A Tranquil Oasis | Curved Brick Paving – Garden Build

This video dives deep into the art of garden paving, where every brick and curve breathes life into a new outdoor sanctuary.

👉 Watch a paving tutorial here: https://youtu.be/_5y1CqX99Vs?si=aoI346ER0PpaAHXa

Experience the delicate balance of structure and flow as bricks come together in a classic basket weave pattern and soft, sweeping curves ease the edges. Reclaimed bluestone anchors the space with a rich connection to Melbourne’s history, turning a simple garden makeover into a story of heritage and heart. This is just the first step in a large garden transformation where craftsmanship meets creativity, and sustainability blends seamlessly with design.
Perfect for garden enthusiasts and DIY dreamers, this video reveals step-by-step techniques to create a flowing, elegant garden space. From careful brick cutting to thoughtful use of materials and garden edging, discover how to build not just a garden, but a place to grow lasting memories.

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NEXT WATCH:

👉 Huge Brick Patio – https://youtu.be/YER6vYDaAWI?si=kX27-j4XucMVoNNn

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#garden #brickpaving #gardendesign

This garden is about to get a fresh new look with two beautiful paving areas featuring reclaimed bricks. These bricks carry a rich history and unique character, helping us create a space that’s both timeless and full of personality. Join me as we carefully bring this garden back to life. Step by step, blending craftsmanship with sustainable materials. Hey everyone, welcome back to the channel. Today I’m kicking off a garden transformation project here in Ivanho, Victoria, a suburb full of character and history, just like the bricks and stones I’m about to work with. This garden felt a bit dark and overgrown. Not in a bad way, but it definitely needed a good spring clean. Lucky for us, it’s spring here in Australia. The perfect season for fresh beginnings. We want to keep the big trees here because they provide wonderful privacy and shade. So, the challenge is to work around them thoughtfully. My goal is to bring light, structure, and warmth to the garden, making it a more usable and welcoming space while still respecting everything that’s already there. But before we jump in, here’s a little history about Ivanho. This land was originally home to the Warjury people, custodians of this area for tens of thousands of years. Later, it became one of Melbourne’s earliest garden suburbs with spacious parks and charming Federation era homes reminding us of a time when Melbourne was shaping its identity. The suburb expanded significantly with the arrival of a railway line connecting it to Melbourne in the late 1800s, fueling residential growth and the construction of grand homes. Today, Ivanho retains its historic charm with a blend of heritage homes, leafy streets, and significant community landmarks. It is known for its pleasant environment, established community, and connections to early Victorian history. Today, we’re focusing on creating two medium-sized paving areas positioned on opposite sides of the garden, bringing balance and defining spaces. I’m using reclaimed old red bricks from the Oakley Brick Company. Brands like this grip me because they’re pieces of Melbourne’s past still alive underfoot, but I’ll talk more about them later. I’m going to dig up the existing bricks on the property and mix them in with the paving as well. This top section of the garden has become quite overgrown, turning what could be a beautiful, usable outdoor space into a tangled jungle. I’m planning to relocate some of the plants and out all the weeds. This garden beautifully balances contrasting light conditions with the bottom section nestled in cool shade and this top section basking in abundant sunshine. the perfect combination offering flexibility to move seeding depending on the season. Underneath all the mess, there’s weed mat laid down. I’ve never been a fan of weed mat and have always considered it useless. It hasn’t stopped the weeds one bit. Most of these weeds are shallow rooted and simply grow right on top of the mat. That weed mat is this horrible plastic stuff that blocks the soil underneath and prevents worms and beneficial insects from freely moving through. It ruins the soil’s natural life and can lead to compacted, unhealthy ground. Avoid weed mat in garden beds. Thick organic mulch and good planting are far kinder to the soil and much more effective over time. The plan is to keep the maples and larger shrubs along the fence. Not only preserving their shade and structure, but also creating a natural leafy screen to hide the fence. The two paved areas will be linked together by a flowing curved brick path, which will serve as the garden’s main spine. This path will connect the paved sections, the steps, the washing line, and the back gate, creating a smooth and inviting flow throughout the garden. To ensure the path and paved areas line up accurately and maintain the right angles, I’m setting up string lines as reference guides before the paving begins. These string lines help establish precise alignment and layout so everything sits perfectly in the space. A solid foundation is key to a durable paved area, which is why I’m using a crushed rock base about 100 mm thick. This base provides excellent drainage, preventing water from pooling under the surface, and it helps distribute the weight of the paving evenly to avoid shifting or sinking over time. Properly compacted crushed rock creates a stable, long-lasting base that’s essential for any quality paving project. [Music] [Music] Now, here’s the fascinating part about Oakley Bricks. The company was founded in 1885 by brothers John and Henry Godating, right on Stanford Road in Oakley. It grew to become one of Victoria’s largest brick manufacturers, at one point, supplying around 20% of Melbourne’s bricks. The brick works expanded over several decades, eventually covering more than 70 acres and producing millions of bricks, pipes, and tiles. Oakley Brick Company faced its share of ups and downs, closures during coal shortages, hardships through the Great Depression, but it continually innovated. By the midentth century, the company was producing the iconic cream colored bricks so prevalent in Melbourne homes. Though the brick works ceased production in the late 1970s and formally closed in 1985, their legacy lives on, especially in the bricks we still see sprinkled across the city. Today, the old site is BrickMakers Park, a quiet reminder of the industry that helped build Melbourne. To make sure the paving slopes correctly away from the house and prevents water pulling near the foundation, I’m setting up string lines to establish the slope before laying any bricks. These string lines act as reference points to keep the paving square, even, and flat while gradually sloping downward to direct water away from the house. Using string lines for slope control ensures proper drainage and a professional, long-lasting finish. I’m mixing Oakley bricks with some Northkit bricks already here, the same kind I used in some of my previous projects. Bringing these bricks together feels like blending different chapters of Melbourne’s brickmaking story. Much like a family gathering where everyone with their own stories unites. On the technical side, I’m setting these bricks on sand, not mortar. Because there’s a large established tree nearby. Mortar would likely crack as roots shift the soil, but sand lets the paving flex a bit and prevents damage. Drainage is also tricky here. This is the lowest point of the garden and there are no drains to tap into. So the sand base allows water to filter through naturally preventing pooling or runoff. Once the base and sand bedding are ready, I don’t screed the sand flat because each reclaimed brick is different in size and thickness. Instead, I place each brick individually and compact it with an anti-shock hammer. For thinner bricks, I add more sand underneath and hit them down carefully right until they can’t be pressed down any further. It takes patience but it ensures a stable even surface keeping the unique character only reclaimed brickspring. [Music] [Music] To create a smooth, natural curve for the paving edge, I’m using a flexible garden hose as a guide. Simply laying the hose down allows me to see and adjust the shape easily before marking the line. It’s a simple but effective trick to achieve graceful flowing curves that add a beautiful organic touch to the garden design. I’m making the edge of the paving a gentle curve to soften the otherwise harsh straight lines of the bricks. Curves in garden design create a sense of flow and movement, guiding the eye naturally through the space and making the garden feel more inviting and organic. Hard edges can feel rigid and formal, but curved edges introduce a softness that balances structure with nature, helping the paved area blend harmoniously with surrounding plants and greenery. This flowing shape not only enhances the aesthetic appeal, but also supports a relaxing, peaceful atmosphere in the garden. One of my favorite parts of the paving job is doing the cuts. I enjoy focusing on these fine details because they show the care and craftsmanship that goes into the project. And this quality will be evident for years to come. Precise, clean cuts elevate the entire paving job, while poor, sloppy cuts can make even the bestlaid bricks look rushed and unfinished. Paying attention to these details ensures the finished space looks polished and professional from every angle. Paving on sand offers some great benefits, including flexibility and better drainage, as the sand base adapts to soil movement and water flow. However, it isn’t quite as strong or rigid as paving set on mortar. One common issue with sand paving is that the bricks along the edges can sometimes shift or fall away over time. To prevent this, I’m adding a concrete edge around the perimeter. This concrete edging won’t be visible once the jog’s finished, but it will lock the paving together securely, providing stability and keeping everything tightly in place for the long term. I’m filling the gaps between the paving bricks with coarse wash sand, which is ideal because it allows water to drain through easily and helps prevent pooling. After spreading the sand, I pack it down solidly to lock the bricks in place and give the paving stability. Coarse sand is better for this than fine sand because fine sand tends to wash out more easily, which can lead to loose joints over time. The bottom step has been in a temporary state for a while now with stacked pavers serving as the final step. While functional, it’s not the most durable or attractive solution. I’m planning to replace it with a more permanent and solid step made from blue stone. Later, I’ll also be using blue stone for garden edging, so everything will tie together nicely, creating a cohesive and elegant finish throughout the space. Blue Stone is more than just a building material. It’s a remarkable link to both the ancient and colonial history of this region. Indigenous Australians have been using blue stone for over 6,000 years with archaeological evidence showing its use in sophisticated eel trap systems west of Melbourne. When settlers arrived, they quickly recognized the abundance and durability of this local stone, using it extensively in Melbourne’s early infrastructure. Blowstone became synonymous with the city’s identity. featured in famous landmarks such as Prince’s Bridge, the Old Melbourne Jail, and the walls of the infamous Pentridge Prison, which earned the ironic nickname Bluestone College. The stone was laid by skilled masons, including prison laborers who shaped it into cobblestones, curbs, and buildings that still stand as a testament to Melbourne’s early growth. Using reclaimed blue stone for the garden step brings a tangible connection to this rich and layered story, blending history with the practical beauty of the modern garden. The combination of brick and blue stone here strikes a beautiful contrast. The earthy warmth of the brick brings a cozy richness, while the cool nuanced tones of blue stone add depth and texture. Together they create a balanced pallet that will pull the garden’s design together with subtle sophistication. I’ve chosen to lay the bricks in a basket weave pattern which adds a classic and enduring texture to the paving. This design creates a rhythmic interplay of horizontally and vertically placed bricks, bringing depth and architectural interest without overwhelming the space. The pattern introduces a subtle complexity that contrasts beautifully with the garden’s flowing curves, balancing structured geometry with natural fluidity. This curved design will echo the shape of the lower paved section, creating a harmonious flow throughout the garden. This paving almost acts as a subtle nod to yin and yang. The harmonious interplay of light and shadow, hardscape and greenery, melding balance, tranquility, and natural flow into the outdoor space. Using any broken bricks in a project is a great way to cut down on waste and make the most of available materials. Instead of throwing them away, I’m using any broken bricks for the cuts needed for the brick paving. [Music] Working on projects like this reminds me that gardening is about more than just plants and paths. It’s about stories. Stories of people, places, and time passing. Every brick and stone we place quietly carries those stories forward, linking us to the past while setting the stage for new memories. Gardens tell their own story where every curve, texture, and material plays a role. These spaces are not just for beauty or function, but invite reflection and connection. They become places for family gatherings, quiet moments, and milestones woven together over time to create a living, evolving story. Thanks so much for joining me for this first step. In the next video, I’ll be working on the curved brick pathway, linking these patios, and starting the paved area under the washing line. There’s more history, more stories, and plenty more hands-on work ahead. I hope you enjoy seeing this garden come back to life as much as I do. See you next time.