Hi,
We are in the middle of a new build and now thinking about our landscaping.
In the rear, we have about a 16m by 5m area that will be an outdoor entertainment area. We have considered decking, concreting and now thinking about DIY paving. We have zero skill in this sort of work but thought not only would it be cost saving but also a sense of achievement. Am I being realistic with this idea? What sort of prep work do we need our builder to do? How long would two novices take to tackle a job like this?
We also considered putting pebbles on both sides of the house, but would happy to pave if we could do the job ourselves.
Any advice appreciated.
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Browse Forums General Discussion  11 Jul 2019 58 Loyal Member 26 Feb 2018 197 Sydney NSW Bronze Member Re: DIY paving entertainment area 3Oct 03, 2019 6:08 pm  IsabellaBootspebbles are easier. You make it reasonably compact and flat by hiring a compactor from bunnings and then you lay down the weed mat followed by the pebbles. With pebbles the sand doesn't need to be really flat, since you can just make the pebbles a little bit thicker in some areas to compensate for a lack of skill in compacting sand. Paving can be done by an amateur, but making the sand properly flat and compacted does require more skill. It's also quite heavy on your back and knees even if you have the right technique and posture. Decking in my opinion falls in between the other two, it's harder than pebbles, but easier than paving. I've built a deck around 5x4m and it took maybe 20 hours all up, including compacting the sand. However I also used these things for footings: https://www.bunnings.com.au/deko-250-x-150-x-150mm-instant-concrete-foundation-block_p1080391 If you don't like these types and you want to dig holes for the post instead that is also doable. It depends a lot on how permanent you want your decking to be and what kind of look you're going for. Thanks for your suggestions. We had originally wanted decking but our builder said that concrete would be needed underneath due to circulation in our case, we certainly were not prepared to pay for concreting and decking. Thus now looking for alternatives. 11 Jul 2019 58 Loyal Member Re: DIY paving entertainment area 4Oct 03, 2019 6:13 pm One IsabellaBootspebbles are easier. You make it reasonably compact and flat by hiring a compactor from bunnings and then you lay down the weed mat followed by the pebbles. With pebbles the sand doesn't need to be really flat, since you can just make the pebbles a little bit thicker in some areas to compensate for a lack of skill in compacting sand. Paving can be done by an amateur, but making the sand properly flat and compacted does require more skill. It's also quite heavy on your back and knees even if you have the right technique and posture. Decking in my opinion falls in between the other two, it's harder than pebbles, but easier than paving. I've built a deck around 5x4m and it took maybe 20 hours all up, including compacting the sand. However I also used these things for footings: https://www.bunnings.com.au/deko-250-x-150-x-150mm-instant-concrete-foundation-block_p1080391 If you don't like these types and you want to dig holes for the post instead that is also doable. It depends a lot on how permanent you want your decking to be and what kind of look you're going for. Thanks for your suggestions. We had originally wanted decking but our builder said that concrete would be needed underneath due to circulation in our case, we certainly were not prepared to pay for concreting and decking. Thus now looking for alternatives. what do you mean concrete underneath for circulation? Decking shouldn't be sitting on concrete, ideally you want sand/soil underneath it so when it rains, the water will drain away into the soil, rather than sit there and cause the wood to be always damp which eventually leads to rot. 26 Feb 2018 197 Sydney NSW Bronze Member Re: DIY paving entertainment area 5Oct 03, 2019 6:22 pm IsabellaBoots One IsabellaBootspebbles are easier. You make it reasonably compact and flat by hiring a compactor from bunnings and then you lay down the weed mat followed by the pebbles. With pebbles the sand doesn't need to be really flat, since you can just make the pebbles a little bit thicker in some areas to compensate for a lack of skill in compacting sand. Paving can be done by an amateur, but making the sand properly flat and compacted does require more skill. It's also quite heavy on your back and knees even if you have the right technique and posture. Decking in my opinion falls in between the other two, it's harder than pebbles, but easier than paving. I've built a deck around 5x4m and it took maybe 20 hours all up, including compacting the sand. However I also used these things for footings: https://www.bunnings.com.au/deko-250-x-150-x-150mm-instant-concrete-foundation-block_p1080391 If you don't like these types and you want to dig holes for the post instead that is also doable. It depends a lot on how permanent you want your decking to be and what kind of look you're going for. Thanks for your suggestions. We had originally wanted decking but our builder said that concrete would be needed underneath due to circulation in our case, we certainly were not prepared to pay for concreting and decking. Thus now looking for alternatives. what do you mean concrete underneath for circulation? Decking shouldn't be sitting on concrete, ideally you want sand/soil underneath it so when it rains, the water will drain away into the soil, rather than sit there and cause the wood to be always damp which eventually leads to rot. This was what I was told: due to the levels decking would not work in that section which would be the reasoning behind the initial landscape plan showing concrete slab underneath the timber decking. There is not enough room to be able to fit in the posts into the ground and then decking boards on top and there would be no circulation below the deck. 11 Jul 2019 58 Loyal Member Re: DIY paving entertainment area 6Oct 03, 2019 6:48 pm One IsabellaBoots OneThanks for your suggestions. We had originally wanted decking but our builder said that concrete would be needed underneath due to circulation in our case, we certainly were not prepared to pay for concreting and decking. Thus now looking for alternatives. what do you mean concrete underneath for circulation? Decking shouldn't be sitting on concrete, ideally you want sand/soil underneath it so when it rains, the water will drain away into the soil, rather than sit there and cause the wood to be always damp which eventually leads to rot. This was what I was told: due to the levels decking would not work in that section which would be the reasoning behind the initial landscape plan showing concrete slab underneath the timber decking. There is not enough room to be able to fit in the posts into the ground and then decking boards on top and there would be no circulation below the deck. based on reading that: Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ So you wanted or they assumed that you want decking that's on the same level as your alfresco and because of that they said they need to do a slab underneath because there's not enough vertical space for the posts and that there won't be enough circulation? Personally all the decking I've built as a DIY project or built with friends as part of their DIY project has generally looked more like the below: Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ So there's concrete in the ground, but not a concrete slab, it's just something for the deck's posts to either sit on or be bolted on to depending on what exactly we're building. The drawing is in MSPaint so it's very rough and missing things e.g. joists, but there's definitely a good amount of air circulation, especially because there will be gaps between the decking, so air can come in from the top as well. 26 Feb 2018 197 Sydney NSW Bronze Member 22 Feb 2019 104 Senior Member Re: DIY paving entertainment area 8Oct 06, 2019 8:10 am paving is pretty straightforward and longer lasting than decking, decks cannot be close to ground because there is inadequate ventilation which is what your builder said. Paving will last 30 years with no maintenance while a deck needs recoating in 3-5 years and replacement in 10-15, cheers Pulse Thank you... The melange D stone looks like what i am trying to achieve.. Thanks again 4 1150 If they need to allow to pour a concrete footing first , then screed the concrete with sand cement bed , then waterproof the screed for moisture protection , two coats… 3 4030 Make the water go where you want it to go. It's lazy and will always go downhill. My brother had a footpath between his house and a small retaining wall. There was a… 5 2079 |
