DIY block paving
Discussion
Not sure on the right way to go about this, I want to turn my lawn into a block paved area, for one I need an extra parking place, I can get on to it over the original lowered kerb so that isn't an issue. Two I hate cutting the grass and its never been a decent lawn in all the time I've been there. Its about 30+sqM probably, not measured properly yet.
Its the digging out I'm in two minds about though, hand dig or get a machine? I'm capable of hand digging it (just about) I dug out last year for the porcelain patio I laid and that was something like 40sqM, I even barrowed all the soil around the house twice, but it was in the back garden where it was private and no-one could see me about to drop dead from exhaustion. This is one of my concerns funnily enough, it wont be a pretty site for anyone me digging away and I'm going to get neighbours coming across telling me to get someone in as I'll give myself a heart attack, or watching out of the windows saying what the hell is that lunatic up to now that sort of thing, you know what neighbours are like and I'd rather just get on with it in private. I even dug my footings out by hand a few years ago and that was about 12M at 1200 deep so I can do it.
So I could get a digger in but I've asked fellow builders for ages now to come and dig it out for me, they all say they will sort it and then nothing ever gets done about it so I've give up asking now. I could hire a digger and I do know a couple of people personally that rent them out, but the last time I drove one I had to dig a 100m trench on a job and I ended up going deeper and deeper as opposed to forward along the trench, they are not that easy to drive, I think you need years of practice to grade a garden level enough to do block paving. Also stone is very expensive now so I don't want to put more in than I need to.
Once the stone is down its plain sailing, I can borrow the wacker plate and roller no problems and it can't be that hard to lay block, I would think laying porcelain flags properly is a much harder job and my patio has been fine since I did it.
Its the digging out I'm in two minds about though, hand dig or get a machine? I'm capable of hand digging it (just about) I dug out last year for the porcelain patio I laid and that was something like 40sqM, I even barrowed all the soil around the house twice, but it was in the back garden where it was private and no-one could see me about to drop dead from exhaustion. This is one of my concerns funnily enough, it wont be a pretty site for anyone me digging away and I'm going to get neighbours coming across telling me to get someone in as I'll give myself a heart attack, or watching out of the windows saying what the hell is that lunatic up to now that sort of thing, you know what neighbours are like and I'd rather just get on with it in private. I even dug my footings out by hand a few years ago and that was about 12M at 1200 deep so I can do it.
So I could get a digger in but I've asked fellow builders for ages now to come and dig it out for me, they all say they will sort it and then nothing ever gets done about it so I've give up asking now. I could hire a digger and I do know a couple of people personally that rent them out, but the last time I drove one I had to dig a 100m trench on a job and I ended up going deeper and deeper as opposed to forward along the trench, they are not that easy to drive, I think you need years of practice to grade a garden level enough to do block paving. Also stone is very expensive now so I don't want to put more in than I need to.
Once the stone is down its plain sailing, I can borrow the wacker plate and roller no problems and it can't be that hard to lay block, I would think laying porcelain flags properly is a much harder job and my patio has been fine since I did it.
It can all be done by hand but it's bloody hard work.
The largest I've done is 90 sm and that was 24 tons of digging ((3 x 8 yard skips)
It's more about time scale, if you can take your time you don't need to kill yourself doing it, it took me about 4 months to do the 90 m.
Paving expert is a good guide site.
https://www.pavingexpert.com/bpvseq01
I used type 1 as my sub base on the first one I did but used crusher run on the other two it is quite a bit cheaper.
Hire a good paving splitter and or a Stihl saw.
The largest I've done is 90 sm and that was 24 tons of digging ((3 x 8 yard skips)
It's more about time scale, if you can take your time you don't need to kill yourself doing it, it took me about 4 months to do the 90 m.
Paving expert is a good guide site.
https://www.pavingexpert.com/bpvseq01
I used type 1 as my sub base on the first one I did but used crusher run on the other two it is quite a bit cheaper.
Hire a good paving splitter and or a Stihl saw.
If you’ve got access for a digger then I’m really not sure why anyone would do it by hand - even if you’re fit enough - it’s hard work and will take much longer than using a machine - 30m2 is not a huge area, but it’s not a really small area either.
Especially when hire costs for a small machine are pretty reasonable and I’m sure the time you save can be spent doing something more productive!
Especially when hire costs for a small machine are pretty reasonable and I’m sure the time you save can be spent doing something more productive!
Yes I think it took me a while to dig out the back garden, I cant remember but looking at my pictures it was two or three at least, mainly at weekends I think so I reckon it would be 5 days of constant digging to do the front. I certainly won't be able to do it in a day or so.
I've just been reading up on block paving as well, I thought you could just lay it without planning as its a permeable surface but apparently not, only certain types are and apparently you cant let surface water run off into the street even though there is a grid right outside my house. I'm guessing my rainwater pipe goes into a soakaway (although the back one goes into the sewer) so maybe I could break into that and put an aco drain along the front, the garden does slope towards the road.
I've just been reading up on block paving as well, I thought you could just lay it without planning as its a permeable surface but apparently not, only certain types are and apparently you cant let surface water run off into the street even though there is a grid right outside my house. I'm guessing my rainwater pipe goes into a soakaway (although the back one goes into the sewer) so maybe I could break into that and put an aco drain along the front, the garden does slope towards the road.
Cow Corner 2.0 said:
If you ve got access for a digger then I m really not sure why anyone would do it by hand - even if you re fit enough - it s hard work and will take much longer than using a machine - 30m2 is not a huge area, but it s not a really small area either.
Especially when hire costs for a small machine are pretty reasonable and I m sure the time you save can be spent doing something more productive!
Because its not that easy to drive, it would probably take me a week to level something a driver could do in a day and I'm not sure I could get the gradient level enough although I'm always up for a challenge. I may try this approach though after all.Especially when hire costs for a small machine are pretty reasonable and I m sure the time you save can be spent doing something more productive!
OutInTheShed said:
I've lived with two lots of block paving.
I hate the stuff.
At best, it looks like Tesco car park.
Lots of ways to get it wrong.
It's a lot quicker to mow 30sqm of lawn than to weed 30sqm of block paving.
You need the drainage to be right, more so if you want to clean it with chemicals.
I need an additional parking space though, it wasn't too bad a few years ago I could always park outside my house no problem if needed but with the explosion of cars recently sometimes when I come home there is another car there and I have to park in front of my van, which is fine as it fits on the drive just about but its a pain in the arse in the morning moving stuff about to get in, also I don't think I should take up the space outside my house 24/7, occasionally other people need a space as well. There is more than enough room on the front to park if I block pave it without interfering with the house.I hate the stuff.
At best, it looks like Tesco car park.
Lots of ways to get it wrong.
It's a lot quicker to mow 30sqm of lawn than to weed 30sqm of block paving.
You need the drainage to be right, more so if you want to clean it with chemicals.
Apparently the bloke that lived here before me used to plonk his range rover on the grass pretty much where I want to park but I've tried that and it just destroys the grass in no time.
Easternlight said:
It can all be done by hand but it's bloody hard work.
The largest I've done is 90 sm and that was 24 tons of digging ((3 x 8 yard skips)
It's more about time scale, if you can take your time you don't need to kill yourself doing it, it took me about 4 months to do the 90 m.
Paving expert is a good guide site.
https://www.pavingexpert.com/bpvseq01
I used type 1 as my sub base on the first one I did but used crusher run on the other two it is quite a bit cheaper.
Hire a good paving splitter and or a Stihl saw.
Do you think I'd get all the soil in one 8yd skip? What about the weight, will they pick it up if its full to the brim with soil. When I did the back garden I got the smaller skip and I couldn't quite fit it all in so I had a bit left over, it didn't look like much but it took 4 trips to the time to get rid of it in bags as you cant fill the bags because they are too heavy to lift up.The largest I've done is 90 sm and that was 24 tons of digging ((3 x 8 yard skips)
It's more about time scale, if you can take your time you don't need to kill yourself doing it, it took me about 4 months to do the 90 m.
Paving expert is a good guide site.
https://www.pavingexpert.com/bpvseq01
I used type 1 as my sub base on the first one I did but used crusher run on the other two it is quite a bit cheaper.
Hire a good paving splitter and or a Stihl saw.
Easternlight said:
I won't be doing anything that elaborate, you have a flower bed infront of yours though so that sorts the water run off out doesn't it? What would happen if you installed an aco drain at the front and just drilled a load of holes in the bottom of it, would that suffice to get rid of the water in time or would it just overflow I wonder.
Frane Selak said:
I won't be doing anything that elaborate, you have a flower bed infront of yours though so that sorts the water run off out doesn't it?
What would happen if you installed an aco drain at the front and just drilled a load of holes in the bottom of it, would that suffice to get rid of the water in time or would it just overflow I wonder.
With a question like that, you REALLY DO need someone to sort this for you. What would happen if you installed an aco drain at the front and just drilled a load of holes in the bottom of it, would that suffice to get rid of the water in time or would it just overflow I wonder.
It comes across like you don't really have any idea if I'm honest.
reggie747 said:
With a question like that, you REALLY DO need someone to sort this for you.
It comes across like you don't really have any idea if I'm honest.
I think I can manage a bit of block paving after what I've accomplished in the last few years, I didn't ask if it was to regs or not I just wondered whether it would work or not. Obviously you are supposed to dig a proper soakaway or run it into an existing one I was just wondering whether it might work or not in practice, I suppose it depends on the soil underneath it all. If I did it this way and it works perfectly who would ever know it wasn't done properly, there won't even be an inspector on site to check it, it would rely on someone grassing me for laying the drive in the first place.It comes across like you don't really have any idea if I'm honest.
Frane Selak said:
OutInTheShed said:
I've lived with two lots of block paving.
I hate the stuff.
At best, it looks like Tesco car park.
Lots of ways to get it wrong.
It's a lot quicker to mow 30sqm of lawn than to weed 30sqm of block paving.
You need the drainage to be right, more so if you want to clean it with chemicals.
I need an additional parking space though, it wasn't too bad a few years ago I could always park outside my house no problem if needed but with the explosion of cars recently sometimes when I come home there is another car there and I have to park in front of my van, which is fine as it fits on the drive just about but its a pain in the arse in the morning moving stuff about to get in, also I don't think I should take up the space outside my house 24/7, occasionally other people need a space as well. There is more than enough room on the front to park if I block pave it without interfering with the house.I hate the stuff.
At best, it looks like Tesco car park.
Lots of ways to get it wrong.
It's a lot quicker to mow 30sqm of lawn than to weed 30sqm of block paving.
You need the drainage to be right, more so if you want to clean it with chemicals.
Apparently the bloke that lived here before me used to plonk his range rover on the grass pretty much where I want to park but I've tried that and it just destroys the grass in no time.
Frane Selak said:
I won't be doing anything that elaborate, you have a flower bed infront of yours though so that sorts the water run off out doesn't it?
What would happen if you installed an aco drain at the front and just drilled a load of holes in the bottom of it, would that suffice to get rid of the water in time or would it just overflow I wonder.
You do need to plan for drainage, you need a run off area or soak away.What would happen if you installed an aco drain at the front and just drilled a load of holes in the bottom of it, would that suffice to get rid of the water in time or would it just overflow I wonder.
If it drains onto the road you need planning permission.
You can get porous blocks, they leave a bigger gap between each block, which is worse for weeds.
The skip lorry will happily pick up a full 8 yard skip of soil.
Easternlight said:
Frane Selak said:
I won't be doing anything that elaborate, you have a flower bed infront of yours though so that sorts the water run off out doesn't it?
What would happen if you installed an aco drain at the front and just drilled a load of holes in the bottom of it, would that suffice to get rid of the water in time or would it just overflow I wonder.
You do need to plan for drainage, you need a run off area or soak away.What would happen if you installed an aco drain at the front and just drilled a load of holes in the bottom of it, would that suffice to get rid of the water in time or would it just overflow I wonder.
If it drains onto the road you need planning permission.
You can get porous blocks, they leave a bigger gap between each block, which is worse for weeds.
The skip lorry will happily pick up a full 8 yard skip of soil.
Frane Selak said:
Cheers, I've seen those blocks, l will probably try and find the drain from the gutter and tap into that I think, house is 20 years old so it should be a soakaway. Or maybe it goes into the same drain as the grids in the road outside, not too sure where it goes, I presume I can tap into the gutter drain for the drive though cant I?
The soakaway for your house will only have been sized and constructed with enough capacity to take the rainwater from your house roof. No developer I’ve ever worked with has deliberately made them twice as big as they would need to be should a homeowner suddenly decide they want a larger driveway in the futureAs said above, drainage is something which needs proper consideration and should not be bodged.
I tried to sonny own. About 45sqm and underestimated how hard it was. In the end I employed an out of work block paver that only charged £500 to lay the entire lot. Absolute bargain. I helped and moved bricks sand etc. I had a mini digger in which I dug everything myself. It is doable and if you can do it in dribs and drabs then it's workable. What you don't want is some nagging wife going when will this be finished!
I've just had a quick read through the regs on drainage, if you use a soakaway then it needs to be 5M from a building and a road so to lay any sort of driveway then it needs to be at leas 11M long or wide if you use a 1M3 soakaway. Thats just an impossible situation from what I can work out. There are hundreds of thousands of houses with block paved drives and indeed other types of solid driveways how do they do it? I can only deduce that hundreds of thousands of people done bother with these regulations.
I'll probably just use the permeable blocks though to be fair, the look fine to me and I'm guessing you can still use a weed barrier under the stone in this case then.
I'll probably just use the permeable blocks though to be fair, the look fine to me and I'm guessing you can still use a weed barrier under the stone in this case then.
Edited by Frane Selak on Sunday 12th April 14:25
Frane Selak said:
reggie747 said:
With a question like that, you REALLY DO need someone to sort this for you.
It comes across like you don't really have any idea if I'm honest.
I think I can manage a bit of block paving after what I've accomplished in the last few years, I didn't ask if it was to regs or not I just wondered whether it would work or not. Obviously you are supposed to dig a proper soakaway or run it into an existing one I was just wondering whether it might work or not in practice, I suppose it depends on the soil underneath it all. If I did it this way and it works perfectly who would ever know it wasn't done properly, there won't even be an inspector on site to check it, it would rely on someone grassing me for laying the drive in the first place.It comes across like you don't really have any idea if I'm honest.
"As said above, drainage is something which needs proper consideration and should not be bodged."
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