When we bought our home in December of 2004, we literally had a house sitting in the middle of a clear field. Just dirt, all around. Correction, just CLAY, all around. Sticky, slippery clay.
As we began to develop the garden, just walking outside to work on the garden, or trying to get from one place to the other in the garden was a hassle. A trip out to the garden meant 5 or more minutes spent digging mud out of the treads of your shoes, while sitting on the front or back steps. Then leaving your shoes in a tray by the door to keep the floors clean inside. By the time I would walk from one end of the yard back to the house, I would have 2 or 3″ of sticky clay caked onto my boots. It was a nightmare.
We finally decided to install a patio 1/2 of the width of the house, across the back. We were able to find a good deal on pave stones, but we had to pay full price for the large 18x6x3″ border stones.
Now we have a clean, dry place to sit and enjoy the sunset with a glass of wine – and no mud.