Need advice on side garden path

JoeyLa

Hi there,

Current path (looking towards g/beds) Current path (looking towards tiled area) LHS of path (house-side) RHS of path (fence side)

Hi all,

I've been going around in circles for the last year (or two!?) on determining what to do with the side path of our house. Would really appreciate your help and thoughts.

Currently: The current path is made with various shapes and sizes of sandstone, but they are really hard to manage as weeds & grass just come through. To the side of the path is plastic edging.

Function of side of house: I built my wife a couple of raised garden beds during Covid and also a couple of compost bins. Apart from that we have the pool pump. But in essence, unless you are getting crops (!!) or getting rid of scraps, its an area not used a lot or seen, however I would like it looking nice.

Thoughts: I've shifted from paving it, to potentially decking it or even just trying to do something with the current pavers? But in essence I just want a nice functional area which is low maintenance.

My current thoughts (inspired by some of the projects online) are to create stepping stones/pavers down the main path with pebbles surrounding them; have some timber edging and then pebble with some different coloured pebbles around the agave's on the LHS and then gravel the RHS around the raised beds.

HOWEVER, whilst taking the photos today, I then wondered how hard it would be to remove the current sandstone path and is there a way to utilise it and make it more functional/cleaner/easy to maintain? Is there a way of concreting in-between?

Creating a deck is probably the least favoured option, as I'm not sure I'd have the skill-set to create that....

Any thoughts/advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks, Joey

MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @JoeyLa. It's brilliant to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about creating a garden path.

The simplest and most cost-effective solution would likely involve reusing your existing sandstone pavers while making the path more functional and low-maintenance. Start by carefully lifting the sandstone pavers and setting them aside. Next, prepare the ground by thoroughly digging up any existing weeds and grass to create a clean base. Lay down weed matting across the entire area to help suppress future weed growth, ensuring it overlaps at the edges for full coverage. Once the matting is in place, replace the sandstone pavers in your desired arrangement, leaving enough space around them for pebbles. Finally, surround the pavers with decorative pebbles of your choice to create a cohesive and tidy appearance.

To keep the area low-maintenance, periodic weeding is key. Using a path weeder, which helps keep weeds at bay for up to 12 months, can make this task much easier. This method not only utilises your existing materials but also provides a polished look that requires minimal upkeep.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell