I want to put a border around my pool. I was thinking of using landscape edging and pea gravel. Is there a better material to use? Whatever I go with, how deep should it be? And should I place directly on the dirt or put a layer of sand first? Is 1 ft wide enough? Any thoughts from all the vast experience on this site would be much appreciated. Thanks!
Border around AGP
- Thread starter erivette
- Start date
You HAVE to put down a weed barrier first! Buy the best one you can find. It will pay off in the long run.
We put down sand, weed barrier, white marble rocks. I then found I could NOT walk on the rocks in bare feet (hey I live in Florida so go bare foot all of the time). I have added stepping stones around the pool so I can vacuum/clean the pool on days I do not want to get in.
Make sure the sand does not get in the tracks of the pool. We put it just up to the track then put bigger rocks around the track to keep any sand out. We still need to get a few more bags to finish it up.
Kim
We put down sand, weed barrier, white marble rocks. I then found I could NOT walk on the rocks in bare feet (hey I live in Florida so go bare foot all of the time). I have added stepping stones around the pool so I can vacuum/clean the pool on days I do not want to get in.
Make sure the sand does not get in the tracks of the pool. We put it just up to the track then put bigger rocks around the track to keep any sand out. We still need to get a few more bags to finish it up.
Kim
Stepping stones are a great idea. Always barefoot in Texas, too. So 1ft probably isn't wide enough. How deep is the layer of rock? 3 or 4 inches sound reasonable? Also, building a deck around about 1/2 of the pool. Is there any reason to take the border under the deck? Thank you!
The rock is about 3 inches deep. Deep enough you cannot see any of the weed cloth.
I would put "cheap" stone/rock under the deck. It will help with the rain/water/run off problems that might come from just dirt.
Of course you should have something to keep the sand/dirt/stones where you put it.
Have fun shopping and doing! I was NEVER so glad to see the end of bags as when I was able to put the last bag on!
Kim
I would put "cheap" stone/rock under the deck. It will help with the rain/water/run off problems that might come from just dirt.
Of course you should have something to keep the sand/dirt/stones where you put it.
Have fun shopping and doing! I was NEVER so glad to see the end of bags as when I was able to put the last bag on!
Kim
gtojohn
0
- Apr 8, 2011
- 79
You might suggest drainage pipe underneath if you have any flooding issues with rain, and if you havent...you might do a quick search on ground bonding loops, 2 things much easier to do before pea gravel and stepstones.
We are planning to put river rock around ours. It is round, and nicer to walk on with bare feet.
Yes, landscaping fabric is a must, or else you will be hand pulling weeds forever. If you are not adverse to chemicals, a good dose of ground clear would not hurt either. You want a ground clearing product, not something like RoundUp. RoundUp works on the PLANT. You spray it, the plants die, and you can re-plant things in the same spot the next day. A ground clear works on the earth. It stayes in the ground and prevents growth for up to a year. Read the lable if you decide to use one, and pick the right kind.
As for bags of rock / marble / etc. Call a masons supply and have it delivered. Unless you are only going to use 5 - 10 bags of rock, having it delivered in bulk, even with a delivery charge is much much much cheaper (same goes for mulch as well) and is a lot less work than getting all of those bags in and out of your car.
As an example, this place in my town has pea gravel at $49.50 a cubic yard + delivery (I think it's $25)
http://www.themulchdepot.com/stone.html
Home Depot is listing pea gravel in bags at $3.48 for a half cubic foot.
There are 27 cubic feet in a cubic yard, so you would need 54 bags, for a total of $188.46 for each yard you need. Plus you get to dirty your car / truck all up.
-dave
-dave
Yes, landscaping fabric is a must, or else you will be hand pulling weeds forever. If you are not adverse to chemicals, a good dose of ground clear would not hurt either. You want a ground clearing product, not something like RoundUp. RoundUp works on the PLANT. You spray it, the plants die, and you can re-plant things in the same spot the next day. A ground clear works on the earth. It stayes in the ground and prevents growth for up to a year. Read the lable if you decide to use one, and pick the right kind.
As for bags of rock / marble / etc. Call a masons supply and have it delivered. Unless you are only going to use 5 - 10 bags of rock, having it delivered in bulk, even with a delivery charge is much much much cheaper (same goes for mulch as well) and is a lot less work than getting all of those bags in and out of your car.
As an example, this place in my town has pea gravel at $49.50 a cubic yard + delivery (I think it's $25)
http://www.themulchdepot.com/stone.html
Home Depot is listing pea gravel in bags at $3.48 for a half cubic foot.
There are 27 cubic feet in a cubic yard, so you would need 54 bags, for a total of $188.46 for each yard you need. Plus you get to dirty your car / truck all up.
-dave
-dave
I can get a yard of river rock or 3 different sizes of pea gravel (smooth round) for between $30-50. Delivery is like $20. Can't imagine having to buy bags. I got the 7 yards of fine washed mason sand for under the pool with delivery for $100. Mason supply is definitely the way to go. Thanks tor the tip about ground clear. Did not know the difference.
erivette said:
Prices certainly vary by location. In my area, regular mulch runs about $35-$55/yard. Delivery is about $25-50 for up to 8-10 yards, depending on the size truck/company you deal with. Decorative stone prices are roughly double that.