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Chances are at some point you’d probably given a though about how steps would fit in perfectly in your garden, except of course, your yard and garden is flat. Adding steps and gardens makes it a lot easier to get around your yard while also enhancing its curb appeal. In order to avoid the cost of hiring a professional to get the task done, you might be tempted to make it a DIY task. However, if you lack the required skill and confidence to pull this off, we’d strongly recommend you call in a professional so as to avoid costly errors. In this post, we’re going to take you through the garden steps building process. Let’s take a look!

1. Measure the vertical height of the slope by marking it with two parallel lines. Once done, proceed by connecting a string line to the slope’s top and hold it in a horizontal way, take a measurement of the flight’s length and breadth. Divide the measurement by 200mm to get the number of steps that’ll be required. Then proceed to divide the number by the height to identify the depth of each step.
2. Working downwards from the flight’s top, dig the step shapes and also dig a shallow trench and install a concrete foundation.
3. Enable the foundation to harden by leaving it for about 48 hours, then install two courses of bricks on the concrete strip and use gravel to backfill.
4. With the help of a trowel, apply mortar to the top of the brickwork. Place the first slab on the mortar bed and press down. Then, make use of a spirit level to make sure that the steps are level.
5. On the back edge of the first tread, you should proceed to build the second rise, backfill and install the slab to form the second tread – just like the previous step. Repeat this process until you’ve gotten to the top of the flight.

If your lawn edges are overgrown, it can make an otherwise well-cared for lawn look unsightly. Luckily, it’s easy to edge your lawn and make it look beautiful again. You should edge your lawn every spring and trim any overhanging grass you notice after mowing. How to edge a lawn There are different types of equipment you can use for different types of edging:

• Edging shears
• Half-moon edger
• Grass shears with a long handle
• Gardening knife
• Long rope or a plank of wood

Depending on how regularly you’ve maintained the edging of your lawn, you might want to do one of the following things:

• Annually in spring or if you’ve left the grass to get out of hand: Decide whether you want a straight or a curved edge along your lawn. If you want a straight edge, lay a plank of wood along the edge and use your half-moon edger to cut along. If you want a curve, lay a rope along the edge and cut along that. Or if you can still see the existing curve of the lawn, you can stick with that.
• After mowing: Use long-handled shears to trim the grass the mower couldn’t reach. If you want to make it look extra tidy, collect up the cuttings and put them on your compost heap or dispose of them.
• Overgrowing grass onto paths: Use a sharp gardening knife to cut the pieces of turf that are growing over the path and pull them away.
• When your lawn is flush with the path: Snip a clean edge along your path with your long-handled grass shears to make it look neat and tidy.
• If you’d rather a low-maintenance option: Spiked metal sheeting is a good material to use to keep your lawn’s edges at bay. Fix it in the ground along the edges to keep the outline of your lawn and stop it from growing into your borders.

The best way to keep your lawn edges looking fabulous is to keep them maintained. Remember to give them a little trim every time you mow your lawn to be the envy of all your neighbours.

• Blade material Artificial grass is made up of lots of individual blades, just like real grass. The blades are made of plastic and are sewn to a backing material. To help keep your artificial grass looking great for longer, a blend of blades made from nylon and polyethylene are best. Nylon is extremely resilient, but isn’t very comfy to walk on, so adding the polyethylene which is still very strong helps to keep it feeling nice underfoot.
• Backing material The backing material holds all the artificial grass blades together. It’s made of two layers: a membrane that the grass is attached to, and a section that’s usually made of latex or polyurethane and bonds everything together. When you’re choosing your artificial grass, ask for samples – try to pull away the backing material. If it comes apart easily, steer clear of that type of grass.
• The artificial grass’ use The lifespan of your artificial grass will depend on how much traffic it gets. It’s best to invest in strong nylon or nylon-blend turfs where it’s going to get walked on regularly, such as on a pathway to a door. Of course, if the artificial grass is more ornamental, a lower-quality product will last a long time.
• Good installation One of the main things that will help your artificial grass last a long time is effective installation. If artificial grass is laid badly, it might suffer from poor drainage and weeds which will reduce its lifespan. It’s always best to get your artificial grass installed by a professional since they’re trained in fitting it to a high standard.

• Decking joists
• Coach screws
• Coach bolts
• Combi drill
• Socket set
• A saw suitable for your project and the thickness of the timber
• Pencil
• Decking preservative
• Sandpaper or sander

1. Measure your deck frame and cut to size if necessary.
2. Make 2 pencil marks on each end of the frame’s 2 outer joists to mark where the coach screws will go. They need to align with the centre of the adjoining outer joist. Then, use a flat wood drill bit to drill recesses into each mark. Make them the same depth of the screws that your using’s head and wide enough for a ratchet or socket to tighten them.
3. Using a thinner drill bit, line up the outer joists and drill a pilot hole through the middle of the recess. These pilot holes act as a guide for the screws and stops them from splitting the wood.
4. Fit the coach screws with either a drill driver or socket and ratchet.
5. Repeat the process for the inner joists once you’ve assembled the outer frame.

There are quite a few different types of garden fencing that are readily available, so you’ll have plenty to choose from. If you’ve got a strict budget, waney edge panel fencing is a good option. It’s made up of horizontal wood strips and is generally the cheapest type of fencing. Another good option is closed feather-edge panels. These are a really strong type of fence, made up of concrete posts and panels of vertical strips of wood.You can also get more decorative types of fencing with combinations of vertical and horizontal wood strips.

Properly erected fences shouldn’t require a great deal of maintenance. Any rotting boards can usually be replaced without replacing the whole panel. Timber fencing should be stained every 2-3 years. General maintenance is something you can carry out yourself, however, larger works may need a qualified professional to come in.

Properly installed wooden decking will not need a lot of maintenance. Most manufacturers recommend regularly brushing leaves and dirt off the deck, and a yearly cleaning and staining procedure. This will keep the wood in the best condition. Fluids and treatments are readily available from all DIY shops and stores.

It’s a good idea to talk to your neighbours before you start any work to avoid confusion along the way. But if the fence is definitely your responsibility and on your property, there’s no legal obligation to notify them. It’s also a myth that you need to erect a fence with the flush side without posts facing your neighbour’s property.