How to prepare ground for pavers, deck and lawn for frontyard makeover?

Apoorv_S

Hi Guys, 

I would really appreciate any advice regarding my planned makeover of our frontyard. The ground is clay with mulch on top, variable height and sloping to the front a bit. 

Our plan is three way

 1. Lay pavers on the left hand side where the bins are kept currently to cover that rectangle space till front edge of the building. 

2. Lay the modular good times deck will need five sets where the front flower bed is infront of the windows. 

3. Eventually lay turf to the space in the front. 

I have done a bit of reading and searched the forum for the hows of the above.

Question 1 Regarding preparing the ground for paver and deck? we plan to lay some sand then road base to level the area then builders film all with slight slopes away from the house.

Q-2 Any other advice on any obvious things we need to look out for that might be crucial for the project.  

We are complete newbies DIYing but love the idea of doing it ourselves, So any advice will be appreciated. 

Thanks Guys. 

MitchellMc

Hi @Apoorv_S,

Your plan sounds about right. You'll want to hire yourself a compactor to go over the soil where the paving is going. You'll also want to compact the roadbase to ensure you have a solid surface to lay the pavers on. Otherwise, you could experience subsidence issues. Since the area designated for pavers slopes downhill, you'll either need to flatten the area or build up the front. You'll need to build it up unless you want the pavers significantly lower than the concrete slab behind the fence. There will need to be something to retain the roadbase at the front, and I'd suggest embedding a series of sleepers into the soil or creating a mini retaining wall.

I'm not 100% convinced about using the builder's plastic. It will direct the water away from the building but to where? You might end up with a permanently wet area at the front of the paving and deck. You might like to consider adding Agline along the front and diverting runoff to your stormwater system. I'd rather the areas be free draining, but your clay soil might be an issue. Under the deck, I'd suggest sand and then a 50mm thick layer of drainage gravel. Any water that drips through the deck will hit the gravel and drain freely through it instead of pooling.

I think it would also be a neat idea to add a short timber screen off the fence to block the view of the bins from the street.

You'll find these step-by-step guides useful: 

• How to lay paving for a path  

• How to build timber screening

• How to lay turf.

I can't wait to follow along with your project and provide advice as you go. Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Mitchell