I'm about to sort my 'Darka destroyed' garden out. (Finally!)
the dogs are getting a 25x18 foot section of it for a run.

please vote what you think the better option is and  post your thoughts as to why one is better than the other.

Cheers!

Slabs 100%

That said they need to be laid properly and pointed.  They just clean up so much better than concrete and will not fragment under the power washer.

Hope this helps,

M

Slabs, slabs, slabs, slabs, 1500 slabs later I'm sure we made the right choice 

Hi Brian

I got a load of slabs laid rather than concrete about 9 months ago and at the time the guy said concrete would have to be very thick to stop it cracking etc so I opted for slabs.

Not had concrete but boy is it so much better than the grass (if you can call it that) and mud I had in the last place.

Cheers

E

I don't like either.     I'm so difficult...................

Would you consider getting a minidigger in, scraping back 18 inches of the soil, laying chicken wire over the ground to stop the diggers, and then backfilling with sand and gravel?

Looks nicer than concrete and slab, easy enough to clean, pee soaks away, lets your diggers still play.

Hmmmm.... Love your idea Peter and yes I would love to do it.  Unfortunately all my kids come in at night (down to 15) and the muddy paws would drive me nuts! 

Since slabbing their play area, I have a lot less housework 

I would steer clear of the gravel coz some of mine would eat it.   

It sounds nice but slabs are just so much more convenient.

M

Agree with Martin there as one of mine eats stones as well.

Also housework is much less and dogs feel so much cleaner as mine live in when we are at home.  It seems much easier to dry a wet dog than to dry a wet and muddy one.

Another thing to think about it drainage.  I got my slabs put in at a very slight angle down to a drainage pipe that looks like a bit of guttering sunk into the ground with a click on cover.  It's great and really easy to clean.

Emma

If planning consents are not required and as a compromise we'd always have concrete. (not that we've had any of the stuff yet! got to get round to that!lol) Things to remember with concrete are, don't make it too weak or it will weather very easily, don't make it too strong or it will heat up during the drying process too quickly and cause thermal cracking, which in the future will not help with general weathering of the concrete. If you can, pour it in a couple of smaller slabs that join together, this way the temperature stays down and there is less cracking. If you can afford it and the depth is sufficent you can put in a fabricated reinforcement mesh which also helps reduce cracking. Depending on how much you are needing it may be cheaper and quicker to order some from a readymix company (delivery lorries are 6m^3. you have to pay a charge for every m^3 not used, so if you need around 6m^3 it's ideal). Phone around and get different quotes (be aware of a thing called waiting time charge). If you ask for a 25 or 30 newton concret with an 80mm to 100mm slump. Expect to pay around £65 / m^3. Preparation - dig out, level, line with a plastic membrane or something similar, set screed rails up to the finished level you want (considring cross fall and drainiage of course), pour, vibrate concrete with a poker vibrator (hired from GAP, or Hewden or someone), this will take all the air out the concrete and increase it's strength and lifespan, screed off with a long and strong piece of timber, tamping it as you go to create a non slip effect. Give me a call if you need any more info...


Slabs are a bit easier to lay, but preparation is the key. If the slabs are to be down for a while, don't be tempted to cut corners and lay them on top of grass or topsoil. Both need to be removed. Line the dig with a separator membrane like terram or lowtrak. about 3 inches well compacted type 1 or similar stone, about 1 inch to 2 inches screeded sand and lay slabs end over end. Dead easy.

You could always get a pikey in to do the work for you. I could put you in touch with a few

Cam

Hi Brian,

I have an area of slabs more now just put more in and an area of concrete and the concrete has cracked and broken and this seems to be were the dogs like to pee and no amount of disinfectant and power washing gets the smell totally away. I just bought 2 ton of type 1 for £40 2 ton of sand about the same price and 42 slabs came to about £180.
Callum

sounds like the paving people are swaying me...
although old man Pack just confused me! 

Interesting that the vote is tied but I've not had anyone saying why they think that the concrete is a better option...

Peter, I'm staying away from anything that looks like mud and wet sand/gravel sounds like a muddy mess to me !!

Callum, Where'd you go for your material. I was thinking of just using my local buildbase...

If my maths is right I need 99 2x2's and 9 3x2's... oooh my back's twinging just thinking about it!

Cam, how much sand/type 1 are we talking about for 42m²?

Cheers!

For 150mm deep type 1 = 12.5T
For 25mm deep sand bed = 2.1T (double depth = double weight... obviously) lol
(Remember to dig away the soft topsoil and lay a spearator material so the type 1 is not lost in the subsoil).

You could use an alternative to type 1, recycled road plannings. As long as your dog run drains away from the garden and not into anybody elses, you'll have no problems, especially if they have been processed properly.

If you have the space, get the sand and stone delivered loose. You will pay a huge mark up price if you buy them in 1T bags. It's not worth it.

With regards to the concrete, I think you need to know what you are doing ot have someone there that knows what they're doing or you can easily end up with something like Callum has described.

If you are confident in your slab laying ability, I would use 3"x2" slabs. Much harder work but I think they are more stable and less likely to "wobble" and they cover the open ground quicker so there is a psychological factor (per square meter, they are cheaper too)! But as long as the prepared area is spot on and slightly wider and longer than you need the 2"x2" 's will be fine.

Have you tried scot ads for slabs? They could save you a fortune!

Cam

I have slabs and concrete and am when I can replacing the concrete with slabs(as a result of kalysto digging the concrete everytime she finds a crack ) as they are so much easier to clean, don't crack in the winter and the dogs don't dig them

Our previous dog yard was set out as per Peter's idea, using tarmac road planings instead of gravel; the digger dogs loved it and they could get into a nice cool hole in the summer, but it was pertty messy in the wet; we had all the dogs living in loose boxes at the time and provided they had woodshavings under the straw to soak up moisture it was fine, but I wouldn't have wanted them in the house!

Now have concrete, dug in, sheeted, etc, proper job; been here 2 years and it still looks fine, but I have to admit I'd like to have the option of a grass run for the guys as well, I think they miss it.

Personally I prefer (well-laid) concrete to slabs, had slabs many years ago and a dog broke his toe in a bad joint.

I think the huge concrete pad in my dog run has been down for about four years now and it hasn't shown any signs of cracking at all but it does have some kind of foundation thing with some of those metal grids put in below. It has a soakaway thingy underneath and slopes unnoticeably down to a drain and comes up great with a bit of power washing.

I too think it's nice to have a dirt run in addiition for digging and general hijinks which I have and it is called the rest of the garden 



Mel