Flagstones onto concrete - Soakaway against house?

[DanL]

Our garden is a mess of ruptured concrete. We have been getting quotes to remove the concrete and lay flagstones right up to the house wall. One contractor has suggested saving money by laying the stones directly onto the concrete. I pointed out this would take the level above the DPC, and he said it wouldn't be a problem if we allowed a gravel filled gap between the wall and the stones to enable ventilation. Various books I have consulted have agreed that this is a solution. What do you think? I don't have much money, so this suggestion might just make the whole thing possible this year which would be wonderful. However, I don't want damp problems - or a negative survey when we come to sell the house.

Thanks in advance, Dan

P.S. Sorry if this topic has already been discussed!

[Don2138]

Have a look at,

http://www.pavingexpert.com/dpc01.htm

I think your question is answered there.

Good Luck.

Don Kennedy

[Tony McC]

I have seen this 'gravel strip' solution to the low DPC problem on a few sites and although I know that some DIY books suggest it as a possible remedy, it is not one I would ever advocate, and I know that it is a construction that worries many surveyors/valuers.

My biggest concern is that, over a period of time, the originally clean gravel silts up; the voids fill with accumulated detritus and sediment, and what once allowed air to circulate soon becomes a soild mass and you might as well have paved up to and beyond the DPC for all the good it does.

The Dry Channel Arrangements shown on the page quoted by Don are a much better solution as they enable full and permanent ventilation and easy maintenance. If any litter,detritus or sediment was to find its way into the channel, it's a simple matter to remove it with a brush and/or a shovel.