what can I do with a shady corner?
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At the rear of my house I have a badly concreted area about 3 meters
square with access via the back door of my very small
conservatory/porch and the back door of the garage. So the area is
bounded on 3 sides by the house wall, the garage wall and the garden
fence. It faces north west so gets sun only at the very end of summer
afternoons. Most of the time it is damp.
What kind of paving etc. would you suggest? I am on a limited budget.
Decking has always appealed to me but I expect it would rot or get
very slippery with algae and moss, and it's expensive. I know a lot
about plants. so I know what shade loving plants I can grow in pots
there. But I need some advice on the hard landscaping?
Can anyone help, please?
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JennyC
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>I live just south of Edinburgh so the climate can be chilly and damp.
>At the rear of my house I have a badly concreted area about 3 meters
>
>What kind of paving etc. would you suggest?
I've had this problem too. I find that decking does indeed get a bit green
and slippery, but this can easily be removed with a bucket of soapy water
and a lot of elbow grease!
In one house I lived in, I had paving slabs in a shady position under trees,
and they got just as green and gunky as the decking, and had to hire a power
washer to get it clean.
What about a layer of gravel ? You can rake it over to remove any algae and
it looks nice. Only trouble is that it a bit hard on the feet if, like me,
you don't wear shoes in the summer.
Jenny
cormaic
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>
>What kind of paving etc. would you suggest? I am on a limited budget.
>Decking has always appealed to me but I expect it would rot or get
>very slippery with algae and moss, and it's expensive. I know a lot
>about plants. so I know what shade loving plants I can grow in pots
>there. But I need some advice on the hard landscaping?
>Can anyone help, please?
What type of look are you trying to create? Your paving should
be part of your overall plan of how you want it to look. Your basic
options are flags/slabs, block/brick paving, decking or tarting up the
concrete. Visit a local bulders' merchant and have a look around at
what they have in stock.
With the flags, there are 4 basic types - plain 'council'
type, riven stone type, decorative aggregate type and textured surface
type. If you do opt for flags, choose the smaller sizes, as they will
make the small area seem bigger. If you fancy the olde worlde stone
flag look, the two best-looking ranges (IMHO), the Marshalls Chancery
and the Stonemarket Millstone ranges, both cost around 21 quid per
square metre to buy. Other less-authentic ranges are available around
the 15-17 quid per m2 area, and the rubbish sells for 8-12 quid per
m2.
Block or brick paving could look great in a courtyard setting,
and I would definitely splash out on clay pavers for the stroger
colour in damp areas. Prone to moss, but that's part of the charm.
You'll be lucky to find a contractor willing to take on a 9m2 job.
Quality rectangular concrete block paving costs around 8-10 quid per
m2, and upwards, and clay paving around 12-20 quid per m2.
Decking I would not recommend, as the damp and dark will
require you to use damned expensive hardwoods, and even they can be
treacherously slippy in the wet.
As for tarting up the concrete, you could use floor paints to
create a modern design or colour scheme, or you could tile it with
some of the terracotta tiles now on the market. A gravel, bark or even
japanese style sand and stones could be an interesting option, if you
use stepping stones to form pathways.
The only limit is your imagination and your budget, but for
such a small area, it is certainly worth buying the best materials you
can find, and not skimp by buying the budget products.
There's hell of a lot more about paving on my web-site - see
URL in sig below.
--
cormaic Garden - www.tmac.clara.co.uk/cormaic/garden/garden.htm
Culcheth Paving - www.tmac.clara.co.uk/paving2.htm
Cheshire URG web-ring - www.tmac.clara.co.uk/urgring/urgring1.htm
(allegedly) Last Updated on May 7th 1999
cormaic CAN BE FOUND AT tmac.clara.co.uk