The Brew Cabin

I have a Victorian terrace built on heavy London clay. Having lowered ground levels which had been raised too high over the years, I discover that the foundations below the slate DPC are minimal - just two layers of brick, then some 2 - 3 inches of compacted rubble. As this is on clay, I do not want to over-drain the soil which would lead to cracking in dry spells and subsequent wall cracks. Further complications are introduced by the presence of the soil stack and a seperate rainwater drain by the wall. I am hoping to use the Marshalls Driveway 50 range, but advice on what to do up next to the house wall would be most helpful.

I did a design for an almost identical property in Stoke Newington last year. The construction you describe is known as 'Spreader Courses' and is common on older properties built on a stable clay.

On the Stoke Newington job, the paving finished 300mm or so short of the wall and the 'gap' was dressed with a decorative flinty gravel. Disturbance to the spreader courses and the immediate surround was kept to an absolute minimum, and it seems to have been successful.