What did you do around you house? Did you concrete?

Hi we are getting handover on Monday and were really keen to see what people did around their house. Did you concrete around the house? If so what is how wide? Or did you lay turf up against the house. Also if anyone has any pics? We are completely confused about what we should do with our landscaping. l think this is the first thing l need to figure out first.

Our house has 1m concrete perimeter path all around - was included in our house/land package.

Damn. Our house doesnt have any concrete around it at all. When l went to the display homes they all used white pebbles around the house. l was trying to work out if l did this and did not have concrete then how am l gonna wheel the bin from the back of the house to the front on garbage collection day. Thats why l was confused as to what people normally do. would you get the concrete to slope away from the house so the rain doesnt slope towards the house or do you just make it flat?

i'd love concrete, although we won't be able to have it as it offends the maximum ratio for hard surfaces, so we will be doing pebbles instead.

I'd prefer to do pebbles than concrete as this allows drainage. I intend to have pebbles and stepping stone pavers along one side untilt he laundry door and then a paved pathway from the laundry door to the back yard. Across the back and down the Northern side I'd like to do garden but I don't want mulch against the house to attract termites (is this a fallacy?). The Northern long side I will be doing paving with mondo grass to allow better drainage than concrete

I sit on a corner so I put up a 26mtr colourbond fence on the weekend. Painful but very satisfying!

We are going to have compressed crushed granite on our 'dead side' - very useful for a path, will ensure that it slopes away from the house.
On the other side will have grass and more crushed granite, not sure how the grass will work against the house though.

Ok let me get this rght, I thought you had to have concrete around your house to protect it from movement ets. is this not the case. Can you just have rocks or pebbles, and it is fine, cause it surely must be a lot cheaper to do that.

A simple slab/pathway poured around the house will do nothing for movement. It's just easier to maintain in my opinion.

Our engineers report suggested a minimum 900 wide impermeable ie concrete pathway around house to protect from moisture changes - we are on reactive clay.
Most houses in SA would have a footpath around either concrete or paving have not seen any with pebbles or turf - but again most would be on clay

You can always have pebbles with a narrow pathway down the middle. This way you get drainage, good appearance and can still wheel the bin around.

Even a 200 mm concrete edge will provide quite a bit of protection.

I'm having to think about this at the moment. I've got a face brick exteiror and I'm worried about the first few courses getting dirty from soil being splashed. So, the chouices I see are:
1) Put a penetrating sealer on the lowest three courses
2) Put white pebbles up agains the house (with plastic beneath to ensure that dirt doesn;t get spalshed on the wall)
3) A small (200 to 300 mm) concrete edge to provide runoff and stop spalshing.

Not sure what to do yet. Maybe it will happen a few years after the house is finished.

Our finance company insisted we have perimeter concreting around the house. I'm not sure what it has to do with them, but we'll be obedient and do it.

I am thinking of crushed rock and then maybe a border or rubber tiles like these to make a path around the back of the house.

http://www.clarkrubber.com.au/matting-a ... tiles.html

Has anyone tried them for outdoor use?? Not sure what they are worth price wise though.

We've used crushed rock. $290 for 10m3. Does the job so we're not walking on mud and clay throughout winter. Will end up maybe doing a decked path around the house at a later stage...

Thanks for everyones input. l think we'll end up having concrete and then doing a pebble pathway next to it.