I am new to posting on this site but have been lurking in the background for sometime
Looking for some advice on laying my first patio. I aim to be laying indian sandstone. I have quite a large area for a first timer so want to get it right. I have dug down and filled 2 skips worth with the soil/clay i removed and am just about ready to order some MOT Type 1 for the sub base. I think i am going to need between 4 or 6 bulk bags to cover about a 75mm depth when compacted. The area i am covering is approx 14 metres wide by 2 1/2 metres deep with an added extension on one end of about 2 and 1/2 metres square.
The trouble is i am not sure about laying the MOT Type 1. I am doing this alone so will take me some time and i cannot get the bulk backs deleivered to the back of the house due to access so they will be dumped on my side lawn and i will have to barrow the lot in one at a time.
MAIN QUESTION: Can i start/stop and take my time laying out and raking the Type 1 prior to compacting it? Does it matter if it rains before it is compacted? or do i need to rake it out level, then compact it all in one go when it isnt raining?
Looking at least 6T for that area so maybe 7 bags.
Ideally you would prepare and wack in one hit. A bit of rain won't hurt. The worst that can happen if the base gets drenched is that you will need to leave compacting until it's dried out a tad.
You'll soon know if it's ok or not as the wacker will bog down in the sub-base.
Type 1 once compacted will not be affected at all by rain but in a loose layer it will soak up water and make compaction impossible as lemoncurd says it turns to soup and the plate just sinks into it.
If the weather is dryish or showery then go as slow as you like over days even but if there is any persistant rain forecast wack it down.
Personally i never leave mot uncompacted as a surprise night of rain can leave it unworkable. There is nothing worse than wanting to get on with a job but having to wait for a couple of dry days for sodden sub base to dry out.
I will be hiring a wackier plate and I guess that's the problem I guess the best way would be to lay out and rake the type 1 level, then whack it down at the end of my "shift" to avoid any nasty surprise rain attacks? Would that be my best bet? Is it ok to do a bit of the area and whack it down bit by bit or do I wait until I know I have a few clear days and do it all in one go?
Are you sure once wacked down the type 1 won't be affected by rain? The reason I ask is that I think it will take me quite a while to get the flags down.
Also, any tips on what sort of wacker to get and where from? I think I would need it delivered as I don't have a van.
Many thanks and big ups to the site in general, it's been a great help
Wacking it down at the end of a shift is the best bet. It'll probably take you about 20-30 mins to shift a bulk bag, get them doubled up one on top of another and then slice the side of the top bag and it'll make it super fast to just rake it out of the bag.
Caution maybe not a good idea if you have small kids or the bags are very close to a public street for safety in case a child tried to push them over or something. I only ever do this when i'm shifting them straight away but it saves a bit of effort.
By all means do it in shifts days apart. Rain will not affect it once its wacked but inevitabley when you dig out an area you usually create a sump which fills up with heavy rain. Once its all down and compacted your golden. You could wait to lay the flags for months with no ill effect.
2 things i'd suggest.
1 lay geotextile membrane before you put any mot down. That way if the ground is soft or soggy underneath it stops your sub base mixing with the sub grade.
2 cover your lawn down with polythene then put 4-6 8x4' boards down so that when your mot is delivered you can split the bags straight on to the boards which makes shifting it much easier.
7 tons to us is an hour or so's work so don't be intimidated by how it sounds. You worked much harder filling your skips up
Just to add after looking at membranes for a bit, Will any weed fabric do well enough as a membrane or do i need to be looking for something more specific?
