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Raised patio or decking on North facing garden

10 months ago

Further to my earlier clay soil dilemma, I'm looking for a cheap but stylish way to create a patio area outside my extension. The site slopes across the garden and somewhat back towards the house, so I end up with a boggy area just outside my patio doors.

Dimensions are about 4 x 2.5m. I've been quoted an outrageous sum already, so am looking for cheaper / DIY solutions.

I really don't want decking as it does not help manage the large amount of water we see in Sheffield, so I'm looking for ideas on creating a stylish raised patio.

What are the cheapest paving materials to use / square metre that look good?

Would you infill the base (at expense) or build a block and beam structure?

Can I do any of this myself without injuring my back?

Thanks,

Stuart

Featured Answer

Sonia

10 months ago

I’m no building expert but there are two things that I feel can be used to create a budget patio. Decking or gravel. Softwood decking is cheap, easy to lay by a decent DIYer, but rots after about 8-10 years. Gravel is cheap and anyone can lay it, but it will be a bit lumpy underfoot.

Another choice could be concrete paving. Cheaper to buy than say, sandstone or porcelain but will need laying by a landscaper. A competent DIYer could lay it, but it is essential that a hardcore (type 1) base is laid and a wacker plate used, then a cement bed should be laid before the paving is laid on top. Depends how competent you are. If you miss out any of the steps then the paving could move and become uneven with time and it will never look smart. I’m no expert, but my brother is a builder so I’ve learnt this from him! If you have back problems then I think laying any sort of patio could be an issue.

I had my garden paved with sandstone in 2016. The area was about 12’ x 50’. The cost was £2000 - £900 for the paving, and the rest was labour and grouting. I would imagine that prices have gone up a lot since then? Landscaping is a skilled job and that is why it can be costly. Here’s my brother using a wacker plate and the second pic is some of the garden paving he laid.

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Comments (6)

PRO
AGI Landscapes
10 months ago
Paving is always going to look the best, but this is the most expensive option.

You say your garden is north facing, straight out of the patio doors is not always the best place for your main terrace area. Pushing it further away from the house will give you more light and sun for longer in the year. To do this a nice link from your doors to the terrace may be the best option. A few photos would help us visualise if this is possible.

There are other cheaper options that a good DIYer can do like block paving or even a self bonding gravel with edging.

It may be worth discussing what is achievable with a designer to get the most from the space and the best results on a budget. this would be money well spent.

We do offer different levels of services, so if you want to find out what is possible please feel free to drop us a mail.

Ian
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Very difficult to see clearly, a lot of clutter in the way, if you are doing this job yourself then measure the area(s), look up up how to measure your garden advice online, measure your walls, measure what you will retain such as the shed. Get an A3 tracing paper book, sheets of A 3 white paper, eraser, pencils ruler etc. If the A3 white paper needs to be increased, tape 2 sheets together. Draw the plan to scale 1cm to the metre for example. Put in existing paths, steps services, north. Now you have a very basic plan. What kind of garden do you want? How would you divide it up to suit your needs. Do you a patio for table /chairs? Do you want to grow some veg/fruit in raised beds. Or do you want a lawn only with borders and shrubs, place your tracing paper over your plan and draw your desires on that, do as many tracings as you want, until you are satisfied with the results. Use coloured pencils. The walls need uniformity of colour, the shed could do with reprinting...start researching materials, gardening books, magazines, online for ideas that appeal to you and suit your plot. Do you have a budget in mind? If you are not engaging a landscape designer to do a complete plan for you then perhaps a consultation would be a good idea, once you have got the bones of what you want together. In the process of tackling your garden plan you will learn a lot and hopefully gain much satisfaction.
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Stuart Fraser
Original Author
9 months ago
Thank you both for your comments. I'll attach a photo of my rear extension which might help understand how to manage the drainage situation. Currently the garden is a complete bog between the house and garage. All rainwater from the garage and extension is diverted into a drain or water butt (no leaks) , however the ground behind the house is never dry, even in the height of summer. Thanks, Stuart
0
Sonia
9 months ago
From what I can see, you don’t seem to have any drainage grids outside your house. Is that so? This is what was put in place outside my patio, near the house and I’ve never had water logging of any sort even in torrential rain. AGI do you think that might be the issue here?
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Stuart Fraser thanked Sonia
PRO
AGI Landscapes
9 months ago
Thanks for the picture, it helps.

From the picture, correct me if I'm wrong, I suspect the garden extends another 15ft behind the garage, and the whole garden slopes from left to right as you look out from the house?

First you need to decide what you want out of your garden, make a list. Style of garden, contemporary, minimalist, informal etc, family space, patio to relax and eat alfresco, BBQ, take advantage of as much sun as possible, washing line etc.

Then work out the path of the sun, best areas for most sunniest part.

When you have that, only then can you start to plan the layout.

And I wouldn't worry if the main terrace area is at the rear of the garden, how long does it take to walk there from the rear doors, 10 seconds?

Now you can start to plan your space and worry about how to tackle things like drainage and soil conditions.

So, a job for the weekend for you.
0
Stuart Fraser thanked AGI Landscapes
Stuart Fraser
Original Author
9 months ago
last modified: 9 months ago
Thanks both for your comments. Quotes so far for patio / paving solutions are incredibly high (>£10K) for a 6 m x 2.5m area (approx) but that would include patio drainage.

Decking solutions are a much lower cost but do not manage the water, wherever it is coming from. Effectively the deck sits above the boggy area, gets slippery and rots and in the case of the previous deck, became a home for vermin.

I would like a solution adjacent to the rear of the extension so I can step out from the RHS patio door.

Thanks,
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