Patio Paving

Hi Wondering if anyone can help with a multitude of questions I have on a paving project. I am going to pave over an old area using a combination of the existing base and some new base. The area will only be a patio and not subject to heavy traffic like a driveway.

Here goes:

This is the area to be done. Most of it already has a concrete base which I will be leaving alone. There are 2 other areas which I will have to fill in.

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2 areas to be filled in are the ones with mud in the above picture.

I have cleared away an old paved area as it was unlevel

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question: For the 2 areas with mud, obviously I will bring them level with type 1 hardcore, then sand over both areas at once. Question is how deep should I go? 10CM seems to be recommended for driveways but will less be ok here? May main problem is getting rid of the mud I dig up, I've already spent time and money on getting rid of lots of other crap from the garden elsewhere.

This is what it looks like from an edge:

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issue is that the paving will increase the height of the floor. I will only be paving up to my gate:
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this will create a small step when you open the gate and go past it. What are the best ways around this? Maybe a sloped edge so there is no step? I would prefer to avoid a step as I can see people stumbling over it not remembering its there!
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fence will be one of the edges. it was put in by the neighbor and it seems I will have to bash away some of the concrete on my side to make it look nicer. What is the best way to do this? A chisel and hammer and just chip away at it until its back at ground level?

Finally - edging. I know with driveways you need an edge - but will I need one with a patio? my main issue is where I will put the edging. Obviously I can use the edge of the house and the shed but what about where the neighbors fence is and my gate is?

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you look at this picture you can see where the patio will stop - where there is a slight drop in the mud. The bit after will be turf - how do i edge it? I was going to buy some of the 'log wood' edging from B and Q to separate the patio and turf'

how would you edge the neighbors' fence?

i was hoping to not have a separate ending - just pave close as possible to all the edges and then fill with cement/sand.

i am unsure if i will be using slabs or the smaller driveway blocks yet.

thanks for any help!

Reply to
mo
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Reply to
Davey

The problem with all these jobs is that, whatever new materials you're introducing, at least the equivalent volume of old stuff has to be got rid of. Knackering, and expensive to dispose of. How high above the existing concrete could the new level be to avoid problems with doorways, airbricks etc? Having a different level to your neighbours isn't a good idea IME

Reply to
Stuart Noble

I can only see 3 possible ways to avoid it

  1. remove the existing concrete so you can make it all level
  2. don't pave over the concrete area
  3. Cut slots in the existing concrete to make it somewhat match the new slab paving

Otherwise, there will inevitably be a change in level.

NT

Reply to
meow2222

Can';t open any of those pictures due to blocked content, try tinypic instead

Reply to
Phil L

Fully visible to me?

Reply to
Bob Minchin

There are several isues here, firstly, you intend paving over a solid concrete base? - this is a very bad idea and the concrete shopuld be broken up and removed, otherwise the sand you lay the paving on will wash away, and furthermore, the part that you intend paving which hasn't got concrete underneath it will sink slightly with settlement, leaving it lower than the concreted part.

You /can/ lay the paving over concrete, but it will *all* need to be concreted first, and then the paving can be laid on blobs of sand/cement, which won't wash away, but this will still leave you with a step at the gate, which you don't really want.

To do it properly, you need to remove all the concrete and this way you will avoid many problems and you can also avoid the need for a step.

You don't need edgings at the fence side because there is a concrete panel to pave to.

At the 'lawn' or garden edge, you can use paving slabs (flags) on edge, concreted in, or build a small wall

Reply to
Phil L

Thanks for the reply

Firstly, going over the existing bit is cost saving in terms of getting rid of stuff and saving on type 1 and sharp sand. It also makes the job seem a lot easier for an amateur like myself!

Secondly, as an amateur I don't think it will be possibly to get a perfect level finish because I won't be able to properly estimate how how the finished product will be after compacting because i dunno how much compacting will take the level down, whereas a pro can probably estimate it due to experience

I had some pros in for estimates and they all said it was OK to go on the existing base and it would be silly to get rid as it was fine for a base, just to match the muddy bit up with type 1 and then sand the lot.

can my final base before the slabs be sand OR a tough surface like concrete? i prefer the idea of a tough finished base i can just put the slabs on as it means i wont much it up if i walk over it!

Reply to
mo

missing link:

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basically if the above does not work this kind of wood edging

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Reply to
mo

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> or basically if the above does not work this kind of wood edging >

tanalised (pressure treated), and when it rots away, it will leave a gap that your paving will 'creep' into.

Regarding your first point, type 1 (MOT) will sink unless packed down mechanically - I normally use a one tonne vibrating roller, but I relaise this is overkill for a patio, but that said, you can hire a whacker plate for a few quid and if I were you, I'd sprinkle a few bags of cement in with the MOT prior to whacking down, then trammell the sand so as to get an even bed - obviously once it's trammelled, you can't walk on it, so only do a small section at a time and lay your blocks in rows, then whack the blocks down into it when finished and brush in kiln dried pavior sand

Reply to
Phil L

right so say i gor for edging - can it just be the normal slabs but they are put in first with concrete?

i guess then its a case of type 1 > edgings > sharp sand > rest of blocks

does that mean then the edgings get concreted/cemented? in before the sand goes down? in which case how can you ensure the edgings end up the same level as the normal blocks once vibrated down?

obviously the edges of the edges will have sand between them and anything else they may touch - i.e my neighbours gravel boards - imporant incase he wants to take them out.

Reply to
mo

At the risk of being accused of plagiarism:

Reply to
Rod

I've read through that site, but some of it is hard to understand and there seems to be some overlap with confusing advice - ??

Very useful site of course.

Reply to
mo

It's up to you. Pavingexpert and quite a few others say to put them in first and then pave to them, but I've found that utilising full blocks or flags is easier than trying to cut a million pieces around an already defined edge

They don't get vibrated down, you vibrate the main body first and then cement the edgings to that level - this is another bone of contention. The drawback with doing it this way is that the edges of the main boddy have to be spragged up, IE braced all around so that they don't creep with the whacker. That said, if you put the edges on cement and allow to set and then lay and whack, the cement will often break up with the vibrations so you've gained nothing

By edges I presume you mean borders? - edges are uprights which stand proud of the finished paving, against lawns, flowerbeds etc

Reply to
Phil L

hmm, i like the idea of putting them on first i think.

right, so say against my neighbours fence i would have an edge where it stops before it touches his fence - whereas with my own house the last thing will just be a border where it touches my house and the house absorbs any pressure/weight?

what materials is the final layer you use before you put the slabs down? just sharp sand?

Reply to
mo

Therein lies a thousand headaches, but feel free.

You don't need an edge against a fence, just pave up to it....if it makes you feel any better, just stop an inch short (use a stringline) and fill the remaining gap with pea gravel prior to whacking

Grit sand, preferably the yellow sandstone type, rather than the 'beach' sand. under no circumstances use red building sand

Reply to
Phil L

Another question

Where my paving ends and my grass starts - i suppose i can just have edging which is concreted in but is flat like my normal slabs and then just fill in with soil and start my grass straight after?

Reply to
mo

Or just pack the first couple of inches at the edge with sand/cement. I wouldn't bother with compacting either. If you pack out and level the slabs as you go, it really isn't necessary for light duty traffic. In any case, that's a fairly foolproof method for amateurs, and you can do a bit at a time. Tough on the back otherwise.

Reply to
Stuart Noble

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