The Brew Cabin

My driveway is concrete and I would like to know if it is possible to lay blocks on this rather than dig it up (obvioulsy I will need a bedding layer of sand). The concrete is sound. In the past year I have several Skip lorries on it and a readymix wagon with 10 tonnes of concrete in it.

There is also a border at the side of the drive this is about 1M wide and is only 30mm higher than the main part. Is it possible to take this taper this out with sand or should the higher part be taken out completely?

Ooops. I've had a good look at the site now and realise that the answer to the first part of my question is already answered, I need to core drill 50-75 mm holes at 2m centres for drainage.
What a great site there is so much here. I have been considering laying my own block drive for a while but was a bit nervous but I reckon that with the advice here I cant go too wrong.

I'd still like to know about this small, tiny step of 30mm can this be taken out with the screeding layer or should the sand be of a uniform thickness?

The bedding layer needs to be fairly uniform in depth or you get differential settlement. +/- 10mm is the limit, really, so I'd suggest you get rid of the 30mm lip.

You only lay block paving once - might as well get it right. :)

Hey back again, well in almost a year I have managed to lay edging down one side of the drive. I just used 150 x 40 x 900 edgings, not sure of what they're called but they are like strips of concrete slabs and are the tight fisted jocks cheaper option.

After laying these edgings its now clear that the concrete is not as flat as it looks. I just used a string 100mm higher than the CC at each end and laid the edge to the string and the CC is anything from 75 to 125mm from the top of the edge.
The best way around this would seem to me to lay a mortar screed to take out the ups and downs, only problem is that this would need to taper down to nothing and that might break up at the thin parts.

Also I came up with the idea of dividing my drive into quarters (its basically a rectangle) by laying blocks as a cross shape haunched in with concrete like an edgeing, and screeding out the small step this would let me use 30mm bed on one side and 50 or 60 on the other side. each section would have an even layer of bed.

Is this workable or do I just need to stop the lazy bugger attitude and dig it up?

Hi again,

I think that quartering the drive might be a good idea, as it will allow you to control the bedding layer more accurately. The thicker bedding (the 60+mm thick bit) will compact more than the thinner (30mm) section, and you'll have to do a bit of trial and error to work out just what depth of bedding is needed to give an accurate finish, but, even if you do get a bit of excessive settlement in the 60mm+ section, it's not too big a job to lift the affected section and relay it as required on a bit of extra sand.

Thanks Tony
The quartering will also allow me to do it in bite size chunks as I get time and money! (mrs B is currently gestating baby broon No 4). When I get started I promise to post some pics.

Pics of Broon Bairn 4 or pics of the paving? ;)

Both if you like. just hope the drive isnt as ugly the bairns. When the last one was born the midwife took one look and then slapped the mother!

The old ones are the best.