New build Patio: Small Gap Between Patio and DPC
Discussion
Hi all, I have recently moved to a new build house and had the garden landscaped. Due to a pretty sizeable slope towards the house I’ve had a two tier garden, with a patio on the lower tier. After looking at the work and reading into patios I’ve realised that there is not much of a gap between the DPC and the patio (around 3cm). Would I be right in assuming this is against building regulations and would impact on a survey? Would I go back to my landscaper to get corrections done? 
Building regs states 150mm I believe but you can of course get round this by having a gap filled with gravel or a french drain etc. I've seen some people seal the bricks as another bodge.
Walls get wet when it rains, I'm not sure how much more wet they get from rain splashing.
Just to qualify I'm not a builder but have recently had a patio installed on a sloping garden. In fact we have the same slabs and pointing compound as posted in the your picture!
Walls get wet when it rains, I'm not sure how much more wet they get from rain splashing.
Just to qualify I'm not a builder but have recently had a patio installed on a sloping garden. In fact we have the same slabs and pointing compound as posted in the your picture!
Edited by rustyuk on Wednesday 5th May 10:58
Thanks both, I spoke to the builder and raised my concerns. He said it is below the DPC so should be fine. I told him that we are looking to move in the next couple of years so wouldn’t want this flagging when being surveyed. He said that we can replace the charcoal block paving with gravel to give a gap between the paving slabs and house. Is this reasonable?
KAgantua said:
Why should you have to do that?
2 (1 brick at a push depending on ground conditions) is minimum for clearance below DPC, why a builder on a new build would do it a few mm below DPC suggests he is lazy and incompentent.
They said they would do the additional work by putting the gravel in. Though we still have the problem of being 1cm below DPC, it seems like digging further down and re-laying the patio at a correct 15cm is the right solution. Do I have any rights if I’ve already paid for the work?2 (1 brick at a push depending on ground conditions) is minimum for clearance below DPC, why a builder on a new build would do it a few mm below DPC suggests he is lazy and incompentent.
Bunnyface said:
They said they would do the additional work by putting the gravel in. Though we still have the problem of being 1cm below DPC, it seems like digging further down and re-laying the patio at a correct 15cm is the right solution. Do I have any rights if I’ve already paid for the work?
No chance....the reality is you will be fine. Mine is done in a similar fashion, because reasons, I have a gravel buffer though. No damp problems after 5yrs.Whilst it isn't the biggest issue and is very common on new builds, it should really be at least two courses below the DPC. You can see that they have had to avoid the air brick to stop obstructing that.
Yes, ideally they would have dug down further but that involves a lot more work / material removal.
Yes, ideally they would have dug down further but that involves a lot more work / material removal.
CharlesElliott said:
Whilst it isn't the biggest issue and is very common on new builds, it should really be at least two courses below the DPC. You can see that they have had to avoid the air brick to stop obstructing that.
Yes, ideally they would have dug down further but that involves a lot more work / material removal.
Thanks, I understand digging further would be significantly more difficult. I’ve spoken to a family surveyor and said this work would be a cause for concern, and we would have to re-do the patio at a lower level.Yes, ideally they would have dug down further but that involves a lot more work / material removal.
Bunnyface said:
Thanks both, I spoke to the builder and raised my concerns. He said it is below the DPC so should be fine. I told him that we are looking to move in the next couple of years so wouldn’t want this flagging when being surveyed. He said that we can replace the charcoal block paving with gravel to give a gap between the paving slabs and house. Is this reasonable?
That is not a good sign from the builder who thinks if it's below DPC that makes it OK. Depending on how exposed that wall is you're likely to got some bridging of the DPC in heavy rain (or snow). Needs a gravel channel to keep it away from the wall. It's the sort of problem that might take a while to show itself (if at all) but it's pretty basic for a builder to know this.Lifting all that and lowering the sub base would pretty much be the same amount of work as starting again. You're potentially having to also dig out all the sub base material again to dig out more earth under that to allow for the drop...else your sub base might not be thick enough.
It's annoying but really unlikely cause any real issues.
It's annoying but really unlikely cause any real issues.
Sorry for the highjack, but I've been meaning to post this for ages.
Should I have my door step cut through and a thin strip of gravel placed between the house and the door step here?
The DPC is only one brick high at the front of the house and the door step is just under the DPC. It is two bricks high at the back of the house.
The bricks above the DPC look quite wet here in the rain on the door step.
Should I have my door step cut through and a thin strip of gravel placed between the house and the door step here?
The DPC is only one brick high at the front of the house and the door step is just under the DPC. It is two bricks high at the back of the house.
The bricks above the DPC look quite wet here in the rain on the door step.
In the first picture it looks like the DPC is at the same level as the step, although in the second picture it seems to be one course above.
The 'splashing' from the step is precisely why 2 courses is recommended. In practice it probably won't be an issue but having gravel there would help reduce the splashing effect and therefore the ability of the water to soak in above the DPC.
The 'splashing' from the step is precisely why 2 courses is recommended. In practice it probably won't be an issue but having gravel there would help reduce the splashing effect and therefore the ability of the water to soak in above the DPC.
Not the first time I have heard of new builds having an insufficient gap between the patio top and the DPC. Can be fixed as said by having gravel at the edge. Excusable on older properties but no reason why on new builds, if the patio was always part of the spec when the house was built. Just lazy really.
Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff