Pave the way to a perfect patio

Jun 8 2008 Donny Sheridan

Get More Out Of Your Garden This Summer..but Make Sure You Prepare Or You'll Get That Sinking Feeling

Enjoying your outdoor space is what summer is all about but it's not just a case of paving half your garden and plonking out a table and chairs.

Good patio design requires careful planning. You need to decide which area is best for sitting out - taking into account where you get the sunlight at different parts of the day.

Also avoid having large areas under trees as the shade will affect the paving and will cause moss, lichens and algae to grow.

And check out my guide to the perfect patio before you even buy a slab.

PAVING

This is one of those products where you're sure to find something that suits your needs, whatever your budget.

As well as simple concrete paving you can also get granite, slate and fired clay slabs but these natural products are much more expensive.

Paving does not usually require a heavy duty sub-base - an improvement layer of Type 1 quality may be all that is required - however if you have poor soil conditions a sub-base of up to 100mm may be needed to stop your slabs getting that sinking feeling.

You can lay paving on sand or mortar - my rule is any slabs up to 450x450mm can be laid on sand, anything larger must be laid on a mortar bed.

DESIGNS

You need not stick to a boring square patio - paved areas can incorporate a range of intricate designs and shapes.

Circles and octants come in kit form and my top tip here is to lay the kit out dry before bedding them down, as they do take a bit of working out to make sure all the joints are equal - 10-15mm for joints between paving - and the mortar lines pointing in the correct direction.

Even traditional slabs do not need to be laid in a square.

Try to be adventurous and lay in a pattern - Dutch, Tudor, basket weave and stretcher bond are good examples - but again ensure you keep the joints 10-15mm between slabs.

BLOCK PAVING

This is one of the most popular products for driveways but make sure you pick a product that suits the style and age of your home as it will be a costly mistake if you get it wrong.

I think a driveway should incorporate some green areas instead of looking like a large parking bay.

Not only does this allow rainwater to drain naturally, it also gives some sense of proportion to the front of your home.

A block paving driveway needs to be installed correctly and it is of the utmost importance that all soft ground is removed.

A proper sub-base of Type 1 quality most be laid (usually at least 150mm) and compacted with a plate vibrator to improve the bearing capacity of the ground.

If this is not done properly, the paving will start to sink into the weak sub-soil within a few weeks of being driven over.

Once the sub-base is sorted out lay the block paving on 50mm of a well-graded grit sand - not building sand. This should be completely compacted with a 15-20mm loosely-laid screed to bed in the block paving.

DONNY'S LITTLE HELPER Wood-boring bits are just the ticket when you need to bore large holes. Not only used for joinery, they also come in handy when building birds' nest boxes and the like when you need an exact size of hole.