The Brew Cabin

Is it advisable to place a 8 cubic yard skip onto block paving? It's going to be there about 3 days in total and will be fully loaded with earth/rubble. I'm worried in case the weight will damage the paving and sink the subbase.

Looks like the drive may not have a good subbase anyway because where the car wheels stay is showing signs of sinking slightly.

best to put down some "Decking Sheets" to protect the surface when the skip is dropped off and picked up again. These are usual 2400x1200x18mm sheets of plywood or similar and simply act as a 'cushion' between the skip and the paved surface.

The real risk comes if you need to bring the skip wagon onto the block pavement. The sheer weight of the wagon, especially when carrying a full skip, is probably a lot more that the pavement was designed to carry.

Also, the skip wagon uses a pair of 'jacks' when loading/unloading. These are retractable supports which help 'balance' the wagon when the skip is lifted. The pressure exerted on these jacks is exceptional, and they will have no difficulty in punching through a block pavement. The wagon driver normally puts down 'chocks' beneath the jacks to help spread the load, but even so, there is a significant risk and, as ever, if owt does go wrong, the skip company are exempt because you instructed them to unload/load at that particular point.

I would keep any skip lorries well away from your driveway if at all possible. My next door neighbour's skip was removed a few weeks ago and even with the driver's best efforts of putting timber under the rear "jacks", it easily managed to punch a hole in the pavement tarmac/block paving border. Neither my neighbour or his builder were on site to manage the loading operation so that was the end result. If it is feasible, I would pay the additional cost of having the skip placed in the road to avoid the problem.

Thanks guys... think I'll go for the option of putting in on the road in front of the house. The neighbours wont be too happy, but hey, needs must.

Just means an extra 30 metres trip per barrow load ;)

Phew, what a weekend! Filled a 9 cubic yard skip full of rubble/earth on Saturday and now have a 45 square yard area ready to receive the granular sub base.

It's quite a skill navigating a full barrow up a scaffold plank without falling off ;)

I hear it's about to become a Nolympic Sport!

Also up for consideration is Wacker Plate racing....