Laying a patio

[linda]

Our property is over 400 years old and we want to lay a patio against one of its walls. Our concern is disturbing the house foundation if we dig too low as it is built directly on to the soil. Would we be wiser just to scrape the surface off the ground and lay the stones on to a sand and cement base rather than laying a sub base?
Any views or advise on this would be appreciated.
Linda

 

[Louis Henry]

As long as the stone that you are using for paving is in fairly big pieces you could lay it on sand (no cement). This has worked well for us, although occasionally we have to poke down the smaller pieces. Try not to lay the stone right up against the house wall; leave a bit of gravel or you get damp walls from rain splash.

 

[robgil]

cement may trap moisture and send it into the walls of your house.

 

[AMc]

I laid a patio out of a marshalls product - it was small concrete 'bricks' bonded to a nylon mesh - once laid it gave you the effect simlar to but cheaper than granite sets. (IIRC) They recommended laying it on a 70mm bed of dry sharp sand and cement mixed 6:1 no hard core, no foundations.
We made a fundamental error leveling but not compacting the sand cement base :lol: so we ended up with a very 'rustic' surface but it didn't move at all.

Unless you're planning on parking a car on it I doubt you need a sub base of hard core or a deep 'foundation'. I would certainly leave a strip unpaved between the wall and the patio to prevent water running onto the wall and reduce splash. Ensure you lay the patio so it runs off away from the walls too.

For what it's worth bedding your patio on sharp sand and lime would be kinder to the environment, it would also mean your paving could be reused or relaid. The only downside is you should probably wait until the frosts are over before you use that material.

 

[Flyfisher]

My understanding is that one should only dig at 45-degrees to foundations, rather than vertically. I'm not an expert though.

Lots of interesting and useful paving advice here: http://www.pavingexpert.com

 

[Feltwell]

Lots of interesting and useful paving advice here: http://www.pavingexpert.com

And quite a good forum mostly populated by tradesmen doing landscaping / paving work, who helped me with a query when I was getting my drive tarmac'd.......