Got that one spot in your yard that’s letting the whole team down, like a muddy patch in a high-traffic area of the yard? Outdoor spaces that constantly get walked on and through can be tricky to work out, especially when there’s the need for gates and fences.
Instead of a muddy entrance with squashed turf and plants, see how Charlie finds a solution to this common problem.
Gather your supplies
- 200 x 50mm treated pine sleeper
- Posts 90 x 90mm treated pine
- Rails 70 x 45mm treated pine
- Fence pickets 1800mm cypress pine • Charcoal timber stain • 10mm blue meta
- 60cm star pickets
- Geotextile fabric
- Paving sand
- Turfgrid pavers
- 900 x 1800mm arch gate
- Small river pebbles
You’ll also need
- Shovel
- Tamper
- Spirit level
- 100 and 50mm batten screws
- Drill
- Trowel
- Rubber mallet
- Angle grinder fitted with diamond cutting blade
- Post-hole shovel
- Circular saw
- Quick-set concrete
- 65 and 40mm galvanised screws
- 250mm galvanised tee hinges (2)
- Galvanised gate latch
For you to note
Timber was pre-stained in charcoal before installation.
Step 1
Using a shovel, excavate the muddy area to allow for new Turfgrid pavers, here to a depth of 175mm below the finished height of the pavers – determined by the level of the existing adjacent pavers. Compact the area using a tamper.
Step 2
Fill the base of the area with a 50mm thick layer of 10mm blue metal. This will help drain water.
Step 3
Use a treated pine sleeper to create a border at the open side of your paved area. Make the top of the sleeper to suit the level of your paving. Secure sleeper in place by screwing it into the timber retaining wall at one side, using 100mm batten screws. On the side near the pavers, drive a star picket into ground behind the sleeper and screw through holes in picket into sleeper, using 50mm batten screws.
Step 4
Roll out geotextile fabric over blue metal to prevent the sand that goes on top from washing away. Overlap the fabric generously and fold it up at the sides to form a tray to hold the sand.
Step 5
Put a 30mm thick layer of paving sand on top of geotextile fabric. Use a trowel to screed the top of the sand 95mm below the finished height of your pavers. Check it is level with a spirit level.
Step 6
Lay pavers on top of the sand. Start off with a full paver near the existing paved area. Bed pavers into the sand with a rubber mallet and use the spirit level to check they are all level with each other. Use an angle grinder to cut the pavers to size at edges.
Step 7
Using a post-hole shovel, dig 500mm-deep holes for your posts. Make the distance between posts on either side of gate 950mm. Also dig a hole adjacent to the house.
Step 8
Cut the posts to size using a circular saw. Make the finished height to suit the length of the picket sitting at the side of the gate, plus 50mm. Use circular saw to cut a 200mm high and 45mm deep notch to fit over sleeper at edge of the paving. Also cut 70 x 45mm notches for the rails of the fence on either side of the gate. Make the position of the notches to match cross rails on the gate. Cut 1 post in half along its length to make posts for the fence at the house and against the existing fence.
Step 9
Put the first post in its hole so the notch in the post sits over the sleeper at the bottom. Screw through post into the sleeper to hold, using 100mm batten screws, and make the post plumb in position with quick-set concrete. Repeat for all posts, making sure their tops are all level.
Step 10
Cut the rails to length and insert into notches on the posts. Predrill and screw rails to posts using 65mm screws.
Step 11
Screw straps of tee hinges to the rails on the gate, then screw to posts. Also fix latch to gate and post.
Step 12
Cut the pickets to length. Predrill and screw the pickets to the rails using 40mm screws. Make the gap between the pickets similar to that of the pickets on the gate.
Step 13
Spread small pebbles to fill the gaps among your pavers. Sweep off to make them flush with the tops of the pavers.
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