A patio is mostly
what is under it
Patios, paths, steps and edging — set out square, laid to falls so the water goes where it should, on a base that is still there in ten years.
Laid to fallsEdgingPaths & steps
- Fall
- Away from the house
- Bed
- Full wet bed, never dabs
- Covering
- Bristol and 40 miles
Under the slabs
Why the digging takes longer than the laying
Almost every failed patio failed underneath. Slabs rock because they were laid on dabs, water sits because there was no fall, and the whole thing sinks because the sub-base was 50 mm of whatever came out of the hole.
- 50 mmThe pavingFlag, setts or block. Thickness depends on what you choose — 20 mm porcelain to 50 mm riven.
- 40 mmMortar bedA full wet bed, not five dabs. Dabs are why slabs rock, ring hollow and crack through the middle.
- 125 mmSub-baseCompacted MOT Type 1 in layers. This is the part doing the work, and the part people cut.
- —Sub-gradeThe ground itself, dug out and rolled. Soft spots are dug deeper rather than built over.
About 215 mm of digging for a flag patio, and the finished surface still has to sit 150 mm below the damp course.
Asked often
Patios & paving, answered
If yours is not here, ring and ask it.
How much fall does a patio need?
About 1 in 80 — roughly 12 mm for every metre — running away from the building. Enough that water leaves, little enough that furniture still sits level.
How far below the damp course should it be?
At least 150 mm. A patio laid up to the damp course bridges it, and the wall above goes damp. If the levels will not allow it, the answer is a drainage channel, not a higher patio.
Can you lay it on sand?
Block paving, yes — that is how it is designed to work. Flags, no. Flags want a full wet mortar bed, and five dabs under each corner is why so many of them rock.
Do I need planning permission?
Usually not, as long as water can still drain somewhere on your own ground. A large impermeable area draining straight onto the highway is the case that needs looking at.
The rest of the range
Everything else he lays
Ten kinds of job, three trades.
Brickwork
Walls, piers, arches and detail work in facing brick, laid to the bond the job calls for.
Facing brickPiers & archesAny bond
See the work →
Blockwork
Inner leaves, foundations and retaining walls in dense or lightweight block, laid level and plumb.
Dense & lightweightInner leafRetaining
See the work →
Stonework
Walling, repairs and features, coursed or random — and the masonry proper: dry stone, mullions, heads and sills.
Dry stone wallingMullions, heads & sillsLime mortar
See the work →
Patios & paving
Patios, paths and edging, set out square and laid to falls so the water goes where it should.
Laid to fallsEdgingPaths & steps
You are here →
Extensions
The brick and block shell of an extension, from the footings to the wall plate.
Footings to plateCavity workLintels
See the work →
New build
Plot brickwork for builders and self-builders, by the metre or by the job.
Plot workBy the metreTo programme
See the work →
Repointing
Old joints raked out and pointed again in a mortar that suits the wall, not one that damages it.
Raked outMatched mortarLime or cement
See the work →
Groundworks
Digs, drainage, foundations and oversite — his own 360, telehandler and dumper, and a waste carrier licence to take it away.
360, telehandler, dumperDrainage & foundationsWaste carrier
See the work →
Whole projects
Derelict house to turnkey. Groundwork, shell, trades booked and run, keys handed back.
Derelict to turnkeyTrades booked and runOne person to ring
See the work →
Commercial
Site brickwork for contractors and developers, priced by the metre and run to programme.
Site workPriced per m²Contractors
See the work →
Get a price
Tell him what you are having done
A photograph of where it is going and a rough size is usually enough to come back with a sensible figure. He will call you.
Or call 07915 607362