Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2015 11:00 am
Hi, after reading this site and looking at my patio that was built a couple of months ago I can see that I’ve suffered at the hands of some bodgers (friend of a friend’s company). I’ve had 80 m2 of Indian sandstone laid and the previous nasty concrete slabs that were uneven taken up.
It seems that they have done no preparation of the sub-base so I imagine that the slabs will shift like the previous ones (think it’s just builders sand underneath), in some parts they broke up the original slabs to put underneath. The slabs 22mm calibrated (Raj Green from Prices Paving) have been spot laid and in some areas the spots were about 2 inches tall…. 25% of the slabs are now very slightly moving and 75% of them feel hollow. The grouting that they have used has understandably disappeared down the huge voids under the slabs, and they have used sand that seems to have small bits of grit and stone in for the grouting that looks messy (think it’s concreting sand?) and the joints that vary from an inch to nearly nothing.
Anyways it looks like I’m going to need the patio re done, ground dug up for a proper substrate and the stuff laid properly. Any ideas how much this will set me back?
Also there is no drain installed but a 4 inch strip of gravel to act as a soakaway in front of the 5ft retaining wall which drops down to the garden, is that an ok alternative to a proper drain?
Cheers
Steve
It seems that they have done no preparation of the sub-base so I imagine that the slabs will shift like the previous ones (think it’s just builders sand underneath), in some parts they broke up the original slabs to put underneath. The slabs 22mm calibrated (Raj Green from Prices Paving) have been spot laid and in some areas the spots were about 2 inches tall…. 25% of the slabs are now very slightly moving and 75% of them feel hollow. The grouting that they have used has understandably disappeared down the huge voids under the slabs, and they have used sand that seems to have small bits of grit and stone in for the grouting that looks messy (think it’s concreting sand?) and the joints that vary from an inch to nearly nothing.
Anyways it looks like I’m going to need the patio re done, ground dug up for a proper substrate and the stuff laid properly. Any ideas how much this will set me back?
Also there is no drain installed but a 4 inch strip of gravel to act as a soakaway in front of the 5ft retaining wall which drops down to the garden, is that an ok alternative to a proper drain?
Cheers
Steve