How to build simple pathway?

[gerardsyd]

Hi everyone, 
Newbie to DIY and not so great with power tools!
We are looking to fix up the side alley next to our house. It's around 1.1m wide and 20m long (photos attached) with a bit of a slope down towards the backyard - we haven't seen it get flooded or water being retained so drainage seems ok. It's bound by our property wall on the south side and a wooden fence on the north side. We don't use this area at all and it's unlikely to get much foot traffic so we're looking to do something simple and clean to reduce the maintenance (weed growth for the most part). 

Our rough thinking is to get the area cleared and flatt-ish (following the slope), put in a weed mat, get some road base or crushed gravel (either / or - not sure which is better or what the difference would be) and tamp it down. A few questions on approach (and apologies in advance if they are quite basic):

1. Do we need the weed mat? Would like to avoid weeding / spraying so if this would stop the weeds then we would want it

2. Do we need to add in any drainage or not required?

3. Any difference between road base and crushed gravel? Any preference on which we should use or it doesn't matter?

4. Do we need a layer over the top of the road base / crushed gravel or not required?

5. Do we need any edging on the north (fence) side? If yes, can we get away with something like the plastic edging or do we need to get something more?

6. Ok to leave the slope as-is or is it better to try and flatten it out into 3-4 'steps' across the length of the space? I'm not overly comfortable cutting up wood etc so if we go down this route, likely to want something easy to install.. 

7. Anything else we should be thinking about?

Excited to learn and try this out. Would love any thoughts!

Thanks,

Gerard

[JacobZ · Accepted solution]

Hi @gerardsyd,

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community and thank you for your questions.

I'll answer your questions as best I can.

1. Considering weed suppression is one of the main reasons for your project, it is definitely worth adding a layer of weed mat or geotextile fabric. They will act as a barrier to prevent weeds popping through while still allowing the water to drain freely.
    
2. As you've said the pathway already drains well and it is sloping towards a runoff point, you may not need additional drainage. It's worth noting that once the changes have been made to the pathway, it becomes alot harder to add drainage. If you'd like to add drainage for futureproofing purposes, now would be the time to do it.
   
   If you'd like to futureproof and install some drainage, check out How to install garden drainage for guidance.
    
3. Road base is a mix of fine particles and stones whereas drainage gravel tends to be mostly stones with a small amount of fine particles. Drainage gravel drains better than road base, but you can typically achieve a higher compaction rate with road base. Of the two, my preference is road base, but either will work.
    
4. You don't necessarily need a top layer, but smoothing road base and gravel can be difficult when compared to something like paving sand. Mortar, like shown in How To Lay Pavers, is also a good option for levelling purposes as each individual paver can be levelled by tapping with a rubber mallet.
    
5. You don't necessarily need edging, but edging is a great idea for retaining materials in the area and keeping a nice straight line along the edge of your path. There are plastic and metal options for edging that can be fixed in place with edging pins. Either of these options will be adequate when securely anchored.
    
6. As the slope is draining well as it is, I'd suggest leaving the slope. Introducing steps creates blockages for the natural flow of water. If you wanted to add steps, additional drainage would be a necessity.
    
7. Your options in terms of aesthetic are endless, so a well thought out plan before moving ahead is a great idea. Check out our Top 10 most popular side yard projects for some ideas.

Allow me to tag @Dave-1, @Nailbag and @Noyade for their thoughts.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

[Dave-1]

Evening @gerardsyd 

Thats a nice size for a pathway, Only thing that you would be wise to factor in is that open drain near thge front of the house. (depending on the level of gravel and paving you may do.)

Here is one I prepped earlier  Side path rebuild from recyled pavers 

There isnt a lot of sun down my side of the house. So no sun, depth of gravel and pavers over most of the surface area = not so many weeds

Depending on the slope of your yard it may need levels/steps to capture any runoff of gravel/stones (see the link)

I used 8mm gravel I had bulk delivered for a stormwater project but over estimated the amount by a LOT lol It all was used so worked in my favour and that side path really has held up well once I installed the gutter on the fence side.

I am not a huge fan of weed mat as generally I have found that they are made with some percentage of plastic and I really dont like the idea of the plastic breaking down in my yard. There are other weedmat options I have tried but really the best I have found is increase the depth of material. Plus a regular walk and pull weeds out maybe once a month.

Dave

[gerardsyd]

Thanks @JacobZ and @Dave-1. That's all very helpful - I feel like road base is the way to go, no steps ideally to allow the water to continue to run down / drain down. Ideally will not put drainage in but let me think about whether it's worth doing it now to avoid issues later. 
A few more questions:

1. What depth should I make the road base? From what I can see, it looks like 50-80mm is recommended but that's with pavers. Given not going to pave it, I was thinking of going for 100-110mm and then tamping / compressing it down? Does that sound ok?

2. Noted re: open drain - assume best to dig out some of the soil around the drain to increase the depth around it so when I put the roadbase in and tamp, it would be level with the drain?

3. Noted re: weed mat. We get lots of sun and water so weeds are pretty bad. I cleared the whole section up a few weeks ago and they're already growing back! Will take that into consideration!

Thanks again!

[Dave-1]

Afternoon @gerardsyd 

1 - Id go deep with the roadbase then you wont need weedmat When deciding on how you are doing the laying of the roadbase kept in mind just in case you need something across the width of the path to stop riverlets apperaing in torential rain. One row of pavers or a piece of treated timber just to give a lip to the surface.

2- Id actually try and lay your hands on some 300mm PVC pipe and cut a section off and use it as a cowl. That way not so much digging and still grilled.

3- Thicker level of roadbase, tho weeds will grow anywhere 😕 Sometimes I think we should try for a weedy gaden and will end up with a lush lawn.....

Dave

[MitchellMc]

Hi @gerardsyd,

Your plan to use a 100-110mm depth of road base before tamping sounds great, especially since you’re not planning to add pavers. A thicker layer will provide stability and better weed suppression while also helping to handle occasional foot traffic and reduce erosion. Keep in mind that compaction might reduce the height by around 10-20%, so it’s good to factor that into your calculations.

For the open drain, digging out some soil around it to increase the depth is a smart idea. This will ensure the road base, once compacted, sits level with or just slightly above the drain to maintain good drainage. 

Finally, while a weed mat is an option, a thicker road base layer is likely to be just as effective, especially when compacted. Since weeds thrive in sun and water, regular maintenance, like occasional weeding, might still be necessary despite your best efforts. If you’re considering a long-term approach, edging along the fence could also help keep materials in place and create a cleaner, low-maintenance boundary. 

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[gerardsyd]

Awesome, thanks everyone, appreciate all the assistance and responses. Will update this when done - hopefully I don't stuff it up too much! 

[MitchellMc]

Keep us updated, @gerardsyd, and reach out again if you need further assistance.

Mitchell