Concrete Raft + New Patio

[imroberts]

My house is built on a concrete raft which protrudes from the house by around 6 inches.

I'm planning to have a new patio and I'm wondering what, if anything, I can do to make this look a bit nicer as it is currently fairly unsightly.
I've attached a picture showing the current arrangement - note that the bottom of the wall isn't usually damp, I pressure washed the patio earlier today!

I've only had one person visit to quote for laying the new patio and they suggested laying the new patio on top of the raft. I'm intending to have 20mm porcelain slabs so this would raise the ground level by 35-40mm. I did question this as I understood the DPM must be at least 150mm above ground level and this would reduce it to 110-115mm. They assured me it would be fine but I did have doubts over other proposals they made so wanted to get a second opinion.

Firstly, is the 150mm a hard and fast rule and am I likely to cause problems by reducing this to, say, 115mm?

Assuming raising the ground is a no-go, does anyone have any suggestions how I can make this look better than it does currently?

 

[noseall]

My house is built on a concrete raft which protrudes from the house by around 6 inches.

I'm planning to have a new patio and I'm wondering what, if anything, I can do to make this look a bit nicer as it is currently fairly unsightly.
I've attached a picture showing the current arrangement - note that the bottom of the wall isn't usually damp, I pressure washed the patio earlier today!

I've only had one person visit to quote for laying the new patio and they suggested laying the new patio on top of the raft. I'm intending to have 20mm porcelain slabs so this would raise the ground level by 35-40mm. I did question this as I understood the DPM must be at least 150mm above ground level and this would reduce it to 110-115mm. They assured me it would be fine but I did have doubts over other proposals they made so wanted to get a second opinion.

Firstly, is the 150mm a hard and fast rule and am I likely to cause problems by reducing this to, say, 115mm?

Assuming raising the ground is a no-go, does anyone have any suggestions how I can make this look better than it does currently?

Is that a genuine 'raft' or is it just a plinth?

Odd set-up.

 

[imroberts]

Is that a genuine 'raft' or is it just a plinth?

Odd set-up.

I can't be 100% sure - the concrete does continue right under the floor of the house and I know that a lot of other houses in the local area were built on rafts so I'd just assumed...

I'm assuming your thought is if it's just a plinth, I could simply cut it off (or at least the top few inches depending how deep it goes) and lay the patio right up to the house at the existing level? That would certainly be a preferable option!

How could I be sure whether or not it is a genuine raft?

 

[noseall]

How could I be sure whether or not it is a genuine raft?

Without digging or historical knowledge - dunno?

Anything proud of the building footprint (regards rafts) usually occurs at or below ground level, so that the step-out can be dealt with.