Flagging Over Tarmac & Concrete

The concrete and tarmac should provide a good base but whether you leave the concrete and tarmac in place depends on whether the final height with the new slabs on top will be OK, or whether it will be too high in relation to the level of the garden and all other structures that may be affected, including the damp proof course of your house. What will be the consequences of raising the level of this whole area by 50mm plus whatever you use to bed the slabs down on? Presumably the area could be raised by at least 75mm. As regards using sand, in my opinion you need to lay the slabs on wet mortar mix to ensure that they stay level and fixed in place in the years to come. Do you really want rocking and sinking slabs on your property? In areas where there is no concrete and tarmac, just soil, you need to construct a firm base using rubble/hardcore, pounded well down.

Timber decking.

Dave, are you sure you're not getting just a little OCD'ish..... :o)

Might be if I knew what OCD'ish meant!

Look at the job though. 85 sq metres is multiple tons of hardcore & cement & slabs. Plus removing garage base & tarmac. Huge job, diggers, skips, mixers, wheelbarrows, multiple levels.

Timber decking is the way forward!!!

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

The problem is decking, tarmac and concrete all look horrid. Flagstones (can) look marvellous.

Me? Never confused!

Our back garden is quite small you know! 10 metres long and an average of 6.5 metres wide, plus 12 sq m down the side.

Ste

I've checked the damp proof course and we've got plenty of room for that and everything else, so I guess the slams and tarmac can stay!

As for the sand base, sorry, that was slip of the tongue. I meant the wet mortar mix or whatever is recommended on the Paving Expert website.

What is the tool that's required to pound down the rubble/hardcore? And you don't happen to know rough costs for hiring for the day do you? Also, is this tool needed to compact the web mortar mix too? We'd also need to hire a saw to cut the flags.

I'm starting to think that by the time we've hired the tools and cocked up the job, we may have been better off paying someone to do it for us!

Ste

Yes, love ice-skating with my normal shoes! ;-)

Ste

Decking is NOT slippery!!!!!!!!!!!

Decking, decking, decking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Owain

I might be - if I knew what that meant :-)

decking from B&Q and it would get slippy before long; or I'd pay some local cowboy to come along and he'd install slippy decking for me!

Seriously though, I'd quite fancy decking, but only for smaller areas, not for the entire garden and side of house.

Steve