Path from house to observatory - ideas please.

[Gina]

Those look very good but way beyond my price for the area I want to cover.  Thank you for the suggestion.

[Gina]

I need to measure the length of the yellow path shown above but it looks like 4 or 5 metres.  4 of those grids is over £800.

I don't think I fancy covering the area shown below with gravel or whatever either.

[Gina]

I've been thinking about what causes the mud bath.  Yes, water obviously, but maybe more than rain that lands on the area.  With a considerable area of sloping ground rising to the north of the area with soil that doesn't have good draining, I'm thinking that I really need to dig a draining ditch just above the area concerned and including the observatory, taking the water out through the boundary to join the ditch on the other side.  This might stop the flooding of the observatory foundations too, "killing two birds with one stone".

This is an aerial photo taken many years ago before I built the observatory, which shows the concrete areas and the rising grassed area above the area concerned.  The observatory is in the bottom corner of the plot.  The back porch on the RHS of the bungalow doesn't have a door now but in many ways that would be a good way to get to the observatory.  In fact the windows I built for the south end have rotted and need replacing so I may look at adding a door.

Edited February 24, 2020 by Gina

[Gina]

The rain has stopped and I've been out and measured the distance from the concrete path to the observatory (yellow route).  More than I thought - 7 metres.  As an interim measure I may buy some of these.  Two sets would give me a path 500mm wide at a reasonable price.

[carastro]

Quote

I really need to dig a draining ditch just above the area concerned and including the observatory, taking the water out through the boundary to join the ditch on the other side.  This might stop the flooding of the observatory foundations too, "killing two birds with one stone".

That sounds a good idea Gina, but will be a lot of work, will you attempt this on your own or "get some-one in."  They could lay a path for you at the same time.

Carole 

 

[johninderby]

There was a thread on plastic grid mats recently.

 

Edited February 24, 2020 by johninderby

[carastro]

Another idea, would be to have a gully leading to a drain, and place paving stones over the gully.  I remember this being the drainage system when we were walking along the "pavements" in Barbados many years ago.  Worked well until suddenly there was a piece of paving missing, and this was walking in the dark too!!!

I am no engineer or builder, but something like this.

 

Carole 

Edited February 24, 2020 by carastro

[Gina]

I'm far from sure I would be up to digging a trench all the way across the ground.  Yes, the ideal solution but probably impractical for me.  I might have managed it 8 years ago when I built the observatory but I no longer have the strength or energy/stamina I had then! 😟

[Gina]

Been out to the big shed and had a look at my timber stock.  Plenty of it but not very accessible.

[Gina]

ATM I dare not buy anything as I have my car going in for MOT on Wednesday and no idea whether it will want any expensive repairs.  Looking at the weather forecasts it seem unlikely that I shall want to go out to the observatory this week, though you never know.

[Greymouser]

I can't think of no way to do what you want without a large amount of effort, or a large amount of money, sorry. A filed drain as suggested by Carastro would be an ideal part of the solution, but would probably not be enough on its own, after all farmers have been using that method for millennia. Better still would be doing as the Romans did: Just get your local school to help as a learning exercise!

Edited February 24, 2020 by Greymouser

[Swoop1]

Gina, I have been thinking about your problem for a few days and am a bit stumped for an easy, low cost option. The nearest I could get was a decking path. This could be raised a few inches on decking risers or you could perhaps use fence post spikes driven into the ground as a mean soldier to getting above the waterlogged ground. You would need a few spikes or risers though as I think about 1.5m centres would be best to support the path and users. A bit like building a long, narrow floor twixt home and obsy.

[Gina]

Yes, one possibility I have in mind but didn't think of fence post spikes.  Thanks.

[JOC]

19 hours ago, Gina said:

The rain has stopped and I've been out and measured the distance from the concrete path to the observatory (yellow route).  More than I thought - 7 metres.  As an interim measure I may buy some of these.  Two sets would give me a path 500mm wide at a reasonable price

I couldn't find the advert when I wanted to show you what we had before - so used an alternative link, but what you found here ^^^ look exactly like ones the ram is walking on and they can be filled with gravel and laid on membrane in exactly the same way FWIW they were a doddle to click together, but I am bound to say the flatter the surface the easier it is.  Their advantage is, comprised with non-waterproof membrance, that they will drain nicely.  If I get down there in the next couple of days while it is still light I'll try and get you a photo of the path I laid for the ram.

[Gina]

With some nice weather today I have been outside and looked at the ground between house and observatory.  I think I have a plan.  For a start I'm going to buy the heavy duty version of the plastic grid panels to make a path of the shortest distance as shown in yellow in the diagram.  In the longer term I think I'm going for a gravel area in front of the house and up to the observatory.  The ground is too waterlogged in wet weather to make a decent garden and I think I would be better off with gravel and containers.  I already have the weed-proof membrane which I can secure temporarily with concrete blocks and slabs.

16 grids 500mm square will give me an 8m x 500mm wide path. 

[Gina]

I've just taken the weed-control membrane and partly spread it out on the ground.  It's huge!  I'll go back through the thread and see what I bought.

[Gina]

Looks like I bought a sheet 20m long x 3.3m wide with the idea of this coverage.

[Gina]

A few points about this.  I don't need it to go so far to the west (RHS of the diagram) and I would like it to go up to the concrete in front of the living room window.  Also I see no point in going round the observatory.  The area is not rectangular as shown in the diagram but wedge shaped.  I'll take some photos sometime.

[Gina]

Measured the width of the weed control membrane and it is 3.3m.  Width of sun lounge is 2.5m and from sun lounge to edge of house is 3.7m.  Concrete path round corner of house is 1m.  SE corner of sun lounge to boundary = 3.3m.  SW corner of sun lounge to boundary = 2.4m.  Length of sun lounge is about 5m which give an angle off-square of 9 in 50 which is about 10 degrees.  Corner of concrete (round house) to boundary = 4.2m.

Edited February 26, 2020 by Gina

[Gina]

Here's a very rough sketch of the property traced from a very pixellated aerial view.

 

Edited February 27, 2020 by Gina

[Dr_Ju_ju]

Why not form a path with some plastic lawn edging, that can be pushed into the soil, or staked in place, in-filled with weed control membrane, & then filled over with gravel ??

[Gina]

Added the area to be covered with weed control membrane and gravel plus the position of the micro-observatory if I ever build it (circle).

[Gina]

"Mud, mud glorious mud - nothing quite like it for cooling the blood" 🎶  GROAN!!! 

[johninderby]

[Gina]

Absolutely!!  Very much so!!