Strange paving! Does this look wrong?

[Kai1977]

Very annoyed. Just getting our garden done and they've put the paving in but it doesn't seem to align with the rest of the garden.

Fair enough, we have an odd shaped garden, it's not rectangular, but they've chosen to pave in line with the back house (which we're covering with trellis and climbers anyway) rather than the lines of one of the fences and/or the line of sight from the front of the garden (where this picture was taken from).

I asked the gardener and he said that the only other option would have been a paved area that was wider (from front to back) on one end than the other, but I would have preferred that because the lines would look right and then the lawn (which will go in front, where the mixer currently is) would be the same length either side.

I just think tradesmen, when presented with two options, should discuss them with clients first? I didn't even think there was any other option, so didn't think there was any reason to discuss the way it would be laid, it seemed like common sense to me.

Anyway, it would be good to get some opinions on the way it looks and whether the tradesman did the right thing please (or ways of improving the look of it now)!

Thanks

It does look like the paving stone should be facing the other way. Facing the house rather than the neighbours garden.
I can't understand what the builders said about a paving area that was wider on one end rather than the other. Does he mean wider to the back of the garden and narrower at the end near to the house? If so,what's wrong with that? And how does this layout change that? It's a daft thing to say.
As you're paying them and they're not doing it as a favour I'd suggest you tell them now before they lay any more stones that you're not happy with it and you want them facing the right way. Don't leave it till they've laid more otherwise you can't justify them pulling them all up.

Thanks, I did tell him and that was his response. What he meant was, is that the width is currently 3m all the way along from left to right but if he did what I wanted, it would probably have to be laid so it was closer to 4m on the left and 3m wide on the right. Like I said, that wouldn't be ideal, but it would at least mean that the lines of the paving aligned with the line of sight and with the other paving he's going to be putting down. It would also mean that the lawn going down from the front of the house to meet the paving would be the same length all the way along. Now it will be longer on the left than than the right.

It was already laid and he's trying to make out that taking it up would be at my whim, rather than rectifying a real problem, so I'm struggling a bit. I also needed to get some second and third opinions first, because he made it seem like this was completely fine! I'm not really sure what my rights are on this front.

How many slabs have they cut because if it's not too many it shouldn't be too hard to take up , I would want it with the lines looking straight from the house ( your house) if it were mine .

Here is a pic with the front and back paving together. They have some slabs left so potentially it could be relaid. They are definitely not at the same angles. What's the best way to approach this with the gardener though, I'm worried he will brush it off or act like I'm just being fussy. My Dad reckons it's normal to align with the nearest wall but this just looks wrong to me, there is more than one wall in the garden to align with!

It doesn't matter if you are being fussy ,you are paying !

I would just tell him that it looks wrong from the house, you're not happy with it and want it changed. You shouldn't have to give lengthy explanations or feel you need to persuade him to do it though you will have to pay the extra time. I'm also sick to death of tradesmen using their 'initiative'.
It will bug you forever (i.e. every time you look out of the window) if you leave it!

Yes I probably will have to raise it and get it changed. Just annoys me that I have to pay for it when he could have had a conversation, I think a good professional would have done. Thanks all!

Probably didn't enter his head there was another way of doing it. He'll know to ask next time or have to rip it up and start again.

It was probably to get the neat line across the wall at the back. How would you feel if he added a long thin triangle across the front to square it off?

I'm assuming that the first photo is taken from your house - probably an upstairs window . And you're looking towards the back of your garden - is that right?

How it looks from the house is The Most Important Thing, because everyone spends more time in the house looking out at the garden than they ever do sitting in the garden looking at the house .

I agree that it looks completely wrong , both sets of paving need to line up with each other , they start at YOUR house and take the line off it . So I'd get the back paving relaid , but not right up to the boundaries . I'd leave plenty space at each side for planting, to disguise the fact that it's " squint ".

I'd also have a border in front of it, not just grass, to hide the fact that it's at a weird angle where it meets your fence

The borders will have to be uneven , and id probably have the paving area not rectangular either . You can't really have a symmetrical geometric plan in a non symmetrical plot

I'd make your back area circular . This will piss off the builder and and cost more as its more labour and materials - you'll need to edge with a smaller sett. But it will look much better IMHO

You need to draw this out on paper first , and give detailed WRITTEN instruction to the builder , whatever you decide .

You have leaned the hard way never to assume ANYTHING with tradesmen. They always do what is easiest for them . And in fairness, your garden is quite hard to design properly

I mean something like this. Except you would have paving instead of grass and grass instead of gravel .

I have two other questions .

How are you going to grow climbers up the back wall when the slabs go right up to it ?

Do you own the back wall and if not, do you have the owners persmission to attach a trellis and grow plants up it ?

Your tradesman is wrong and sounds very inexperienced. We've done self builds/big restorations etc and worked with lots of good tradespeople. It's really basic knowledge to assume all the edges won't be 'true' and therefore to tile/pave/lay carpet from the middle and then work to the edges, so that when you look down the length of your garden/across the room/ at the bathroom wall, it all appears to be straight.

I wouldn't put up with that at all (the end of your garden). They are lazily trying to avoid cutting in at the edges.

But also agree with S&T....circles are good. We've done a similar thing in our current (wonky) garden with a circular patio and it looks nice. You then plant round the edges to hide the wonky edges.