Garden path queries - Laying a block paving path across lawn

[mainman]

I want a block paving path round the lawned two sides of my house and one contractor (who has done other small building jobs for me) has put several obstacles in the way. Firstly he says the path must be next to the house, destroying the £200 of small shrubs I planted last summer. I want the path 18 inches from house wall but he says the shrubs will cause damp in the wall. The house was built in 1996 and had bigger bushes around it before replanting with no problem . Then he says it needs drainage to the nearest house downpipes, which I don't understand why and he can't fully explain except to drain rain water and stop flooding! (Is not 6 inch of MOT and grit under the blocks better drainage than there before anyway?) The lawn has never been soggy even as you dig down a foot and it is sandy.
I am of course getting another quote for the job but would like to hear experts thoughts on this.

[seanandruby]

He's talking ball hooks. You can put a path wherever you want. As long as your soil is 2 below damp you can have a bed for plants. The only thing i'd avoid is creepers up the wall.

[Tony McC]

I'd avoid this "contractor"!

He obviously knows nothing and/or he's a blatant liar. You can have a path anywhere. As Sean rightly says, there are regulations when you pave against a building, but other than that, there are no restrictions.

[mainman]

Thanks for confirming what I guessed was correct. To cap it all I forgot to say, probably because it was ridiculously irrelevant, that he said that the existing driveway and patio used 'expensive' bricks. They are Marshall Standard!!
When I queried the details with him he brought the price from £3300 to £1990 (said he measured wrongly!) which I still think for 15 sqm is too high. I won't be using him, jobbing builders should stick to what they do best.
I have now contacted a well established local family company paving specialists and feel they will be more honest and realistic.

[Tony McC]

Probably a good idea. Once a tradesperson starts with the bullsh*t, you never really feel confident with them and start to doubt everything they tell you.