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Hi Guys,
I would really appreciate any advice regarding my planned makeover of our frontyard. The ground is clay with mulch on top, variable height and sloping to the front a bit.
Our plan is three way
1. Lay pavers on the left hand side where the bins are kept currently to cover that rectangle space till front edge of the building.
2. Lay the modular good times deck will need five sets where the front flower bed is infront of the windows.
3. Eventually lay turf to the space in the front.
I have done a bit of reading and searched the forum for the hows of the above.
Question 1 Regarding preparing the ground for paver and deck? we plan to lay some sand then road base to level the area then builders film all with slight slopes away from the house.
Q-2 Any other advice on any obvious things we need to look out for that might be crucial for the project.
We are complete newbies DIYing but love the idea of doing it ourselves, So any advice will be appreciated.
Thanks Guys.
Hi @Apoorv_S,
Your plan sounds about right. You'll want to hire yourself a compactor to go over the soil where the paving is going. You'll also want to compact the roadbase to ensure you have a solid surface to lay the pavers on. Otherwise, you could experience subsidence issues. Since the area designated for pavers slopes downhill, you'll either need to flatten the area or build up the front. You'll need to build it up unless you want the pavers significantly lower than the concrete slab behind the fence. There will need to be something to retain the roadbase at the front, and I'd suggest embedding a series of sleepers into the soil or creating a mini retaining wall.
I'm not 100% convinced about using the builder's plastic. It will direct the water away from the building but to where? You might end up with a permanently wet area at the front of the paving and deck. You might like to consider adding Agline along the front and diverting runoff to your stormwater system. I'd rather the areas be free draining, but your clay soil might be an issue. Under the deck, I'd suggest sand and then a 50mm thick layer of drainage gravel. Any water that drips through the deck will hit the gravel and drain freely through it instead of pooling.
I think it would also be a neat idea to add a short timber screen off the fence to block the view of the bins from the street.
You'll find these step-by-step guides useful:
I can't wait to follow along with your project and provide advice as you go. Please let me know if you have any further questions.
Mitchell
Hi @Apoorv_S
One method of finding the stormwater drain is to locate one of the downpipes from your gutter. If it goes directly into the ground you can dig around that area. You'll be able to see in which direction the pipes go. Please note that council rules and regulations will sometimes require that you use a registered plumber to link into your stormwater drains.
Please keep us updated with your progress, we look forward to seeing the start of your front yard makeover.
If you need further assistance, please let us know.
Eric
Thanks @EricL . I tried finding the storm water drain but felt it was too deep for me to dig .
Currently i feel i will just lay a base with roadbase and sand hope for the best. Have put formwork and then will fill with roadbase and sand and compact it. Then plan to lay pavers 400x400 mm on top.
Thanks @EricL @MitchellMc for the guiding light.
Phew its been a learning journey. We got there in the end with best of our limited labour and budget. Its not the most perfect job and levelling the round was the most key part taht we didnt get full right. But we are happy with the outcome for the limited resources.
Now will move to adding a screen to hide the bins, make a wodden ramp ofr the elevated paver area and decking to the side.
Sensational work there, @Apoorv_S! Many thanks for coming back to us with your finished results. You've completed a marvellous looking project which I trust will provide plenty of inspiration to our members.
Please let us know if you ever need assistance with a project around the house or garden or have something to share with the community.
Great work!
Mitchell
We are moving on with our low lying deck with Modular frames form good times. I could nt find any specific advice on how to fix the decking timber with regards to which screws to use, spacing between timbers and pre and post care for
The two rectangles are 5.6x1.1 and 3.3 x 1.1
We are planning to use Merbau fj 5.7mt decking timbers, planning to do picture framing. Any advice if 5.7mt length timber available is a good idea or going for the smaller lenghts be better in the smaller section in the front.
Also thinking of the holman deck lighting with controller use as well.
Any tips and ideas will be welcomed with regards to the above processes.
Hello @Apoorv_S
Thank you so much for the front yard update. Your deck frame setup looks good. I suggest measuring the overall length of the deck plus the picture framing so you'll know how much length you'll really need. It would be ideal of course to do a single length for the picture framing so that you don't have any joins. It all depends on how you want to layout the deck inside the picture frame.
If you do a staggered pattern you'll be able to use different lengths of decking panels. If you do a single panel with no joins you'll have to order long lengths and there will be wasted offcuts. I suggest calculating the amount you need so that you get maximum use of all the pieces that you order.
Here is a link to a handy guide: Good Times Modular Decking Instructions
Let me tag our experienced members @Backyardtradie, @Neo19, and @MGusto for their recommendations.
If you need further assistance, please let us know.
Eric
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