Often, it's hard to find wellies if you have small, broad feet. Women's sizes are too narrow and men's start at 7 in most shops. I'm wearing Size 5 in Dunlop with plenty of room and my feet are normally 7 in shoes.

Interesting.. I'm a size 9 and have slightly wider feet.. not sure what size I should be going for now..