Courtyard Makeover

Little did I know that I was about to embark on my first real physical DIY adventure, getting down and dirty with concrete trucks, cursing blisters from shovelling and discovering muscles I never knew I had! If you don’t mind getting your heart rate pumping and enjoy a bit of good old manual labour, then I recommend taking on your own courtyard makeover DIY-style. Although your back may never be the same – putting your feet up in a cosy courtyard at the end of the day is certainly worth the effort!

Design handy hints
Things to consider:
■ How you want to use your space
■ Movement of the sun
■ Any views or sightlines to add to your setting
■ Gardens and plants to add colour
■ Unusual shapes in paths, paving, lawns or garden beds
■ Main traffic and entrances to gates, steps and doorways

How much of what – measuring up
Purchasing pavers, concrete and sand is not as easy as it sounds. You may need to whip out the calculator for this one! Before ordering concrete, paving sand or pavers, you’ll need to calculate the area to be paved. Square or rectangular areas like mine are the easiest – just multiply the length by the width to get your area. Pavers are sold by the square metre.
Concrete is sold by the cubic metre, so you need to measure length x width x depth. I ordered ‘Paverbed’ mix from Boral, which is made especially for paving, and is more economical than normal concrete (it’s also a softer mix and much easier to manage!).
Bedding sand or packing sand can be ordered by the tonne or cubic metre. I allowed about 25mm depth for the sand. Talk to your local landscape supplier to find out what’s suitable for you.out there.”