Stone
Natural stone is always the most covetable of hard landscaping products, weathering beautifully and with an instant air of permanence.
Pros The most important choice is between British stone and foreign stone. British stone has been tried and tested over hundreds of years in this climate, and suppliers know what is most suitable for which use. There is also the environmental dimension: stone bought from a quarry 30 miles away is more environmentally friendly than that shipped from China.
Cons Real stone is expensive. Also, the price difference between that of British and foreign stone is so great that most people buy foreign. A square metre of Welsh slate costs around %26pound;50, while the equivalent in Chinese slate is around %26pound;29. Some Indian sandstone can be bought for as little as %26pound;13.50. The difference is mainly down to the fact that British quarries have to deal with such pesky concerns as health and safety regulations, and decent labour rates.
Where to get it Once you have chosen British stone (you know it makes sense), choose local. You will not only minimise your patio miles, but the stone will fit in with the colours of the local housing. Look up Quarries in Yellow Pages. There are some listed on the British Geological Survey’s website (bgs.ac.uk/mineralsuk//links/quarrying/home.html). When ordering stone, ask about finishes. Some will provide a hammered finish which makes stones less slippery in wet weather. For foreign stone, try garden centres, builders’ suppliers, or dealers such as the Natural Slate Company (020-8371 1485, theslatecompany.net).
Reclaimed paving
A great choice for older properties, imparting instant character.
Pros It’s recycled, so can be an even greener option than British stone.
Cons The good stuff can be just as expensive as new stone. Quality varies greatly, so check for stains, cracks and flaking edges, and always buy from a reputable dealer. If the paving has been reclaimed in Morocco and shipped over to your local salvage yard, you lose environmental brownie points, so ask for stone that has been reclaimed locally. The thickness of slabs is more varied than with new stones, making them much harder to lay. Try to buy by area rather than weight, as less scrupulous dealers may chuck in a couple of hefty ones to bump the weight up. Old stone looks daft next to new properties.
Where to get it Look up Salvage %26 Reclamation in Yellow Pages.
Concrete pavers
Tough, cheap and versatile - yet evil - paving material.
Pros You may have thought concrete slabs had been consigned to the landfills of design history, but they are still around - just cunningly disguised. Concrete is made to look like terracotta tiles, flagstones, slate and even, bizarrely, wood (although you’d have to be pretty short-sighted to fall for that one). The price is the reason most people choose these. The ones that look like concrete cost pennies, while the most expensive, almost-fool-a-stonemason ones, come in at around %26pound;14/sq m. Some are made from concrete mixed with gravel and so have a rough surface that makes them a good choice for a shaded area that might become slippery.
Cons Cement production, the principal ingredient of concrete, creates around 7% of CO2 worldwide. Your path is but a mere drop in this massive concrete ocean, but suffice to say this is not the greenest choice.
Where to get it Suppliers include Bradstone (01335 372222, bradstone.com) and TopPave (0870 241 3450; toppave.com), or garden centres.
Brick pavers and setts
Small pavers or blocks that have been laid in a close-knit pattern.
Pros This is the best choice for awkwardly shaped or undulating areas, as there are no large stones to cut. Their small scale also makes them good for a small area. There are a couple of products that are designed to look like traditional pavers but which allow rainwater to trickle between the gaps, thereby avoiding the flooding issues associated with paving large areas.
Cons Setts have a bumpy surface leading to wobbly-table issues on patios, so use for paths only. A pig to lay, as there are lots of tiny individual stones to put in place. Many setts are made from imported stone.
Where to get it Two rain-permeable options: Priora Pavers are available from Marshalls (0870 120 7474, marshalls.co.uk), and cost from %26pound;21.50/sq m. Aquaflow Permeable Paving is available from Formpave (01594 836999, formpave.co.uk), from %26pound;15.95/sq m. Concrete-cast carpet tiles look like setts but make laying easier as they come in the form of a mat, which is laid over the soil and then has mortar or soil brushed in between the gaps. From %26pound;18.75 for a 1,200 x 400mm block by Bradstone (see Concrete Pavers). Clay brick pavers, %26pound;22-%26pound;30/sq m, from Chelmer Valley Brick Specialists (01277 632542, chelmervalley.co.uk).
Gravel
Crushed up bits of stone or tiny rounded pebbles known as pea gravel.
Pros A cheap and instant way of getting your hard landscaping done. Once you have pinned down a weed-suppressing landscape fabric, you just chuck it down and rake it out. Easy to make holes and plant into it, so that you are not contributing to the massive loss of green space associated with other hard landscaping products. Rain can drain through. Impresses the neighbours with its posh “country house drive” noise when you pull up on it.
Cons Can look cheap. When used for a path, the small bits get stuck in the treads of your shoes and spread annoyingly through the house. Difficult to walk on if put down too thick; gaps show if it is spread too thin. Over time, soil will build up and then weed seedlings sprout. Needs topping up occasionally due to migration into the house and along the street.
Where to get it Look for local sources. Most stone quarries will supply gravel as a by-product, and this will be much cheaper than buying it from a builders’ merchant or garden centre. One tonne will cover 12 sq m to a reasonable depth, and costs from around %26pound;45 for Chard flint to around %26pound;90 for slate chippings.
How to lay a path
You will need A spade, a rake, sharp sand (1 bag per 2 sq m), one bag of cement, a grinder and safety goggles (hire by the day from a tool hire shop), a trowel, a spirit level, a rubber mallet , kiln-dried sand or topsoil
Where a patio butts up against a house, finished paving should lay at least 150mm below the house’s damp course. Make sure the patio will slope gradually away from the house. Paths also need a slight fall to one direction to prevent rain from puddling on them.
Clear the area of all vegetation and make sure it is flat, smooth and well compressed. Cover it in a thick layer of sharp sand. Put all your stones in place, allowing for a 10-20mm gap between them. You might need to cut some of them using a grinder.
Once you’re happy with the layout, mix a thick, wet mortar (one part cement to three parts sand and a little water). Lift the stones individually and place a fist-sized blob of mortar in each corner and in the middle. Put the stone in place and use the mallet and spirit level to gently tap the stone level.
The traditional way to finish a path is to brush a dry mix of one part cement to three parts kiln-dried sand into the gaps, and then water it in, but if you want to plant into the gap, use a mixture of sharp sand and topsoil.
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