All of our installations are carried out in accordance with BS7533, part 3 by our own highly trained members of staff.
Preparation:-
Our first steps are to mark out the area to be paved. We will then carryout the excavation of the existing surfacing, making sure that the level of the new paved area will be at least 150mm below the DPC (damp proof course) of any adjoining property. All excavated material will be cleared and taken away from site.
The excavated area is compacted with the plate vibrator, and any soft areas will be dug out and filled with sub-base material.
During this preparation stage it is important for us to establish the correct levels for drainage purposes. If the area is flat we will create a slight slope during the excavation. This needs to be a drop of 25mm over 1 meter across the width (1:40) and 25mm across 1 meter along the length (1:80).
If the area slopes towards the property then drainage channels, gullies or a soak away will be necessary and installed at this stage along with any recessed manhole covers that may be necessary.
Edging:-
All edge restraints are installed by setting firmly in concrete to the correct levels and haunched. Restraints can be kerb edgings, pre-cast edgings, or blocks themselves. The blocks can be laid with the short side against the edge (a header or soldier course) or long ways against the edge (a single or double stretcher course), this all depends on your personal preference.
Laying:-
The sub base material (MOT type 1/type2) is then laid on a permeable geo-textile membrane within the edging restraints and compacted firmly with the vibration plate to ensure there are no voids. At this stage we then spread the sharp sand to a depth of 50mm, compacting it again with the plate vibrator. A further 10-15mm of sand is then spread over the top as a loose screed and levelled using screed bars and a straight edge. This area becomes the laying surface.
The blocks are then laid hand tight only, starting in one corner, and at the bottom if there is a slope. To ensure the even distribution of colour and texture we draw blocks from different packs during the laying procedure. Blocks will then be cut and filled into the edging restraints. To ensure maximum strength pieces smaller than one third of a block are avoided where possible.
Once the area is laid, we sweep the surface thoroughly to remove all chips and fragments and check over the area thoroughly again to ensure there are no damaged blocks. If we do find any we will replace them at this time.
The whole area is then compacted with 2 or 3 passes of the plate vibrator, followed by the sweeping in process of kiln dried joint filling sand into the entire area, ensuring it gets right down into the joints between the blocks.
Finally we vibrate the whole area again to force down the joint filling sand and fill any gaps, which may appear in the joints. The excess sand is then swept off the surface and you have a new driveway, path or patio to be proud of.
