Pavers & pebbles with a bike shelter makes for side yard facelift

[weekenddiyer]

Before

The path down the side of our house needed some sprucing up to say the least.  We wanted to add some shelter / storage for the bikes so we could have easier access to them rather than storing them in the garden shed where they were never used.  I also needed to allow for some place to put the council bins and try to keep them out of sight from the windows down the side of the house.

 

Progress

We went with a charcoal paver from Bunnings, 600 x 300 x 40mm in size.  Had my time again and I would have space them out a little further to create a larger step between pavers.  I used a treated pine sleeper  topped with a length of merbau  to tie into the decking we have in the backyard.

    

After

The bike shed has clear polycarbonate roofing  behind the lattice  to create a some protection from the rain, along with a corrugated perspex roof .  I hung the kids bikes from a rail I strung between the two rear posts to create better access using a bike hook.  Now for the plants to go in down the side.

    

[Jason]

Fantastic result @weekenddiyer. Many thanks for sharing. I'm sure this project will inspire many community members as narrow sideways are often tricky to deal with (and often much neglected...)

Great work.

Jason

[MitchellM]

@weekenddiyer Wow, what a remarkable and functional difference that has made! Any idea on the final costs for the project?

[weekenddiyer]

@MitchellM - I didn’t keep track of the budget on this one to be honest. It would have been about $1k-$1.5k. Pavers were the most expensive at about $400 (but I could have done with less). Pebbles were around $200 from memory, had to get some top soil for the garden at probably the same cost. Bike shed materials were probably around $200. Pine sleeper garden wouldn’t have been more than $100.  It’s a 25m stretch of garden space, so anything that length will always add up.

[MitchellM]

@weekenddiyer Awesome! Thanks for sharing.

[Andre]

Hi..Quick question.. how did you secure the paver to the treated pine sleeper so it doesnt move? Did you pour any cement underneath?

Thanks..

[Jason]

Hi @Andre,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. We trust you'll get loads of inspiration and helpful advice from our wonderful community members. Please feel free to post anytime you need a hand or have something to share. 

Are you planning your own paving project? It would be good to learn more about what you're doing. 

Let me tag @weekenddiyer so he is alerted to your question about whether he used concrete or just paving sand. You might also be interested in the great tips offered by @Adam_W in his comprehensive step-by-step article How to lay paving for a path.

Thanks,

Jason

[weekenddiyer]

Hi @Andre 

the pavers are laid directly onto the soil beneath as it was pretty solid / firm. All the top soil was removed by machine when my builder leveled the yard for me, so it was down to clay essentially.

I used a sand and cement mix and then placed the pavers on top of that and that holds them in place. The timber you can see in the photo was just two off cuts I used as spacers when laying the pavers for an even gap. Saved me measuring them each time.

i found this video helpful when laying them:

https://youtu.be/r00MvcnDR9w

good luck!