Hi Tony,
Im planning an area of tegula cobble (80x80x60) and want to know if I can use the actual cobble as an edging (haunched) instead of a more substantial block.
Also, does the edging have to be raised above the paving area,or can it be flush. If it has to be raised I suppose I will have to use a drivesett kerb or something as an edging ? On the one side it will be against the house wall and on the other a flower bed.
Any tips for laying the cobbles also appreciated-
Michelle
Tegula cobbles - Can i use them as an edge restraint
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chrisevans
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- Joined: Thu Aug 28, 2003 1:15 pm
- Location: Essex
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84-1089053830
There's nowt wrong in using either the Tegula/Drivesett 'cobbles', or the clay cobbles as an edge restaring, but it's best to use at least two courses of them.
In theory, there's no problem using a single course, but prepareing a bed and haunching for a single cobble is a lot of effort and it's actually easier to make the bed an extra 80mm or so wider to acommodate a double course, and you end up with a more resilient structure.
And there's nowt wrong with the edge courses being 'flush' with the level of the lawn, if that's what you want. It certainly makes for easier mowing, and as long as the haunching is in place, there no other reason why it can't be done.
All of the above applies to the clay cobbles as well as the Teg cobbles.
When it comes to laying, they're not all that differnt to laying standard pavers, except they are smaller and there's more of 'em to the square metre.
With the Tegula cobbles, just make sure the spacer lugs on adjacent blocks don't 'clash', and it's best if you have one poor sod down on their knees laying them as the glamorous assisstant feeds them with cobbles to lay. If you have one person laying a handful, getting up, bringing over a few more, kneeling or crouching down, laying a handful, straightening up...it doesn't take many square metres to make the owld back ache like never before.
With the clay cobbles, the amount of effort required to split the clusters is easy to overlook. When we were contracting, it took two men (donkeys, really) splitting the clusters to keep me (or another good block layer) fed with adequate quantities of the little buggers - so, in effect, it's taking twice as long to split the clusters as it does to lay them.
One other point regarding the clay cobbles - when they have been de-clustered, some of those snapped edges are razor-sharp, so WEAR GLOVES and be extra careful.
In theory, there's no problem using a single course, but prepareing a bed and haunching for a single cobble is a lot of effort and it's actually easier to make the bed an extra 80mm or so wider to acommodate a double course, and you end up with a more resilient structure.
And there's nowt wrong with the edge courses being 'flush' with the level of the lawn, if that's what you want. It certainly makes for easier mowing, and as long as the haunching is in place, there no other reason why it can't be done.
All of the above applies to the clay cobbles as well as the Teg cobbles.
When it comes to laying, they're not all that differnt to laying standard pavers, except they are smaller and there's more of 'em to the square metre.
With the Tegula cobbles, just make sure the spacer lugs on adjacent blocks don't 'clash', and it's best if you have one poor sod down on their knees laying them as the glamorous assisstant feeds them with cobbles to lay. If you have one person laying a handful, getting up, bringing over a few more, kneeling or crouching down, laying a handful, straightening up...it doesn't take many square metres to make the owld back ache like never before.
With the clay cobbles, the amount of effort required to split the clusters is easy to overlook. When we were contracting, it took two men (donkeys, really) splitting the clusters to keep me (or another good block layer) fed with adequate quantities of the little buggers - so, in effect, it's taking twice as long to split the clusters as it does to lay them.
One other point regarding the clay cobbles - when they have been de-clustered, some of those snapped edges are razor-sharp, so WEAR GLOVES and be extra careful.
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michelle anderson
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chrisevans
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- Location: Essex
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Tony McC
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Yes - it's just not worth trying to construct a sub-base for so narrow a strip. The only caveat is that, if you have bad ground, or a waterlogged site it's usually worth installing a 'token' sub-base (50-75mm) to give you summat decent to work on.
Normally, for these narrow paths and/or mowing strips, it's easier to lay ALL of the little cobble setts on a dry or semi-dry bed and then haunch the edges so that it bonds with the still-fresh bedding. What yu want to avoid at all costs is the scenario shown on the Edge Courses page where the haunching and bedding are separate entities.
Normally, for these narrow paths and/or mowing strips, it's easier to lay ALL of the little cobble setts on a dry or semi-dry bed and then haunch the edges so that it bonds with the still-fresh bedding. What yu want to avoid at all costs is the scenario shown on the Edge Courses page where the haunching and bedding are separate entities.
Site Agent - Pavingexpert
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chrisevans
- Posts: 18
- Joined: Thu Aug 28, 2003 1:15 pm
- Location: Essex
The ground is clay and on an incline. It doesn't seem to get too soggy even in winter. I've excavated approximately 150mm down for this path. Will this be sufficient depth for the dry-mix method.
General cobble laying: do you lay these 56mm cobbles with a gap between them? (how big?), or do you butt one up against the next and let their haphazard shape once split to create any gap?
General cobble laying: do you lay these 56mm cobbles with a gap between them? (how big?), or do you butt one up against the next and let their haphazard shape once split to create any gap?
Chris Evans