Hi,

I have a new home with a very large plain backyard. I am planning and
preparing to add character, but must do
in tiny steps. I don't have a lot of time or budget, so hope to create a
warm welcome backyard over time.

The first thing I would like to do is create 2 "hard" areas.
I have a 10x10 covered patio and off to the left of it I need a 10x8 area
for grilling and expanding off of the
patio. in another area I would like to create a space 6x4 for a bench under
a group of small trees.

For both of these areas I would like to use crushed granite.
It's cheap, and it looks good. For the area off of the patio I may someday
want to add paving stones,
and this would be the perfect first step to that idea.

I know it durable enough, but I'm not sure how to install it properly.
Once I cut away the st. Augustine, how deep should the crushed granite be?
Do I need to rent a compactor and compact it? I would like to define the
area with some
sort of drought tolerant border plants...do you have any suggestions?

Thanks for any help on my project!
jojo