How to Pave a Garden

Your home should be your sanctuary indoors and out, so it’s important that you put time and effort into your garden design – and this should include finding the right paving ideas. Your patio and the other paved areas can set the tone for your whole outdoor space. So, without further ado, let’s take a good look at how to pave a garden.
Garden Paving Ideas
Before delving into an array of garden paving ideas, let’s look at where to begin. Your patio and other paved areas in your garden should harmonise with your house and its setting. But there’s more to paving ideas for gardens than choosing the right colour or design.

Given the cost of various paving materials, you should research which materials offer you the best value for money. This means taking note of versatility, durability, sustainability, lifespan, ongoing maintenance costs, and whether you need to obtain planning permission.

SureSet permeable resin-bound paving is an excellent choice for garden paving ideas. Our aggregates are sustainably sourced, and our paving is permeable, making it SuDS compliant. This means that our paving helps combat urban flooding, and you don’t need planning permission if you’re paving an area less than five square metres in size. Our paving has a 21-year guarantee, and it can withstand British weather as well as light to moderate foot or vehicle traffic. When it comes to ongoing maintenance, your paved areas shouldn’t require more than regular sweeping.

Another important preliminary step is to determine where you want to pave your garden. If you’re planning to install a patio, the spot you choose should be easily accessible and offer some protection from the elements. The spot should also offer some privacy, although if it doesn’t, you can change that with a few creative ideas, such as planting tall plants or training climbing plants up a trellis. With these important elements in mind, let’s move on to a few great garden paving ideas.
Create a soft look with curves
Choosing a rectangular or square design for your garden paving, especially if you’re creating a patio or entertainment area, could result in a very linear space. If you would prefer a finish that’s softer, more organic, and suitable for most garden styles, choose a freestyle design with curved edges.

Bear in mind that installing a patio with curves can be more challenging, depending on factors such as the design and edging you choose.

Mix and match for depth
Using only one material or aggregate for your garden paving ideas could result in a finished project that looks flat. Use a combination of materials, such as different types of aggregates and edging materials, for a more sophisticated look with depth.

For example, you can use contrast borders to indicate different levels or materials, or you could use contrasting colours or materials for pathways to indicate the journey through your garden. You could also use different colours to create a themed area, such as this beach-themed garden.
Install pathways for easier access
If you want to install a patio or entertainment area in a spot that’s away from your house, consider laying a pathway from the house to the area you want to pave. Even if your patio is right outside your backdoor, you might want to consider installing one or more pathways for easier access to different areas of your garden.

When planning your paths, don’t limit yourself to the basic steps of how to pave a garden path. Play around with different garden path edging ideas for interest and depth.
Create unity with paved raised beds
Raised beds are a great way to add height, depth, and structure to paved areas in your garden. In addition to helping to define an area, they can help enhance privacy and provide some protection from strong breezes.

An important part of knowing how to pave a garden with raised beds is finding how to create a sense of unity or contrast between your paving materials and those beds. If you prefer a unified look, SureSet’s StepRise resin bound tiles make it easy to clad your raised beds with the same material you use for the rest of your paving.
Create a focal point
Draw attention to a specific area of your outdoor space by creating a focal point. One garden paving idea for doing this is to create a paving circle within your design to designate an outdoor dining area, bar, or living area with raised seating and a firepit.

Using SureSet makes it easy to incorporate complimentary or contrasting colours in your design, such as in Warwick Davis’ bespoke beach garden. If you would prefer having a tree as a focal point, you can install a tree pit using SureSet.

Incorporate a water feature into your garden paving ideas
The sound of running water can create a peaceful atmosphere and block out peripheral noise. One way of incorporating a water feature into your garden paving ideas is by installing a feature at paving level.

Another way is to install a water feature with raised sides for height. If you want a sense of unity, clad the sides of the feature using SureSet’s StepRise.
Paving Ideas For Small Gardens And Driveways
Do you have limited space at home? Take a look at these paving ideas for small gardens and small driveways.
Bring your indoors outdoors
You can create the feel of a home extension by installing a patio using permeable resin bound paving that closely matches the colour of the flooring of the room inside. For example, choose a buff coloured or neutral aggregate if you have wooden floors or light-coloured carpets inside.

Doing this will create a seamless flow from indoors to your outside space.
Choose dual-purpose designs
One of the best paving ideas for small gardens is to opt for dual purpose designs for space-saving functionality. For example, you can set patio or entertainment area walling low enough for it to double as seating.

Apply the same principle to the furniture for your outdoor space, such as choosing a table that doubles as storage.
Install a curved driveway
Installing a driveway with a curved design adds visual interest and can make your front garden look bigger. A curved design also offers you more spacious areas. This means you could be more creative when it comes to planting or garden features.

How Much Does It Cost To Pave A Garden?
By now, you might be asking the question, “How much to pave a garden?” The answer depends on several factors.

Resin bound paving usually starts at around £40 per square metre. However, the price depends on the type and size of the aggregate, type of resin, required depth of the paving, whether a new sub-base must be prepped, the size of the area to be paved, edging used, and haulage and labour.
Do I Need Planning Permission For Paving A Back Or Front Garden?
You might also be wondering, “Do I need planning permission for paving my back garden?” The good news is that you don’t need planning permission if you’re using permeable paving to pave an area less than five square metres.

You will need permission if you use non-permeable paving or if your project requires significant embanking or terracing works to support hard surfaces.

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