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Hi Bunnings Experts,
I have an almost triangular shape side yard in between mine and neighbour’s wall that I hope to make it a functional area. The fence area on the right is the entry door from the front. Size is around 35m2.
Since this will be my own project and we are not quite a handyman, what will be the easiest thing to do ? I personally love gravels/pebbles and maybe some pavement for outdoor seats . Do I have to leave some gap on the side for rain water drainage ?
Any advice is appreciated .
Thank you !
Melanie
Hello @melanietham
Thank you for sharing your question about your side yard transformation project.
Looking at your side yard, you have a long and narrow space with good potential. Since you mentioned you prefer an easy project, enjoy gravels and pebbles, and would like an area for outdoor seating, you can keep things simple while still making it functional.
First, you already have weed matting laid down, which is a good start, but some weeds are still poking through. A quick step would be to tidy this up by pulling the larger weeds and adding a fresh layer of weed mat or thickening the existing coverage. This will give you a clean base to work with and reduce future maintenance.
For surfacing, gravel or pebbles are an excellent low-effort choice. They are affordable, easy to spread, and suit narrow spaces like this. To keep them in place and avoid mixing with soil, consider installing some simple garden edging along the walls or central path. You can also mix gravel with large stepping pavers to create a more stable walking path or a small seating area near the gate end. This gives you a structured yet natural look without requiring complex groundwork.
Drainage is important in a space like this because the two walls create a kind of channel for rainwater. You do not need to leave a large gap against the walls, but it is smart to ensure that the ground slopes slightly away from the house walls. You could leave a slim strip of bare soil or drainage stones along the edges, so water has somewhere to run. If water tends to pool here, a strip of coarse drainage gravel or a channel drain near the fence end could help guide runoff.
For functionality, a small bench or a couple of outdoor chairs at the wider end by the gate would work nicely. Since the area is enclosed, adding vertical features like slim planter boxes, climbers, or wall-hung pots on the fence could also break up the narrow feel without taking up much floor space. I suggest having a look at our Top 10 most popular backyard projects and D.I.Y. fire pit ideas for starters. Our Featured Projects section also has many more ideas you can explore.
If you can post a simple pencil sketch of the area with measurements, I'm sure our members will be able to provide you with a more detailed recommendation.
Let me call on our experienced members @Dave-1, @AlanM52 and @diy_hausdesigns for their recommendations.
If you need further assistance, please let us know.
Eric
Good Evening @melanietham
That is a nice area to work with and I do like @EricL 's suggestions. I will see if I can add a few as well 
So A question first, does water pool anywhere when it rains? @EricL's suggestions on how to manage the water are def going the right way. If you area is flat and dosnt have pooling water then another layer of weedmat plus cleaning up those stubborn ones you have would work with some pavers laid in a pattern plus say white pebbles between them? Something along the lines of a greek alfresco Is what I am thinking.
Having some right angled fancy brackets hanging of the wall with some hanging plants in baskets would look great as well.
A few hooks so you can attach festoon lighting along the walls or zig zag across the space would also look pretty flash.
I would go for larger square or rectangular pavers or sandstone traveltine tiles (laid on a bed of sand) A birdbath, fountain would be a nice addition as well.
Dave
Just thought I'd add another source of inspiration to the discussion: Our Top 10 most popular side yard projects.
We look forward to following your progress and providing further assistance along the way.
Jason
Hi @melanietham,
Late arrival here mobility walker dropped a wheel so had to go back and grab the backup zimmer frame 😊
Already many good suggestions so what can I come up with... thinking 🙄
That's a well protected area and I see a BBQ over against that wall so I am thinking of that sitting on a paved area with outdoor setting under a low cost gazebo, along with some of the landscaping suggestions.
With your limited DIY in mind I think you will be OK taking a basic approach to paving.
Use 400x400 pavers along with some bags of sand.
Come back for more info.
Low cost non-permanent gazebo.
Something like the above fixed down with a bag of ready mix cement.
Outdoor setting.
https://www.bunnings.com.au/search/products?page=1&q=outdoor+setting&sort=BoostOrder
Some more ideas:
Here is our backyard pond.
Using a clamshell.
https://www.bunnings.com.au/search/products?page=1&q=clamshell&sort=BoostOrder
Barrel with classic bamboo water spout.
Bamboo Deer Chaser
Bird bath.
Cheers
Hi Eric,
Thanks for the valuable advice. Apologize as I was supposed to take some measurement this weekend but life got the better of my time! I'll try to update soon.
Hi Dave,
Thank you for the great recommendation. There's no water pool when it rains so I think that's a positive first step!. I love the idea of greek alfresco and some hanging flower pots as deco which is also in my planning list
Hi All,
Hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend ! We've done some clean up this weekend as a start and have some additional questions, hope to have further guidance :
1) Given the current condition of the soil area near the side gate, do I still need to dig deeper before laying down mat ? I'm thinking geotextile for better drainage.
2) The narrower part of the yard are mostly sandstone as per photo below and they are more elevated than the soil part. I'm thinking to move the excessive sand to the soil area. Would that work or I need specific type of sand before laying down the gravels ? Appreciate if you can provide a step by step guide.
3) Do I need to glue down the gravels or tampering will be sufficient?
Thanks in advance!
Cheers,
Melanie
