The Brew Cabin

We have inherited a very dodgy 80's stylee patio that we are going to replace asap. The other half is convinced that he can just lay a new one over the top after levelling etc. (It has sunk a wee bit - it is about 20 yrs old). I think he just can't be bothered removing the old paving and really, neither can I. As we won't be completely covering it completely and not as far as the house wall as it is now the added height is not an issue re. damp-proof course. Is this a no-no or what?

Many thanks

What's been used on the old patio and what do you plan to use for the new?

Thanks for the prompt reply.
The present patio is hexagonal/octagonal (I hate it so much I haven't really taken much notice) pavers and have no idea what it's laid on. The joints have been pointed with mortar which is now coming loose or missing. We want to replace it with a circle kit of about 3m diam. which will not cover the entire present site so will be using gravel over the rest. Oh, there's big plans for the whole design but I won't bore you with them.
BTW just noticed your address and we're just up the road in Birchwood!

When you say 'pavers', I suspect you means flags/slabs, as we don't have that many hexagonal block pavers in the UK, and, if you've got 'em, then they're worth cleaning up and keeping.

So, to lay a circle feature over what you have is, in theory, acceptable, as long as you use a cement-bound beding, but to then put a gravel over the existing flags is pushing your liuck, as loose gravel over a hard surface such as flags is prone to the 'ball-bearing' effect, especially with the rounded fluvial gravels that are common around here. There's less of a risk with flat deco aggs, such as slate mulch.

However, how much extra work is it to rip out what you have and get shut, so that the new patio is at ground level and looks right with the rest of the garden? I'll bet that if you stacked up the old flags on the front and stuck on a sign saying 'Free to Good Home' they'd soon be snapped up, and so save you the cost of hiring-in a skip.

If you've got hexagonal paving slabs we'll happily take them off your hands if they're the same size as ours!