Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 10:37 pm
Hi folks
I have installed patio doors and am about to put in a patio. Normally I'd put in a step and then have the patio 150mm below the DPC as recommended.
Trouble is my garden slopes down towards the house and I want to level the grass off. To do so, what I'd like to do is raise the patio a lot higher than I'd do in normal circusmtances.
The ideal height of the patio would actually be 100mm ABOVE the DPC. I'm know I technically shouldn't raise it to this height - but wonder what people think if I also did the following:
- Had a 200mm wide gravel 'trench' between the house and the patio, which would also extend below the DPC.
- Obviously slope the patio away from the house
- Added a plastic damp proof membrane between the house and the gravel, above and below the DPC in the house brickwork
- Also used a weather seal product the the brickwork as well
One benefit is the house is a bungalow with a one foot overhang all the way around, meaning the area immediately outside the patio doors doesn't tend to get very wet.
The alternative to level the garden would have been to dig out the highest area rather than raise the lower area - but this really isn't much of an alternative due to the size of the area.
I guess I could also look at getting one of the DPC injected into the walls on this side of the house, though I'm thinking this would maybe be a step too far for now.
Any advice out there very much appreciated!
Thanks
Ben
I have installed patio doors and am about to put in a patio. Normally I'd put in a step and then have the patio 150mm below the DPC as recommended.
Trouble is my garden slopes down towards the house and I want to level the grass off. To do so, what I'd like to do is raise the patio a lot higher than I'd do in normal circusmtances.
The ideal height of the patio would actually be 100mm ABOVE the DPC. I'm know I technically shouldn't raise it to this height - but wonder what people think if I also did the following:
- Had a 200mm wide gravel 'trench' between the house and the patio, which would also extend below the DPC.
- Obviously slope the patio away from the house
- Added a plastic damp proof membrane between the house and the gravel, above and below the DPC in the house brickwork
- Also used a weather seal product the the brickwork as well
One benefit is the house is a bungalow with a one foot overhang all the way around, meaning the area immediately outside the patio doors doesn't tend to get very wet.
The alternative to level the garden would have been to dig out the highest area rather than raise the lower area - but this really isn't much of an alternative due to the size of the area.
I guess I could also look at getting one of the DPC injected into the walls on this side of the house, though I'm thinking this would maybe be a step too far for now.
Any advice out there very much appreciated!
Thanks
Ben