I want to lay a garden path and bin store area, and have agreed to buy some block paving from Gumtree from local builder.
Soil is clay / brown soil mix, with poor drainage.
I propose:
- 50-75mm of baselayer (type 2 ballast?) hand tamped down over a geo textile.
- 10-20mm of grit as bedding for blocks
- edge blocks placed using concrete to secure in place.
- use either sand or concrete slurry to fill gaps?
I will also have a 1.8m dia patio to lay (mrs_oab is still around, no need to worry)
I have estimated 15m of path to lay.
I also have no idea how to estimate how much grit and sub-base I need....? I am guestimating a full ton bag of sub base and half a ton bag of grit?
Any advice welcome
My issue is that the path is curved. I have seen a couple of options for curving the path - what are easiest options for an amateur...?
Blocks are like these:
Blast this flipping forum....cannot even display pictures.
Those blocks look a bit like permeable paving. Paving expert website is a gold mine and you might find the advice is a bit different for permeable paving.
I think they are permeable paving - they match what is on our drive and road way outside. Does that make things difficult? I am OK with rustic finish....
IIRC from my recent pathbuilding a cubic metre of type one is about 1.5 tonnes so measure your path length and width. Multiply them and then by the depth of of gravels / fines to give the cubic m needed then by 1.5 to get tonnage
i also found calculators online IIRC
for curves you will likely need to cut the blocks. so get a tool for that. or a suitable grinder blade and a bolster tool to spilt/clean up the edges. quite hard to do it well. the smaller the part needed the harder it is!
dry sand is OK to fill the gaps uness you want proper 'permeable' paving when they use 1-4mm clean grit in the gaps.
or a suitable grinder blade and a bolster tool to spilt/clean up the edges
I have 4.5" grinder and bolster, so hoping I am Ok on that front.
More worried about the amount of concrete I need to mix...
As said above, have a look at paving expert https://www.pavingexpert.com/bpvseq01
I'd suggest at least 100mm subbase and a 40mm sand bed. Also think about using a geomembrane.
If your Type 2 is free draining your spec looks ok; grit instead of sand bed is good idea it doesnt get too wet if you get a bit of rain. not like neighbours contractor laying in the rain into 20-30 mm water 😆. Apart from mixing concrete you will have a similar weight of topsoil/turf to shift too. make a raised bed close by to chuck it into is my plan soon. Your lads look like getting stuck in to help?
As long as you use shallow curves and not tight ones no need to cut blocks other than 2 accurate half cuts from one block if you're fake herringbone ,and hide your bolster, it's a 230mm Bosch cutter with a good diamond blade not an wee 4"angle grinder just watch your toes. A fillet of strong mortar to retain your edge blocks only coming up 30mm max ie not to the top of the block with the sloping mortar
A slight camber an inch higher in the middle of the path and on a dry day with dry blocks use kiln dried sand to fill the joints , never a slurry of any kind
It's an easy lift up and start again if you cock it up
I'd save your money and forget geotex but hire or borrow a vibrating plate, it's only a garden path