how to lay a simple patio?

Question

Is it possible to lay a simple patio (paving slabs with spaces in between filled with gravel) onto a base of compacted soil?

If so, how should I compact the soil? Should a membrane be used? What sort? Is it possible to lay slabs directly onto a membrane? Should there be a slope?

Answer 1

Oh the fun you are going to have. You will need 804 which is a crushed stone for a solid base or you can just go with sand but sand does tend to move around. You will need a few bags of cement to mix through the plastering sand thats the sand that I was told to get for mine. do put down a membrane just tell the diy shop or garden shop what you are using it for and they will give you the stuff your looking for.
1. Dig out you area and level it off as best as you can do try and slop it away from you house for the water to run away. If you are running the patio in to a wall at the end of your garden leave an inch gap for drainage.
2. I put down the 804 crushed stone but this was just to make it more solid you don't have to do this and I had a whole garden to do. a year later it hasn't moved a bit. the sand and the cement is a dry mix do not wet it unless you want to your self. I didn't because I have an oil pipe running under the patio and a dry mix makes it that bit easier to access if anything goes wrong a solid concret would be more work.
3.Make sure as you lay the patio it is slating away from you house and that the water has somewhere to go. If you are running the patio to a wall as I said leave a gap and if water does lodge drill a hole through the bottom of the wall to release it.
I put down my 804 then the membrane then the mix of sand and cement then the patio slabs.
I did get someone in to do it to make sure it was done right and it did make some job of my garden. really clean easy to maintain. I hope this is of some help to you Good luck.

Answer 2

I am not an expert on this, I just happen to have seen some contractors and individuals in various stages of building patios. The best ones do have a slope for drainage,quite sloped but where you can still slant a lawn mower up and down to cut the grass on the slope, at least on your sidewalk side so if using cement squares, one step down to a step from patio and another down from step to sidewalk around house. Thus on two sides steps and front of it away from house more of a slope down but proportional. Steps are bought premade.

They used the big press for the soil that is used for rolling tar -- The large round drum with handle. Good to use a long lasting weed killer on soil. Lots of them put a layer of sand on top, I am not sure weather to prevent weeds or not. Works well for quite a few years but then of course some weeds between cement. Cement blocks placed close together at first so ladies can't get heals stuck in the cracks, over years movement of soil cracks get bigger. No gravel used inbetween. I don't know what paving slabs are.

I think weather you can do a slope or not would depend how high up your sliding glass doors are or whatever door you are coming out of the house from, they used to buy the premade two cement steps to lay on the patio under the doors.

I don't think membranes used to exist. If your door is low you might have to just make your patio almost flat with the ground. I have seen this also. When properly installing above ground swimming pools they also cover the soil with sand which a lot of people don't, so there is a reason for it. It does attract ants however which you don't exactly want on a patio.

These new interlocking wood type tiles with small gaps between the wood strips look very interesting and nice for a patio, not heavy and look easy to install. I have seen them in the hardware store flyers this year. If so easy you wouldn't mind redoing after a couple of years if they don't last as long and then you probably don't have to worry about drainage so much. Might be a lot cheaper than cement blocks. Would make a patio resemble a deck more. Sounds like you could go a lot simpler in your plans with a lot less work and lighter materials.

Answer 3

I would compact the soil below with a hand tamp. Make sure you take your time and compact the soil very well. I would then lay a 1" thick layer of sand down on filter fabric. Then lay the concrete pavers on the sand, compacting them down gently by hand. I would then sweep the sand into the joints, maybe a 1/2" or so deep for stability. Then I would add the gravel in between and compact the gravel in by hand, gently so as not to move the slabs. You should be OK on drainage, b/c it will be impossible to lay the slabs level; unless you use a level, then make sure you have at least a 1% slope away from your house or other structural entities. Good Luck

Answer 4

if you have the money get some viscreen. its a heavy duty plastic liner. then dig down 2 inches under the level of the patio, lay the viscreen and then pack out with sand on top to an inch depth. next throw down some quarry dust 1/2 inch depth rake it level then place your first flag down. if its shallow pack it out with more quarry dust. bring it level to the ground then level off using a spirit level. use that as your plumb. then dry lay the rest of the flags making sure your allways level also make sure you leave a 10mm gap (the width of your forefinger) once done and your happy you can dry brush in the quarry dust as a grout, or! and only if its dry(no rain) use a dry cement sand mix at a ratio of 3/1: 3 sand 1 cement, and brush that into the joints. the next rainfall will cure it solid. make sure you get rid of any spillage of the dry mix (brush it off and throw down water). heres a brilliant tip: most building sites have everything you need apart from the flags for free! go to a local building site, look for a bloke wearing trousers and a white hard hat, more than likely hes the building site manager ask him can you womble some scrap (trust me everything gets skipped thats not used) if he says no! then comeback a few hours later and look for anybody not wearing a toolbelt or looking officious (site managers and foremen never carry tools neither do the labourers) you need a site labourer, he will salvage you whetever you need, and all it costs is a thank you!

Answer 5

never lay directly onto soil even if it has been compacted as over time it will begin to move under the weight of people walking on the patio

Answer 6

you can really do anything you like but this is not the correct or best way. however if you do not want to do it properly ie with tons of hardcore and bedding your flags on sand/cement then you can do it as you say. definately want a membrane down to inhibit the weeds you can buy it from b&q homebase etc.. and from good garden centres / nurserys etc.. in order to get your flags reasonably flat you probably want some loose soil or sand to pack each one and to stop rocking. slope is not important really as you are not bedding the flags or pointing the joints the water will find its way. is the soil not already fairly compact? if it is in your garden it probably is but if not you can hire a whacker plate. good luck and remember i said you can do it but its not the best or correct way!!

Answer 7

B&Q have some very helpful leaflets explaining how to do most jobs around the garden. It may be worth your while to take a look.
Focus have it online too have pasted the link for you
Hope this helps
Margaret

Answer 8

You can get a leaflet from B&Q, wicks or homebase