Hello,
for 2017, we are planning to transform our garden into a "courtyard."
Here’s the situation: We spend a lot of time in the garden. When we go outside from the terrace, there is grass – or rather, there used to be grass.
We have small children and go outside in all kinds of weather. Now we want to create a courtyard with slabs (not paving stones) so that the children can comfortably ride vehicles like pedal tractors – meaning a relatively smooth surface. Besides, we don’t really like paving stones; slabs look nicer to us.
This wouldn’t be a problem, if it weren’t for some circumstances that complicate everything:
1: You can easily spend 100 euros per square meter on the subbase. For 120 m2 (1,292 sq ft), this is simply too expensive for us; we need a more affordable alternative. We are trying to buy used slabs and want to save money on the subbase because
2: The garden cannot be accessed by lorries. A small mini excavator can get in, but that’s it. So even if we wanted a subbase of about 40 cm (16 inches), disposing of the excavation material would be so complicated and costly that it doesn’t make sense.
I have researched online for a long time and have an idea how a subbase with just a few centimeters might work: There is a company that sells plastic grass grid pavers as a base for paving, which they recommend.
This way, you avoid excavating deeply.
Has anyone tried this before? Does anyone have ideas on how we can create a smooth, clean, stable courtyard from grass/mud without deep excavation and without spending 10,000 euros?
Maybe there is an option I haven’t thought of yet.
Thank you very much for your helpful ideas!
Best regards,
Felix
for 2017, we are planning to transform our garden into a "courtyard."
Here’s the situation: We spend a lot of time in the garden. When we go outside from the terrace, there is grass – or rather, there used to be grass.
We have small children and go outside in all kinds of weather. Now we want to create a courtyard with slabs (not paving stones) so that the children can comfortably ride vehicles like pedal tractors – meaning a relatively smooth surface. Besides, we don’t really like paving stones; slabs look nicer to us.
This wouldn’t be a problem, if it weren’t for some circumstances that complicate everything:
1: You can easily spend 100 euros per square meter on the subbase. For 120 m2 (1,292 sq ft), this is simply too expensive for us; we need a more affordable alternative. We are trying to buy used slabs and want to save money on the subbase because
2: The garden cannot be accessed by lorries. A small mini excavator can get in, but that’s it. So even if we wanted a subbase of about 40 cm (16 inches), disposing of the excavation material would be so complicated and costly that it doesn’t make sense.
I have researched online for a long time and have an idea how a subbase with just a few centimeters might work: There is a company that sells plastic grass grid pavers as a base for paving, which they recommend.
This way, you avoid excavating deeply.
Has anyone tried this before? Does anyone have ideas on how we can create a smooth, clean, stable courtyard from grass/mud without deep excavation and without spending 10,000 euros?
Maybe there is an option I haven’t thought of yet.
Thank you very much for your helpful ideas!
Best regards,
Felix
G
Gartenfreund10 Jan 2017 01:47Hello FelixPrüfer
My father installed the driveway with colorful slabs back in the 1960s, which was quite modern at the time. It was a DIY project using just some sand to level out the unevenness beneath the slabs, and despite this, it held up very well. After a new driveway was built, the slabs were reused for several years as a garage floor because the old concrete slab had to be removed since the new driveway is lower than the old one. Later, my father decided to have a concrete floor again, so these slabs were then used, among other things, for a walkway. The size of the slabs varies. I don’t have the exact measurements in mind right now and can’t measure them at the moment since it’s a bit dark outside and also still raining. But I can provide the measurements later. I placed the slabs as close together as possible. They are laid so tightly that even weeds have difficulty growing between them.
My father installed the driveway with colorful slabs back in the 1960s, which was quite modern at the time. It was a DIY project using just some sand to level out the unevenness beneath the slabs, and despite this, it held up very well. After a new driveway was built, the slabs were reused for several years as a garage floor because the old concrete slab had to be removed since the new driveway is lower than the old one. Later, my father decided to have a concrete floor again, so these slabs were then used, among other things, for a walkway. The size of the slabs varies. I don’t have the exact measurements in mind right now and can’t measure them at the moment since it’s a bit dark outside and also still raining. But I can provide the measurements later. I placed the slabs as close together as possible. They are laid so tightly that even weeds have difficulty growing between them.
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