Patio advise

[citychap26]

Hi All,

So I've made some progress recently and I've now got this:



It would appear that there is concrete from the house going out about 3-4 feet. Now my question is can/ should I use a digger to remove this and lay 10-15mm hardcore?

Also I can't see the damp proof course. Should I assume it's there?

Another option is to have a gap of 20mm from the house and fill with gravel...

Thanks in advance.

Cheers

Sunil

Edited by citychap26 on Friday 26th May 07:29

Edited by citychap26 on Friday 26th May 07:33

[TA14]

citychap26 said:

Hi All,

So I've made some progress recently and I've now got this:



It would appear that there is concrete from the house going out about 3-4 feet. Now my question is can/ should I use a digger to remove this and lay 10-15mm hardcore?

Also I can't see the damp proof course. Should I assume it's there?

Another option is to have a gap of 20mm from the house and fill with gravel...

No to each of your three points, more or less.

I assume that all of your dims should be in cm.

I wouldn't bother removing the concrete, assuming that the slabs will be at house floor level and you'll develop a good detail where the patio meets the house. Probably lay a dryish mix of mortar and bed the flags on those. Maybe even pop in a tiny expansion joint at the end of the concrete.

Is that a dpc below the concrete (assume none) or below the house (assume that there is one)

As above, develop a detail; 200mm of single size gravel is likely to be a good start. Have a look at paving expert for some ideas.

[citychap26]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply, another angle is decking, if I go for that option do I need to worry about water drainage?

I assume that I will need to lay some posts into concrete of screw them into paving slabs which are secure?

Cheers

Sunil

[TA14]

citychap26 said:

Hi, Thanks for the reply, another angle is decking, if I go for that option do I need to worry about water drainage?

Yes so give the slab a good sweep and see which way it falls. If it falls away from the house then you're OK, if it falls towards the house then you'll need to put a screed down to a fall away from the house which will likely be a this specialist screed and the paving option would be easier to do.

citychap26 said:

I assume that I will need to lay some posts into concrete of screw them into paving slabs which are secure?

I don't like decking but there's a reasonable guide here: http://www.pavingexpert.com/featur05.htm I would't use any screws, just rely on deadweight.