Guidance and someone to lay patio - I need someone to advise on sub grade

[OldAmateur]

Hi, I need someone who can advise whether I need to use a sub base. I have roughly dug out an area that is to become a patio and will now start to level it more carefully. The ground is very heavy clay. My first question is should I use a sub-base or will bedding my patio on a 100mm dry mix suffice? If so, do I need to whack it down?

The patio is made up of two overlapping circles, one 7m and the other 5m in diameter. The circles will need to be marked out with setts of some sort (we haven't yet picked them) while the inside of each circle will be a crazy paving (which Mrs Amateur has picked out).

A family friend, who knows a bit about this stuff, has advised me to get someone who knows what they are doing to lay this so would like to hear from anyone who is interested. The job is in north Liverpool.

[local patios and driveway]

Im not interested but yeah do it once do it right, dig out 6 inches to allow a proper sub base then a bedding layer and the stone, if you want it done right try and get a regular from here to do it otherwise be careful, loads of bodgers out there

[OldAmateur]

Many thanks.

I had planned to do a sub base but then I read the page on the site and it seemed to suggest that I might not need one for a garden patio, particluarly as the sub grade is really solid.

I was quite looking forward to having a play with the whacker plate as I've never used one before.

Is there a noticeboard or something where I can advertise the job?

[Tony McC]

We have a few Brew Cabin Irregulars from the Liverpool area, so if they are interested, I'm sure they'll be in touch.

While a sub-base is not always necessary for patios, it usually results in a better (if more expensive) job. It's a matter of judging the ground once it's exposed.

Circles are awkward to get right if you're not familiar with setting-out geometry, and crazy paving is a bugger to get right. It's a widely held misconceptioon that crazy paving is a cheap and easy alternative to conventional flagging. No it's bloody not! It's a bugger to get it looking right, it involves seemingly endless trimming to avoid joints as wide as the Mersey, and it's incredibly slow work.

If you're the sort of Old Amateur with lots of patience and a need to stay out of the house away from Mrs Amateur, it can be a very rewarding project, but it's not something you will complete in a weekend!

[OldAmateur]

Many thanks Tony. I don't mind doing all the preparation but have already been warned off trying to lay the crazy paving myself. Think I will leave that to someone who knows what they are doing. The stuff Mrs Amateur picked is from a picture on the site. It seems to have lots of brown, blue and grey. I went along with it but do not like the setts as I would like something that gave a better contrast.

I'll sit tight and see if anyone contacts me.

I have uncovered another problem today. I have had a garden wall built and backfilled around the footings with clay. It has now turned into a gooey slop. I keep piling more clay on top and stamping it down in the hope that it will stiffen up. Am I doing the right thing? I really don't want to have to dig it back out as there is about twenty metres of it. The other worry is that the setts need to sit directly above this slop. Will the sub base sort this out?

[Tony McC]

No: add clean gravel rather than clay. It will improve the drainage and make the backfill easier to compact/settle