Planning a garden needs to be a carefully considered decision-making process, where you take plenty of time in adding up the pros and cons of all your ideas and inspirations. Doing as much research as possible at the planning stage will always pay dividends in the long term, as your garden gradually matures. read more »
Replacing a broken slab in a patio or path is a straightforward DIY job. What is also good news is that there is no need to mix up any mortar, as you can use a product called Slablayer to bed down a replacement slab, and this is the technique I’ve shown in the example below. For more details on general points about laying slabs and using Slablayer, see my guide ‘Laying a patio’. read more »
In terms of creating a simple path, it doesn’t come much easier than laying some stepping stones. They can be made from slabs as shown here or you may wish to use some purpose-made decorative varieties. read more »
Take your time at the planning stage, if you have decided to lay a patio. After all, it’s a permanent feature and everything from choosing your slabs to ensuring good drainage needs close consideration before you begin work. On this latter point, it is important to maintain a gentle gradient away from your house and ideally towards groundwater drains. For small patios you only need a spirit level to judge gradients – for larger ones, laying out a sloping string line across the site provides an accurate guide to follow. read more »
In terms of keeping it simple, laying a gravel path is about as easy as garden construction gets. However, if you want it to look good, and be easy to maintain, there are a few necessary precautions to take in its design. read more »