Posted: Mon May 13, 2013 9:49 am
Hi everyone. Being a newie you may have to bear with me!
I am in the process of trying to complete my new build house. It is a small timber frame house on top of a poured concrete basement. Unfortunately, the builders who made the basement and top slab left many jobs incomplete. I am living in the finished house on top of the basement, but the basement remains as 4 concrete walls, totally unfinished.
The basement has a small patio area (6m x 2.2m) at the rear which is part of the total foundation slab, and is contained by concrete walls rising to garden level. It has 110mm pipe upstand connected to the drainage system which is linked to a sump at the front of the property. The sump has a pump and collects all rain and groundwater and pumps it all away very well.
My first job is to raise the level of the rear patio to the height of the threshold where french doors will go for rear access. This will incorporate a channel drain attached to the aforementioned pipe.
The overall height is 150mm and I understand what I must do, but need to do it myself and have no experience (all my budget was spent by the architect and builder leaving me potless!).
I have considered pumping concrete but cannot afford the pump lorry. I have a cement mixer but feel that there is too much for me to hand mix (also would have to barrow ballast a long way from front of house to back with all sorts of slopes and drops in height etc).
I had a thought... could I place 50 or 60 concrete blocks on the area to reduce the amount of concrete required then mix and pour between them?
I intend to lay paving slabs to the drain / threshold height after the concrete work, and also thought that I could just spread 115mm of sand instead and lay slabs on top?? Only worry there is that rain would get under the slabs and therefore not drain away??
Any advice on doing this cheaply and easily would be appreciated!
I am in the process of trying to complete my new build house. It is a small timber frame house on top of a poured concrete basement. Unfortunately, the builders who made the basement and top slab left many jobs incomplete. I am living in the finished house on top of the basement, but the basement remains as 4 concrete walls, totally unfinished.
The basement has a small patio area (6m x 2.2m) at the rear which is part of the total foundation slab, and is contained by concrete walls rising to garden level. It has 110mm pipe upstand connected to the drainage system which is linked to a sump at the front of the property. The sump has a pump and collects all rain and groundwater and pumps it all away very well.
My first job is to raise the level of the rear patio to the height of the threshold where french doors will go for rear access. This will incorporate a channel drain attached to the aforementioned pipe.
The overall height is 150mm and I understand what I must do, but need to do it myself and have no experience (all my budget was spent by the architect and builder leaving me potless!).
I have considered pumping concrete but cannot afford the pump lorry. I have a cement mixer but feel that there is too much for me to hand mix (also would have to barrow ballast a long way from front of house to back with all sorts of slopes and drops in height etc).
I had a thought... could I place 50 or 60 concrete blocks on the area to reduce the amount of concrete required then mix and pour between them?
I intend to lay paving slabs to the drain / threshold height after the concrete work, and also thought that I could just spread 115mm of sand instead and lay slabs on top?? Only worry there is that rain would get under the slabs and therefore not drain away??
Any advice on doing this cheaply and easily would be appreciated!
50mm up