How do I change my back garden to cement only?

poeticmakaveli

Hello all
I am thinking of just covering my back garden in cement or just cement square tiles (excuse my wording, I have no idea on this type of stuff) but how would someone like me go about it! I have just have a normal square back garden of grass! How would I go about stopping the grass from growing and just doing this? Does it cost much?

poeticmakaveli

Hello all
I am thinking of just covering my back garden in cement or just cement square tiles (excuse my wording, I have no idea on this type of stuff) but how would someone like me go about it! I have just have a normal square back garden of grass! How would I go about stopping the grass from growing and just doing this? Does it cost much?

allthedoyles

I paved my back garden with these patio slabs , and you just need to have a level surface of sand / cement mixed dry .
:

http://www.doranconcrete.ie/ho_patio_slabs.htm

poeticmakaveli

allthedoyles wrote:

I paved my back garden with these patio slabs , and you just need to have a level surface of sand / cement mixed dry . :

Thanks, I'll have a look when I get home!

mickdw

poeticmakaveli wrote: »

Hello all
I am thinking of just covering my back garden in cement or just cement square tiles (excuse my wording, I have no idea on this type of stuff) but how would someone like me go about it! I have just have a normal square back garden of grass! How would I go about stopping the grass from growing and just doing this? Does it cost much?

Paving slabs are what you are looking for if you want it in tile form.
It up to yourself really. You could get someone to concrete the area and not use slabs at all or you could even get someone that would cut the concrete To look exactly like slabs if done right.

looksee

If you cover it in concrete, where will the rain go? I hope you do not do a concrete all-over job, slabs would be a more earth friendly solution (just).

worded

Consider a part stone part patio slab solution for drainage purposes.

homer911

If the purpose is simply to cover the grass, have you considered an artificial lawn?

poeticmakaveli

Thanks for the replies people.
I think the patio slabs would be the best option! I don't think an artificial garden would be a good option for me as i am looking for a quick clean solution and not too out of pocket.
A neighbor of mine got slabs the other day for her back garden and they looked a foot long and in width and she only paid 3 euro a slab. That i would be happy with but my main concern first is, after i cut the lawn do i order sand? if so how much? what would the cost be? or do i get some sort of item that would kill the grass from growing? I really have no idea when it comes to gardening so after i pay for the patio slabs, how much would it cost to do the other parts and would i need to hire someone to put the slabs down?

sweetie

In the name of god, why?

poeticmakaveli

Thanks for the replies people.
I think the patio slabs would be the best option! I don't think an artificial garden would be a good option for me as i am looking for a quick clean solution and not too out of pocket.
A neighbor of mine got slabs the other day for her back garden and they looked a foot long and in width and she only paid 3 euro a slab. That i would be happy with but my main concern first is, after i cut the lawn do i order sand? if so how much? what would the cost be? or do i get some sort of item that would kill the grass from growing? I really have no idea when it comes to gardening so after i pay for the patio slabs, how much would it cost to do the other parts and would i need to hire someone to put the slabs down?

Teyla Emmagan

You're asking this on a gardening forum? Which is about nuturing plants, and stuff?

Personally I think it will look horrific, but each to their own. For what it's worth, I like your patch of grass.

OldMrBrennan83

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worded

poeticmakaveli wrote: »

Hello all
I am thinking of just covering my back garden in cement or just cement square tiles (excuse my wording, I have no idea on this type of stuff) but how would someone like me go about it! I have just have a normal square back garden of grass! How would I go about stopping the grass from growing and just doing this? Does it cost much?

And your DIY nightmare begins ....

Consider cobble lock bricks ?

Go to you tube and search for how do I xyz

Level is very important
Adequate amount of ground full / hard core

Do it right OP

Atlantic Dawn

Patio slabs are a pain and get pieces of dirt stuck between them which eventually leads to grass and weed growing up through them. If it was me I would look at concrete moulds that you can use to make a pattern on the concrete, you can dye the concrete too so it looks decent. Depending on where your living the flooding risk with concrete may not be the best option. Looks something like this but various paterns are available...

worded

Some ideas

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TWfp15gyCnA

arthur daly

Patww79 wrote: »

If I owned the house I'm in I'd do the exact same. Some plants in big pots would make it looks nice and be low maintenance.

Me too

arthur daly

Patww79 wrote: »

If I owned the house I'm in I'd do the exact same. Some plants in big pots would make it looks nice and be low maintenance.

Me too

Dozer Dave

Patww79 wrote: »

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+1

Guffy

Don't do it. Cut your grass. Concrete gets grubby and just doesn't look nice after a few years. If you have coal out the back it will stain too. Power hose will freshen it up for a month or so i guess.

Try keeping the grass tight for a while.

dazed+confused

poeticmakaveli wrote: »

How do I change my back garden to cement only?

Pour cement on it.

ice.cube

Buy lots of beach sand and arm some kids with buckets and spades to play with.......they will have a better crack at it

ice.cube

Buy lots of beach sand and arm some kids with buckets and spades to play with.......they will have a better crack at it

ninja 12

Why not put down some nice gravel ?

When we bought our last house we got rid of the grass , and put down nicely coloured gravel , with some plants in the ground along the wall , and some plants in pots .

With the black mesh under the gravel , we got no weeds , and drainage was very good in heavy rain ( no big puddles )

Some of our neighbours left the grass and some put in paving (cobbles ) but we felt the paving was too severe looking , that's why we went for gravel .



Here's what it looked like , although in this pic the plants along the left wall are barely grown .The ivy ,winter jasmine and Virginia creeper eventually covered most of the wall .

I'll see if I can find a later pic , when we also had more pots

kylith

I think Ninja's idea is a fine one. You have less maintenance without the grimness of a big concrete slab.

Macy0161

Patww79 wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Plants in pots aren't necessarily low maintenance. They can take daily watering in hot/ dry weather.

ninja 12

Macy0161 wrote: »

Plants in pots aren't necessarily low maintenance. They can take daily watering in hot/ dry weather.

True , but having to water a few pots is a lot easier than having to buy a lawnmower , have somewhere to store it and cut / dispose of grass .
It helps to have a hose .

Here's a later pic , when the plants had grown a bit .




I can't find any later pics , but the garden stayed pretty much the same ( the plants filled in a good bit more and some of the pots moved around a bit ) until we sold the house with the exception of the 3 paving slabs in the middle ( they were for a telescope to sit on ). They were replaced with some nice round slabs .


We even had a blackbird nest in the round Yew tree in the big pot on the left , only about 8 feet from the back door .

OldMrBrennan83

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ninja 12

Patww79 wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Thanks .

I thought I had taken some pics before we moved out but I can't find them .
The whole wall on the left was pretty much covered with Ivy and Virginia Creepers , and looked really well .

We moved house this time last year , and have just started on the new garden and it's much bigger, there's a section at the end of the garden that's about 20m x 20m . Were going to fill it with Pampas Grasses , Yukkas and various other grassy plants as well as lots of plants for bees , butterflies etc., while keeping enough room in the middle for a patio / telescope area as maybe a small pond .

Lots of work ahead

Edit , I've taken a couple of "before " pics for future reference

karenalot

gufc21 wrote: »

Don't do it. Cut your grass. Concrete gets grubby and just doesn't look nice after a few years.

+1. I've worked showing houses around before and cement gardens are one of the biggest turnoffs for potential buyers. Gravel and Pebbles aren't much better, they often make a garden look like an oversized grave.

By all means build a patio and make the grass area smaller but getting rid altogether will turn the garden into an eyesore.

seamus

kylith wrote: »

I think Ninja's idea is a fine one. You have less maintenance without the grimness of a big concrete slab.

Agreed.

You will also lower the value of your house with straight out concrete. Not all potential buyers want grass in their back garden, but many do, and most want the option of at least being able to do something with it, with or without grass.

A straight concreted back garden means a lot of expense up front just to remove the concrete, whereas stone slabs and/or gravel is something that the buyer can work on removing themselves at low cost, without having to hire a jackhammer and other equipment.