Re-doing my patio (cheaply)

melanzana

A liberal dose of salt in April keeps the weeds down.. Might need another go around now though.

The glyphosate is good too. But salt is cheap.

Kojak12

Your drainage question has not been answered and its really important to consider. Decking or a patio that butts up to the house have to be properly designed or you risk damage to house and damp. If your garden has poor drainage you could consider adding some French drains below the gravel to carry water away from the house. My husband and I created some in our garden with the help of small hire digger. It took a day but it was actually pretty easy and worth the effort and relatively low cost.

In terms of building a patio next to your house - what you need depends on exactly what you are doing but an air gap and a gentle slope away from the house are nearly always necessary. Installing guttering is also a good idea if there is none there already. You can find independent advice & national building standards for decked patio builds here;
http://www.tda.org.uk/t/publications/