Paths around New House

[shoegal]

Hello,

I will be starting to build a new house soon and am posting re the standard paths that usuallly go around a house. Has anyone come across the idea of not puting the paths directly around the house? but rather leaving grass/earth right up against the side of the house walls, I think this will make the house "sit" into the site better and look more attractive. I did suggest this to a builder in passing and he wondered about where the AJs would go? I understand I would probably have to put paths around parts of the house - to comply with wheelchair access etc - but has anyone any experience of doing this? Thank you.

 

[Carpenter]

Shoegal,
Go for it it's a great idea, what your trying to do is commendable, it will soften the appearance of the house and the built structure will look more "organic" as opposed to looking like it's been "dropped from the sky" plonk into the middle of a green field. It's an architect's "trick" that if done correctly will really add to the appearance of the house and any landscaping you propose. Now I wouldn't recommend topsoil right up against the house, it'll prove a nightmare for maintenance and would encourage weeds and damp. What would look great is clean, screened pea gravel or shingle with the edges of the pathways defined by treated timber boards. Your builder can place his AJs and gulleys in position and haunch them in lean mix concrete so they wont migrate. Like wise the pipes should be haunched at critical junctions, sweeps etc. You could use conc. slabs or paviors to provide wheelchair access to the main entrance and these will look softer than concrete paths. Have a look at the current issue of Image Interiors to see how the pea gravel/ shingle looks.

 

[shoegal]

Thank you Carpenter! (Again!), yes, I'll talk to the builder, picked up a copy of the magazine too and I see exactly what you mean. I went for a drive around the country today and had a look, the ones with the gravel (also came across one with grass right up to the front of the house, looks nice, but I take your point about maintenance/damp) do indeed look well, I have a clearer picture of what I want now so I'll see what can be done. Thanks again.

 

[Carpenter]

You're very welcome, if you go with the pea gravel I'd suggest the following spec. or similar, 100mm deep layer of pea gravel on "Terram" geotextile fabric on 150mm compacted hardcore. The "Terram" will prevent the pea gravel from migrating downwards and will prevent weeds germinating, for a while at least. If you have a few bob to spend you could create a nice sharp line to the edge of your paths with a steel mowing edge. This is just sheet steel about 8" in width, sunk into the ground, it retains the gravel and gives a subtle edge to the grass/ gravel interface. This can be seen to good effect in many public gardens, not sure about the cost though.