Replacing back yard with Pavers

H

Hoolign

Hi, im currently undertaking diggin up the backyard grass/ dirt (too much shade not much grass growth more weeds than anything) and replacing with Sandstone pavers. the area is about 30msq Im using 500x500 real sandstone (not cement) honed pavers with a 100mm gap between filled with pebbles.

The job is going to cost $2000 for pavers and base.

the previousl lawn that is there is very untidy, i have replanted new lawn and it just wont take. too much shade, very dry.

Is this a good investment as this is my ppor that will be a IP in the next couple of years.
 
I have found that the garden is often overlooked and keeping it looking nice can add a lot of value. For only $2k I think it's definitely worthwhile.
 
I'm a landscaper and I've always disliked the pebbles between pavers as they always get weeds and the pebbles get kicked out of the joints and onto the pavers. Both of these are maintenance issues. I would be going for pavers with a mortared joint for easier maintenance.
Also make sure the sandstone is not soft stuff because you will need to guerny it once in a while if it is shady as it will probably get mossy eventually.
 
Good tips from Rockstar. I have an IP which has these messy pebbles in between- nightmare to keep clean and consequently gets filled with weeds.
 
Sandstone paving looks great, like rockstar I would mortar joins or plant mini mondo or small moss grass between pavers but not small pebbles.
Have you shopped around for a shade tolerant turf such as sir walter? If it is that shady consider paving/concreting the area as well.
Post some photos of your progress.

chatto
 
well its all being delivered this weekend so i will post some before and after photo's, should have it complete by monday/ tues :)

ive considered mondo grass also, once the pavers are laid ill make a final decision on pebles / mondo... this is a very low traffic area also, so the kicking of the pebles thing is not a huge consideration,, but a consideration none the less
 
Of course, if you use those 500 x 500 concrete pavers you will spend less and won't have to worry as much when you rent the place out and tenants damage them.
Scott
 
tenants view point

As a previous tenant, (have now bought first home), where I was renting, had a strip of grass, which was a total eyesore, as trying to it alive, with Melbourne drought was impossible, so I didnt. So hence when I moved out, it was a crunchy area of dead grass and I hated it. I would have loved it to have been a lovely paved area which I would have enjoyed spending time out side.

The stupid part was it was such a small area, just getting it mowed was a hassle, have bought a place with no grass what so ever and couldnt be happier. With drought conditions still around for a while, lawns are going to be getting less and less. So great idea to spend the money and pave.

jules
 
Got a couple of pics of the before/ after up.

well its not quiet finished yet, but its the progress. still need to finish edges, put up small garden wall and fill gaps with pebbles,,, if anyone has any opinions on if i should go with white/ dark/ mixed colour pebbles please share :)

Before (well actually after we dug up the weeds and dry clay/dirt backyard)
http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/5603/picture001c.jpg

after (well 3/4 the way through)
http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/953/picture009t.jpg
 
Can I vote for mondo grass? You can't kill it with a stick and I think it would still survive Melbourne's drought....and it does not need mowing even when it does rain again.
 
g'day

I had a similar choice to make for my IP and i decided to not bother with a sizeable gap between the pavers...one less problem for tenants to deal with.

I've attached photos of what i did if you were interested - tenants seemed very happy with the outdoor area as it is barely any maintenance...except for stupid ants...
 

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You can get mondo from any nursery and then break it up into small portions to spread it around. Once it has taken well it will fill up the gaps without a problem. It looks great around sandstone.
If you dont want the fuss then use a grey or white mortar around the paving instead.
google Images is your friend 'sandstone pavers mondo'
 
hey !! :D... I just paved my front courtyard with 500x500 pavers and no gap.... no lawn either.... left the 4 x corners unpaved (1sqmtre each) with the plan of getting 4 x trees in big pots for each and maybe one of them limestone looking benches to go in between... even wanted to use olive trees :D , but prefer them to be big round lollipop looking so may have to settle for citrus (what good is a garden if it doesn't give you food ? :p)
In Perth I used to hear concreted / similar backyards called Italian....
 
Rav

I like what Carl has done, I had a similar situation on my property, where i wanted pave a certain section of the courtyard, but instead I used pebbles. I agree with the guys that it is a maintenance issue.

Thanks
Rav
Positive Cash Flow Property
 
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