Paving against a timber wall

[goshawker]

Hi,

Our garden is probably as close as you can get to the Himalayas in Bucks. I recently terraced parts of it with some low level timber retaining walls (each approx 0.5m high).
Having got me working the wife has decided to keep me at so we are building a patio on the level space we have created. My question is what is best to do at the junction of the paving and timber wall. I have a base of hardcore and Type compacted against the wall and the top of wall equates to the top of slab level.

My concern is that if I but the paving (sandstone from Pavestone) upto the wall with a standard 10mm joint and then point this gap with the same material as the patio (likely one of the new modern systems) that the wall will undoubtedly have some movement or even just expand/ contract at a different rate to the patio and therefore crack the joint.
Do you think this would be a problem or would i be better off having an edging of gravel against the wall?

Hope this makes sense?

Thanks in advance

Ivan

[nry]

No expert, but I'm guessing gravel may stop the timber being constantly damp which it may well be if you pave/mortar right up to it.

[goshawker]

Thanks nry, i guess one answer I had not thought of is to reduce wall height by 30mm or so and let the slab run out over the top 10mm or so and let the water shed off onto the terrace level below