Turn a bare space in the garden into a paved entertaining area the whole family can enjoy.

Melissa Darr

The big backyard of this home had a lot of potential to be transformed into a tidy and appealing entertaining area.

And DIY blogger Melissa and husband Bevan were all the more keen to change the space to detract from the huge shed that dominated it.

“The previous owner was a metal forger and he built this extraordinarily large shed to work in,” says Melissa.

“We planned the arbour and fire pit space to draw the eye away from it.”

1 of 6

Prepare the site

The paving had to be done with the arbour in situ.

For the arbour, Melissa and Bevan recycled the timber from an old pergola that had stood in the backyard.

Four galvanised stirrups were secured in the ground with concrete.

The posts were bolted in the stirrups, then cross beams were cut at an angle at each end and bolted to the top of the posts.

Cross battens were spaced evenly along the sides and top of the arbour, then supports were added in the corners.

The whole arbour was then painted white.

The plans for the patio were put down on paper and the site was marked out.

A bobcat was used to clear the area, spread a gravel base and level it off.

Bevan then marked out the perimeter with stringline to create a square boundary that would act as a guide for the paving.

1 of 6

Vote It Up:

Points: 0

Most Read