I don't know how big your yard is, but I would start small, with the gravel, meaning, just big enough for the seating at first--the point being, you can always expand, but you will never remove the gravel once you've got it in (I'm making assumptions about what you will or won't do in the future based on human nature, the nature of gravel removal, and your post!). Also, will be an issue for the next (owner?)--if you will be responsible for future sale of the property, then that is one reason to avoid some forms of home improvement that may be seen as drawbacks. If you are the least bit inclined to "gardening" and to enjoy a bit of greenery, you might be able to plan and install some pockets of groundcover for the same price as covering everything with gravel--it is possible to build up soil areas without a lot of digging and leveling, particularly for planting one of the tough groundcovers (not for growing tea roses right away!). There would be some upkeep to establish the plantings but again, you could start small-- an area 3x3 or 4x4. You might approach your yard by mapping out quadrants or areas and tackle one or 2 , but leave the rest bare until you phase in the whole plan. The return would be that you would not be trying to establish a lawn from scratch under poor conditions but you would have some green space. You haven't said whether you have any trees in your yard or overhanging your yard--leaves, cones, acorns, maple seeds-- but that is an issue for pea gravel--you don't want a lot of gravel if there is going to be a lot of organic debris falling on it, requiring constant raking and upkeep.

I did a search for "stone patio" on this forum, and turned up a bunch of old threads on the topic. There have been discussions about the pros and cons of various materials and construction techniques, as well as questions from DIYers. River pebbles or pea stone, or any rounded stones are going to be difficult to walk on, though they are pretty to look at. The smaller ones will shift around and if they are scattered onto a harder surface, will be like walking on marbles. Crushed stone, which has an irregular angular shape, will compact better, especially if mixed with a finer stone product. Ask at a local stone yard about what they have that will compact well. If you tell them what you are trying to do, they may suggest the appropriate material to use. You can blow large dry pieces of leaves and twigs off of crushed stone, but smaller pieces, especially if wet, will get stuck between the stones in time and create a nice environment for weed seeds to germinate. Be prepared to weed, and possibly to topdress with fresh stone once in a while. Read through the linked discussions, and find out which materials are available in your area. Whatever you do, digging out for the base and moving the stone is heavy work. Maybe you could hire a couple of guys for a day to help with the digging if it's too much to do alone? You'll also need a place to dump the mulch/soil you remove. If the area is accessible, maybe you could have the stone delivered and dumped where you need it so you just have to spread it? There have been some very interesting things done with recycled concrete chunks, try a search here and on the web in general for some ideas. If you can find a source for it and have a way to transport it, you might get your materials for free. Remember to Call Before You Dig, or whatever they call it where you live. Also, try the Gardening with Stone forum for more info. Here is a link that might be useful: stone patio

Kern in his book, "The Owner Built Home" talks about no-fines concrete. In this he mixes 1 part water, 2 parts cement and 7 parts peagravel,(or was that 2 water 1 cement...) but no sand. The cement coats the peagravel and gatehrs at the contact points. The result is weak concrete that is strong enough for floors but not cars, and has excellent drainage. An experiment that would be worth a try would be to sprinkle a few cups of cement on a few square feet of pea gravel, rake litely, and mist thoroughly a few times, KEEP THE DOG OFF IT. and see if it hardens in a day or so.

Ellie's Mom, Was this concrete (sand, portland cement and gravel) or mortar (sand and portland cement)? Go to the home improvement store and buy a piece of ridgid insulation board. It comes in different thicknesses and you can cut it with a razor knife or any sharp knife. If you buy the thickest ones you can cut off a piece and cut your design out of the center. Make sure you leave a 2 inch border around the edge so the sides don't bulge. Or buy the thinner board and cut into 2 inch by 1 1/2 inch strips. Butt the corners together and push long nails into each corner. Wrap around the outside with duct tape. These will be bottomless molds just place on a piece of plastic wrap on top of a flat surface. The insulation boards are 8 feet long and about 2 feet wide so you can make quite a few molds. If you treat the molds nice you can reuse them quite a few times. If these are just decoration and no one will walk on them you can make them 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick. If you're going to walk on them go for 2". Your husband is so encouraging! Tell him he is wrong. The mixture would be too hard to push in your mosaics. You can use cardboard boxes that you wrap the outside with duct tape. BUT make sure you have something available to butt up against the sides so the cement doesn't bulge the sides. You can place contact paper in the bottom of your mold with the sticky side up and place your mosaics on the sticky paper. Just remember that you are working in reverse. After you're done placing the mosaics pour or place your mix on top of the mosaics. If this is a ridgid mold, tap the sides to help release air bubbles. After 24 hours gently turn the mold over to remove the stepping stone. Peel off the contact paper and clean up (GENTLY!!) your mosaics. Have fun and don't let your daughter touch these like she's doing in the pictures above. When these are fresh the lime in the portland cement can burn skin. Billie