Can anyone give me a ballpark figure per sq. mt. to clear plants/lawn,
level, membrane and then gravel the area? Ta.
--
ßôyþëtë

BoyPete wrote:
Can anyone give me a ballpark figure per sq. mt. to clear plants/lawn,
level, membrane and then gravel the area? Ta.

This is something we considered doing to our front garden. We didn't
actually price it but we did take a walk around the village and had a
look at other people's gardens. The gravelled ones were pretty horrible.
The gravel spilt out onto the pavement and roads. Weeds were growing
through one of them and the gravel seemed to be a cat-litter tray for
one unfortunate house. We grassed over the front in the end and haven't
regretted it.

--
John Kelly

remove dimspam if replying by email

"John Kelly" wrote in message news:l-
the gravel seemed to be a cat-litter tray for John Kelly

Gravel can look good when done properly with a membrane underneath it and
appropriate plants set through it.
It is also important not to have it too deep either for two reasons:
1) It is like wading through snow.
2) As you commented - You make the neighbourhoods largest cat litter tray!
--
David
.... Email address on website http://www.avisoft.co.uk
.... Blog at http://dlts-french-adventures.blogspot.com/

In reply to David (in Normandy) )
who wrote this in , I, Marvo, say :

"John Kelly" wrote in message
news:l-
the gravel seemed to be a cat-litter tray for John Kelly

Gravel can look good when done properly with a membrane underneath it
and appropriate plants set through it.
It is also important not to have it too deep either for two reasons:
1) It is like wading through snow.
2) As you commented - You make the neighbourhoods largest cat litter
tray!

One way to combat this would be to make it out of quicksand instead of
gravel :-)

On 14/9/06 16:08, in article , "David
(in Normandy)" wrote:

"John Kelly" wrote in message news:l-
the gravel seemed to be a cat-litter tray for John Kelly

Gravel can look good when done properly with a membrane underneath it and
appropriate plants set through it.
It is also important not to have it too deep either for two reasons:
1) It is like wading through snow.
2) As you commented - You make the neighbourhoods largest cat litter tray!

Just a note on this - it's worth remembering that it's the devil to put
chairs and tables on, so paving a small area for that purpose might be an
idea.

--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/

Janet Baraclough wrote:
The message
from "BoyPete" contains these words:

Thank you Janet and others. I posted in rather a hurry this
morning.............more detail...............This is for my mothers front
garden. She is disabled and can no longer do the garden. She has a lad come
and tidy up, but he's not the brightest. She's asked me if we could have
gravel and pots, hence my question. I guess the area is about 40' x 30',
lawn and flower beds. 'Spread' would not be a problem, as the garden is
bordered on 3 sides by fence/curb. I was hoping someone here might have had
a similar job done. One concern I have is how to stop the gravel going green
with algie? Obviously I'll get some quotes, but I'd like to be clued up
first, as I tend to be the 'one they see coming'! Thanks
--
ßôyþëtë
(Kent)

David (in Normandy) wrote:
"John Kelly" wrote in message
news:l-
the gravel seemed to be a cat-litter tray for John Kelly

Gravel can look good when done properly with a membrane underneath it
and appropriate plants set through it.
It is also important not to have it too deep either for two reasons:
1) It is like wading through snow.
2) As you commented - You make the neighbourhoods largest cat litter
tray!

I prefer not to use a mambreane if the area is to be planted.

With a mambreane 50mm & planting through slits: Dust, grit & general muck
settle on the membrane, form a perfect seed bed and the seedlings grip the
membrane like limpets

Without: weedlings are easily hoed out. Approx 100mm of gravel works well.

If using the area as path, membrane, hard base and 25mm gravel is best

pk

pk

On 14/9/06 17:18, in article , "BoyPete"
wrote:

Janet Baraclough wrote:
The message
from "BoyPete" contains these words:

Thank you Janet and others. I posted in rather a hurry this
morning.............more detail...............This is for my mothers front
garden. She is disabled and can no longer do the garden. She has a lad come
and tidy up, but he's not the brightest. She's asked me if we could have
gravel and pots, hence my question. I guess the area is about 40' x 30',
lawn and flower beds. 'Spread' would not be a problem, as the garden is
bordered on 3 sides by fence/curb. I was hoping someone here might have had
a similar job done. One concern I have is how to stop the gravel going green
with algie? Obviously I'll get some quotes, but I'd like to be clued up
first, as I tend to be the 'one they see coming'! Thanks

Is your mother a wheelchair user or is she still ambulant? Either way, if
getting around is difficult for her, I'd suggest that gravel is going to
make it worse. Wheelchairs don't push well through gravel and sticks or
crutches or uncertain feet don't much like it, either. Would it better to
pave this area, perhaps putting in some kind of water feature and the
required tubs etc. to give colour and flowers. Gravel grows weeds and has
to be raked every so often. Paving costs more initially but needs less
attention in the long term and might be more user friendly in this case,
perhaps?

--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/

Sacha writes
On 14/9/06 17:18, in article , "BoyPete"
wrote:

Janet Baraclough wrote:
The message
from "BoyPete" contains these words:

Thank you Janet and others. I posted in rather a hurry this
morning.............more detail...............This is for my mothers front
garden. She is disabled and can no longer do the garden. She has a lad come
and tidy up, but he's not the brightest. She's asked me if we could have
gravel and pots, hence my question. I guess the area is about 40' x 30',
lawn and flower beds. 'Spread' would not be a problem, as the garden is
bordered on 3 sides by fence/curb. I was hoping someone here might have had
a similar job done. One concern I have is how to stop the gravel going green
with algie? Obviously I'll get some quotes, but I'd like to be clued up
first, as I tend to be the 'one they see coming'! Thanks

Is your mother a wheelchair user or is she still ambulant? Either way, if
getting around is difficult for her, I'd suggest that gravel is going to
make it worse. Wheelchairs don't push well through gravel and sticks or
crutches or uncertain feet don't much like it, either. Would it better to
pave this area, perhaps putting in some kind of water feature and the
required tubs etc. to give colour and flowers.

Or missing out slabs here and there to provide small beds - that would
mean less watering, but, otoh, large containers could be tended from
wheelchair height.

--
Kay

Sacha wrote:
On 14/9/06 17:18, in article , "BoyPete"
wrote:

Janet Baraclough wrote:
The message
from "BoyPete" contains these words:

Is your mother a wheelchair user or is she still ambulant? Either
way, if getting around is difficult for her, I'd suggest that gravel
is going to make it worse. Wheelchairs don't push well through
gravel and sticks or crutches or uncertain feet don't much like it,
either. Would it better to pave this area, perhaps putting in some
kind of water feature and the required tubs etc. to give colour and
flowers. Gravel grows weeds and has to be raked every so often.
Paving costs more initially but needs less attention in the long term
and might be more user friendly in this case, perhaps?

Mmm, never thought of that. She uses a frame or sticks. I'd envisaged a
stepping stone pathway, spiraling to the middle. Will need to give some
thought to this now. Thanks
--
ßôyþëtë

K wrote:
Sacha writes
On 14/9/06 17:18, in article , "BoyPete"
wrote:

Janet Baraclough wrote:
The message
from "BoyPete" contains these words:

Thank you Janet and others. I posted in rather a hurry this
morning.............more detail...............This is for my
mothers front garden. She is disabled and can no longer do the
garden. She has a lad come and tidy up, but he's not the brightest.
She's asked me if we could have gravel and pots, hence my question.
I guess the area is about 40' x 30', lawn and flower beds. 'Spread'
would not be a problem, as the garden is bordered on 3 sides by
fence/curb. I was hoping someone here might have had a similar job
done. One concern I have is how to stop the gravel going green with
algie? Obviously I'll get some quotes, but I'd like to be clued up
first, as I tend to be the 'one they see coming'! Thanks

Is your mother a wheelchair user or is she still ambulant? Either
way, if getting around is difficult for her, I'd suggest that gravel
is going to make it worse. Wheelchairs don't push well through
gravel and sticks or crutches or uncertain feet don't much like it,
either. Would it better to pave this area, perhaps putting in some
kind of water feature and the required tubs etc. to give colour and
flowers.

Or missing out slabs here and there to provide small beds - that would
mean less watering, but, otoh, large containers could be tended from
wheelchair height.

Mum hates large paved areas, Def. no in-ground planting, all pots, for ease
of maintenance.
--
ßôyþëtë

"BoyPete" wrote in message
...
Can anyone give me a ballpark figure per sq. mt. to clear plants/lawn,
level, membrane and then gravel the area? Ta.

A porous membrane might prevent weeds growing upwards but it soes not stop
the roots of weeds from windblown seeds from growing downwards. Imagine a
clump of grass growing near the edge of a membrane and hanging on for dear
life when you try to uproot it. You would certainly lift the membrane
allowing lots of gravel to get under it or it might tear!

The cost of a porous membrane would be a significant proportion of the
overall cost so use that money to buy enough gravel CHIPPINGS to cover to a
depth of 10 cms (about 10 sq metres/tonne) and forget a membrane - do not
use nice rounded gravel or pea gravel. If you see a weed, a drop of "size
10" or whatever, soon puts paid to it!

Stack the removed grass turves upside down in a corner somewhere and cover
with black polythene (thick refuse bags cut open are ideal) and in a few
years time they'll be very useful potting compost for planters' pots on the
gravel. The soil under the grass can be used on other parts of the garden
or in raised beds in the gravelled area.

All this advice is given from personal experience not theory.

Regards

Geoff

On 14/9/06 18:42, in article , "BoyPete"
wrote:

Sacha wrote:
On 14/9/06 17:18, in article , "BoyPete"
wrote:

Janet Baraclough wrote:
The message
from "BoyPete" contains these words:

Is your mother a wheelchair user or is she still ambulant? Either
way, if getting around is difficult for her, I'd suggest that gravel
is going to make it worse. Wheelchairs don't push well through
gravel and sticks or crutches or uncertain feet don't much like it,
either. Would it better to pave this area, perhaps putting in some
kind of water feature and the required tubs etc. to give colour and
flowers. Gravel grows weeds and has to be raked every so often.
Paving costs more initially but needs less attention in the long term
and might be more user friendly in this case, perhaps?

Mmm, never thought of that. She uses a frame or sticks. I'd envisaged a
stepping stone pathway, spiraling to the middle. Will need to give some
thought to this now. Thanks

Paving would give her more scope to move around in and as Kay has suggested,
raised beds would enable her to garden a little, too.

--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/

"BoyPete" wrote in message
...
Can anyone give me a ballpark figure per sq. mt. to clear plants/lawn,
level, membrane and then gravel the area? Ta.
--
ßôyþëtë

Can anyone comment on the reverse process?
I've just moved into a house where 36 square metres of the front garden have
been butchered into a poor quality "parking area" consisting of membrane
plus 5cm of gravel. The weeds love it. It looks like I'm going to have to
spend about £500 on topsoil and grass-seed to replace the gravel, presumably
the people who did the work were able to sell the topsoil they removed.

Simon wrote:
"BoyPete" wrote in message
...
Can anyone give me a ballpark figure per sq. mt. to clear
plants/lawn, level, membrane and then gravel the area? Ta.
--
ßôyþëtë

Can anyone comment on the reverse process?
I've just moved into a house where 36 square metres of the front
garden have been butchered into a poor quality "parking area"
consisting of membrane plus 5cm of gravel. The weeds love it. It
looks like I'm going to have to spend about £500 on topsoil and
grass-seed to replace the gravel, presumably the people who did the
work were able to sell the topsoil they removed.

Thanks for the confirmation that membrane plus gravel is a bad idea!

Simply take up the membrane, rotovate the gravel into the existing soil -
several deep passes with a good rotovator. Leave to settle for a fwe months.

That may well be enough to provide a rakeable seed bed, depending on the
soil quality and type. If not, *good quality* loam/sieved topsoil will do
the job.

the turf or seed in the spring.


OR

Take up the membrane and add another 50mm gravel and plant!

pk