Midway through my project - 90 sqmtr

[podgermash]

so I have dug down and whacked 18-20 ton of mot1. (around 100-110mm deep).
I have 10 ton of grit sand ready for a 50-60 mm base, for 80mm block
block level shoud have been 6inches below dpc

I am also in the proccess of finishing an extention that still needs to be signed off by the LA.
The block paving is not part of the plans


I need to get this paving done before the new regs come into effect.
Can I lay sand and block on wet days?

Finally, My neighbours garden is probably 12 inches higher than my block level. And during the rains this past week. the surface water is draining under my hardcore. It's very damp.
Do I need to wait for this to dry thourughly?
Should I be preparing some barrier between my neighbour and I.?
I will be designing in raised beds at this location, would a concrete footing and wall help the surface water flow?

Many thanks in advance for any reply, I have been a regular lurker here and would not have even attempted to start this job without all of your help
Therefore, I blame you all for my bad back.
lol
pics to follow

<img src="http://img225.imageshack.us/img225....MG]
[IMG]http://img225.imageshack.us/img225....MG]

[dig dug dan]

Can I lay sand and block on wet days?

depends on how wet. I wouldn't in the rain, but if it rained the night before, you should be ok to screed then whack down. but if the wacker gets bogged down, it's too wet, and you will need to wait.

Looking at the picture, it appears as though you are planning to block right into the left hand corner of your property. This i feel is unnecessary. why not have a small border around the property , using some sort of kerb, continuing along the neighbours boundary, coming out about 450mm.that would then solve the awkward paving in this area, solve the height difference, and allow the water to drain from your nieghbours side. you mention you are putting a raised bed this side in any case so i think you have this covered.Planted up with a few shrubs, it will soften the hard landscaping.

[Tony McC]

If you are genuinely concerned about the groundwater coming from your neighbour's property, then an interceptor drain is the answer.

As for working in the rain, as long as it's not ipssing down, then there's no reason not to, but make sure the laying course isn't saturated, and allow 12 hours of no rain before consolidating. It should go without saying that you need dry weather for the jointing.

[podgermash]

Great replies guys.
I will be having bedding there in that corner, the bedding area comes out to 4 feet, or so,
So I 've got plenty of room to go for the interceptor drain, by which I'm assuming you mean I dig a trench and fill with 1inch stone ( or similar) , with a perf pipe down it. ?
I was thinking on them lines,only I thought concrete was the answer( you may slap me with a wet fish) with heavy gauge plastic as a lining. Would this be ok or do you (highly?) reccomend the geotextile?

[Tony McC]

Interceptor drains are described on the main website

Not sure how concrete with an impermeable placky liner would help: water would simply cascade over the top.

[podgermash]

I have around 700 kg of crushed roadstone left, is this suitable to lay the perforated pipe on?
Would it be ok to surround the pipe also? Or is this out of the question due to the dust contained within the stone?

[Tony McC]

Too dusty. It'll merely silt-up your pipework.

[podgermash]

As I dug the trench, about a foot away from my bay window and a foot down, water came pissing out, slow tap speed.
I knew of this trace from when I dug the footings for my extension.
I plugged it back up with some clay and dug a large pit about 4ft deep, filled it with washed pink stone, as well as the trench floor.
I laid 100mm perf pipe then covered it with geotextile. Then a scattered layer of the rest of the pink stone left over
I had to throw the stone and dust over it. I had over 750kg to get rid of.
The trench is prolly a 9 metre run. at the lower end (my garden wall, I'm thinking about where the water is going to dispurse, so I dug another pit and filled that with pink stone also.
A point of interest for you guys maybe is that from my neighbours grass level, there is only 10-12 inches of topsoil, then its sand, down to at least the bottom of the pits I dug.
When I dug the footings, BC rejected them and said I had to pile drive. They first asked me to dig inspection pits, going at least 8ft in one pit before I hit clay. The clay was they wrong type of clay apparently, hence the piles. 8 of them 6 mtrs deep.

I can well appreciate any sharp intakes of breath as you read this, your comments are appreciated. I'm not a cowboy, just a keen diy-er so please bear in mind I'm trying to keep things simple for myself , its a massive job and my first attempt. I'm also on my own.
Why am I even attempting this?
My back says pay proffessionals, my wallet says lol.
Bill at the moment stands at £3100, I just need some more stone for concreting the edges.
I'll have about 10sqr/mtr of Marshalls tegula harvest(80mm) left over (2 sizes, pm me, if you want them).
Quotes started at £11,000 and went to 14.
90mtr/sq


*edit*
those quotes were for 75 mtrs, I've ended up taking the block round the back with a patio.

[ange jones]

Podgermash

Just a little note of encouragement
I have just finished my project - block paving my front path after about 8 - 10 weeks I did it on my own with the help of this website

Keep going you will be fine your back will feel better after 2 days in time for next weekends digging (believe me I know I now have muscles I didnt even know existed)

But the satisfaction of completing your path will stay with you forever, everytime you walk over it you can say "I did that"

Keep going you'll be fine