Patio re-lay and house wall issue

[FoxWolf]

Hi all, I'm new to the forum and hoping for some advice.

The external groundworks on my property are terrible and have slipped down with the slope of the garden. I want to bring it all up, excavate, and re-lay. However, the slabs nearest the house are at the block level already (though the brick wall outer edge has sloped down considerably), and I'd like to lower it further to match patio level so there's no 'step'. See attached photo:

IMG_1754

• FoxWolf
• 22 Mar 2022

What should go against the house wall? I was thinking of putting some edging maybe six inches away from it and filling it with gravel for drainage. Or is there a better solution?

Thanks!

 

[Mr diy a lot.]

Building regs want patios 150mm below the dpc - and this is often the way they are done as it’s the cheapest and simplest way to install. But that finish is never as sweet as flush to floor level. it’s a way nicer finish to do it flush but it’s just faffier and therefore more expensive in time and materials and so requires more huffing and puffing and lots of sharp intakes of breath during the planning stages.

So yeh if you want it flush, to meet regs, you need some sort of drainage solution in a gap between the house and the patio. Personally i think bog standard A15 drainage channel can be discreet and look great but there is fancier versions which all perform the same function. I think it’s neater than a stone filled channel - it makes the patio feel more like a flowing extension of the room when you have the doors open in the summer etc.

Remember to ensure the patio slopes away from the house at a sufficient gradient tho. It can’t be dead level. The eye won’t notice the gradient - it’s very slight. For every 80cm out from house patio should drop 1cm so a patio pushing out into garden 5m would only be a 6-7cm height difference - not noticeable.

 

[FoxWolf]

Building regs want patios 150mm below the dpc...

Thanks for such a helpful reply! That's really helped. I think you make a good suggestion with the channel drain. That'd give it a nice clean look. Cheers!