Best way to prepare front garden for slabs?

[GG33]

I have a problem front garden, not that big, (about 10M wide by 5M deep) its south facing but fairly nicely overgrown with a combination of eneven surface, loads of brambles, weeds etc.

I want to prep it once and for all without the fear of seeing weed and brambles sprouting up next year. I am thinking of decking or decorative slab/brickwork with sleepers etc.

Whats the best way to prepare it? bearing in mind I will probably have to pay someone to do the labouring (I just hate gardening)

GG

[Chrisgr31]

You'll need planning permission if you are going to place slabs on it! For reasons to do with flooding you are only allowed to cover front gardens with 5 sq metres of nopermable material without planning permission. Its all to do with allowing water to soak in rather than flood somewhere. Mind you no restrictions on slabs in the back garden.

So I would go for gravel or other decorative stone. Could just dig it out to a depth of a cuple of inches, and put in raised areas or retaining walls if it slopes. Put down some weed membrane and lay decorative stone on top.

[m3jappa]

As long as the surface water is retained on your own property then you do not need planning. A soakway or a bed will surfice and i'm 100% certain about that as i do it for a living. Its a ridiculous rule which was bought in and has caused a lot of confusion and in all honesty i would say 7 out of 10 people don't care, they take the view of 'well my neighbours drive is paved why can't i do mine' and they risk it, all depends how hot the local council is and some are some aren't, i'm in Essexand have heard of no problems this way at all.

go to pavingexpert.com for lots of advice as to write it down here would take forever

[Simpo Two]

Brambles are going to need more than digging out to 2"!

I'd blast with glyphosate, wait two weeks, then rotovate and put down a weed blanket of some kind.

20 years ago I opened out some binliners and laid them under gravel to keep weeds out. They are still 95% effective!