How to remove a garden bed at the front of a house?

[chimchimfan87]

Hi,

I just recently purchased a house and there is a garden bed at the front of the property. According to the b&p report, the soil level is blocking the vents which can lead to moisture build up and dampness in the subfloors. I am happy to remove the plants and the soil but what do I do with the garden bed? Do I remove it completely and if so, how do I do this? Any help is much appreciated.

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, @chimchimfan87. It's brilliant to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about removing a garden bed.

To start, you might want to do some exploratory work by removing the mulch and soil in front of the vents. If the issue is simply a buildup of mulch and soil over time, clearing it away might be enough to open up the vents and save the garden bed.

However, if you're not particularly fond of the garden bed or if it’s causing ongoing issues, you could remove it entirely and replace it with a small concrete apron in front of the wall, extending the grass up to it. For the concrete edging of the garden bed, you'll need to break this up with a sledgehammer and remove it before you can grow grass over that area.

Remember your PPE, including gloves and safety glasses.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell
 

[chimchimfan87]

Thank you for your response. Can you tell me what is the easiest way to build a DYI small concentre apron and what tools I would need? Also, I am assuming the height of the concrete has to be below the vents otherwise I will run into the same issue?

Thanks.

[JacobZ]

Hi @chimchimfan87,

You are correct that the height of the concrete apron would need to be below that of the weep holes.

I'd suggest having a look at How To Pour A Small Concrete Slab, How To Build Formwork and How To Mix Concrete for some guidance.

As @MitchellMc has suggested, you would need to remove the garden and dig down so that the substrate is around 150mm below the level of the weep holes.

Start by constructing a formwork on the outside of the concrete slab that will act as a barrier to hold in your concrete once poured. This should be set up slightly below the level of the weep holes so that the apron will slightly slope away from the house. This is so water will run away from the house as opposed to towards it. You'll then need to add a layer of drainage gravel 50mm thick and compact it with a tamper or plate compactor. You'll then need to add some reinforcing mesh that is propped up by bar chairs.

You'll then mix your concrete and pour it into the form, vibrating the concrete to ensure all the voids are removed. This is best done with a concrete vibrator shaft which can be hired in conjunction with our friends at Coates Hire. 

Once the concrete is all poured and sloped to flow away from the house, you can use a cement edger and finishing trowel to edge the concrete and smooth it for finishing. You can then apply a broom finish to the concrete to add grip to the surface and give it a pleasing finish.

This is quite an involved process that requires a lot of manual labour, tools and precise timing. It is certainly possible to do this yourself, but if it seems too daunting, you might like to consider hiring a professional for their assistance.

If you don't want to do this, you might like to remove the garden and add a stepped paver pathway, such as in this Side yard transformation by @diy_hausdesigns.

Let me know what you think.

Jacob