How do I change my back garden to cement only?

realdanbreen

Also,

Does anyone know if 'stamp concrete' is an expensive method of doing a driveway?

mr chips

An alternative approach to concrete could be to cut the grass right down as short as possible, cover the whole thing in porous weed barrier, put in a new layer of clay/soil and sow it out with camomile. Get the right variety (Treneague) from somewhere like here - http://www.camomilelawns.co.uk/ - and you should end up with a lawn that will never need cutting and not grow much above 4-5 inches. That will look nicer than concrete and be more pleasant to walk on in your bare feet on a hot day than stones - it also gives off a mild fragrance.

The same sort of preparation would have to be done if you were putting flags/stones down (i.e. cutting back existing growth, putting down a wee barrier & covering it with quarry dust/sand), but the cost and labour for the camomile would be a lot lower and if you do it at this time of year you should see the results by the end of the summer. Plus you can always decide to plant a couple of small non-proliferating shrubs etc in the future without having to buy pots and be watering them as often in the summer.

homer911

If you go with concrete tiles, leave random tile-sized holes and plant with ground cover plants. This will break up the concrete, leave you with something that still looks like a garden and will only need occasional pruning.

If you get fed up with the plants, pull them out and drop in a concrete tile.