Hi all. As part of a garden-levelling project, I want to raise the level of a patio by 400mm, and seek advice on the short ‘retaining walls’ needed around its perimeter: Is it best to set pavers-on-edge into a concrete footing, or build a short wall out of cement blocks? If blocks are best, can I lay them directly onto the existing patio slabs with a 10mm bed of mortar?
In either case, is it OK to lay the new/higher patio slabs on top so that I can avoid having an ‘edge/kerb’ spoiling the view and drainage run-off?
Last question (sorry!): I’d like to save some costs by using some unwanted soil from the top of the garden within the base – can I pack 200mm of soil in there (with a hired wacker) overlaid with 150mm of hardcore, or might this cause problems over time?
I've got a diagram but cannot for the life of me work out how to upload/share it here... Thanks all for any advice you can offer a novice!