Hi! Not sure if this is the correct subreddit. Please redirect me if so.
Has anyone transformed something like this before and can share some ideas/photos for inspiration?
by Motor_Win_9758
Hi! Not sure if this is the correct subreddit. Please redirect me if so.
Has anyone transformed something like this before and can share some ideas/photos for inspiration?
by Motor_Win_9758
10 Comments
Depends what you mean by transform and what your appetite for DYI is.
You could in theory break all the concrete up and lay a lawn, or you could just add pots everywhere.
I’ve read on here that breaking up concrete can be a very long and labour intensive process. Could you conceivably use the concrete as a stable base for something or cover it with maybe gravel for example and create an arid style garden?
The relevant questions are:
* What do you want your garden to look like?
* What is your budget?
* How long do you want it to take?
* How do you feel about DIY?
The quickest (budget friendly) turnaround IMO, would be to powerwash everything, and then section areas off with pots and planters, and outdoor furniture. Maybe some ‘decking tiles’ just placed around in areas if you like the look.
Minimal work, immediate turnaround, and everything is easy to move around and change your mind until you figure out what you like or don’t like. For inspiration I would actually google “[Balcony Gardens](https://www.grass-direct.co.uk/media/magefan_blog/balcony-compressed.jpg)” – people trying to put cheap garden areas in small urban spaces.
If you want much more than that then it comes down to having the budget for a new/fixed patio, or getting it removed for lawn, etc.
do something for wildlife! pond? i got some concrete broken up in mine and turned it into a wildlife garden. Needed a drill but was pretty easy. No I’ve got frogs and bumble bees nesting in it and it’s amazing.
Add this photo to ChatGPT, tell it what you like, ask it to visualise possibilities.
Leave it there, the concrete was there before you.
We had some fairly grim mouldy tiles as a patio, and as a cheap solution (after using a hardcore anti-mould cleaner and it just wasn’t doing the business) we actually ended up painting it! A mate advised that you can get away with using masonry paint on the floor and it holds up nicely (we are still walking on it regularly 2 years later with no wear-though). Since ours was flat we were able to use some fun plastic stencils and get a fun tiled effect going, yours looks a bit more bumpy but the paint will still work – stencils might not sit too easy on it though so would likely need to be solid colour instead/ or done freehand. Will add a couple of photos for before and after under this post!
Then I’d personally suggest going mad with pots and containers, you’d be amazed what a difference it makes and it’s really fun adding new pots and plants to the collection. Just one word of warning with that container garden approach – you’ll need to water them very regularly in summer so just be aware of that if that sounds like hassle (I use it as ‘me’ time as it takes me about 45mins to water!)
Good luck, it’ll be a fun project for the spring!
Perfect base for pavers
Big red cross on it? seems all the rage ‘down our way’…..
Pressure wash deck, buy an outdoor rug, 6 by 9, get some Adirondack chairs and some colorful large pots, enjoy