Raised Patio attached to house

[minority]

Hi,

Long time lurker but just joined as I am considering a project.

I have a semi new build (2011) which has a sloped garden raising away from the house.

I have plans to level some of this for my kids to play on but first I am trying to wrap my head over plans for a raised patio.

I have french doors which have a step out onto them and to me the step is level with the dmp, which I believe is technically acceptable in this circumstances and have not had any issues.

I would like to take this step (it about 1 and 1/2 slab long by two slap wide, square standard slabs) and create a patio. I am aware I should not have it above or anywhere over 150mm of the dmp.

My question is if I wanted it level with the step is it possible, could I leave a 200mm gap with a drainage system to run the water to the near by drain?

Or is my only choice to knock out the big step create a smaller one and then have the patio 150mm below the dmp...I just thick the current size of the step would look weird if I drop 150mm down without fixing the patio slabs that are there.

Cheers for any help

Paul

 

[Halitosis]

Hi, I'm in the middle of doing exactly the same thing, and have found this website to be invaluable:
http://www.pavingexpert.com/featur03.htm
Other than the existing step at the patio door, to ensure the DPC remains uncompromised I've dug down 150mm next to the house and poured concrete footings 400mm wide, on which I'm building a short 350mm wall (using dense blocks - they wont be visible) leaving a gap of 125mm between it and the house in which I'm setting plastic guttering (or you could simply press it into the wet concrete to mould a channel if you prefer). The guttering/channel needs to fall at least 1:80, and hopefully you'll have a conveniently located downpipe/drain for it to flow to.
After infilling and compacting with a wacker plate, lay the patio over the 'wall' to leave the small 'moat', that could if you prefer be filled with pebbles/stones (roundish to ease drainage).
Good luck - you'll be needing a lot of infill material - I'll have plenty spare when I've levelled this!

Before

• Halitosis
• 7 Oct 2014
• 5

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[minority]

Thanks for the reply.

How long do you think this will take you.

My slope is not as steep at most I think it about 1.5 or 2 m higher at top.

My thought On the slope is build a wall less thAn meter high and dig down at highest point to level in middle.

 

[Halitosis]

Digging out and building the low wall is a couple of weekends work for a middle-aged knacker like me. If you refer to the whole project, my wife is already ordering the patio furniture but I'm hoping she's planning ahead for summer 2016!
I'm putting a retaining wall at the far side of (what will be) the raised patio, and getting a man with an excavator in to level the top part, bringing down suitable sub-soil (luckily its gravel) and taking away the surplus.
Its a big project for a novice like me, but I'm looking forward to the satisfaction and having saved many thousands (quotes by builders to do the whole project were north of £10k).
My bricklaying skills wont merit open display, so I'm using modular retaining wall blocks (Tobermore Secura Lite, though there are others on the market) - once the base and first course are set and level, its brilliantly simply and looks great in my opinion. This is it at nearly half it's final height.

starting with the retaining wall

• Halitosis
• 26 Apr 2015
• 3

concrete foundations and Tobermore Secura Lite retaining wall blocks. AFter mortaring the first...

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