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Stage
1: Remove existing driveway |
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first stage is to remove your existing driveway, this could be either concrete,
tarmac or concrete flags. The use of a mini digger which can be hired from Hirebase
makes this easier and is normally completed within one day with all the debris
placed into a skip and taken away
If you don't feel confident driving
a mini digger then get someone to do this for you as removing the existing driveway
by hand digging will take much longer to do
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The
minimum depth you need to remove from the top of your existing driveway is 250mm
(10") to allow for 150mm (6") of hardcore, 50mm (2") of sand and 50mm (2") for
your block paving.
250mm overall is the minimum depth of ground what needs
removing, if the ground is soft under your driveway you will need to remove more
earth or clay and replace with additional hardcore which needs to be compacted
in layers of no more than 75mm - 100mm at a time
The angle of the new block
paving driveway needs to be a minimum of 1:60 fall, that 1” fall in 60”
length (25mm fall in 1500mm), assuming you have a 3’ level it will be half
an inch fall in the length of your level
Knock 2 timber pegs or steel pins
into the ground one at the house side of the driveway and the other at the pavement
side and attach a tight builder’s nylon line at what is going to be the finished
height of your block paving, this line will be approx 10mm higher than the pavement
and 150mm lower than the damp proof course to allow for final compaction of the
block paving
If the driveway is falling away from the house then hold your
level on this line at the house side and move it up and down until it is level,
if you have a gap under the level on the side facing the pavement then you have
already got fall in the driveway. You can use an off cut of wood or something
similar what is half an inch thick to check the depth of the fall in the line
away from the house
When you are satisfied with the height and fall of
the line if you wrap some masking tape or insulation tape round the pegs to the
underside of your line it will save having to go through the same process again
if the line is taken off for any reason
Make sure that your line is quite
tight as you don’t want to have any sag in your line, this will give you
a false reading with your levels which could result in your finished driveway
holding water, if your driveway has more than half an inch fall in the length
of your level then this is even better
Note:
If your driveway
is falling towards the house then you simply reverse the fall and levels from
the pavement towards an existing rain water gully or you might have to install
drainage channels along the front of the property to catch the surface water which
is then directed into a soak a way within your garden area, a soak a way or rain
garden is now required in England to comply with the block
paving planning permission what came into force October 1st 2008
Do
not build rain gardens or soakaways close to building foundations. For small driveways
a minimum distance of 3m should be suitable but it depends on the ground conditions
and a greater distance may be required, if you are unsure ask your local authority
Building Control Department |
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Stage 2:
Geotextile layer |
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| When you have removed the existing driveway and all of the
debris the next stage is to place a geotextile layer on top of the subsoil to
the total area of your driveway which helps prevent the intermixing of the sub
soil or clay and the hardcore yet still permits water to flow freely.
This need to be held in place with a few bricks or blocks so the wind does not
disturb it, try to keep it as flat and as tight as you can whilst you begin to
place the hardcore on top of this geotextile membrane
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| This is available from your local Buildbase
or Travis Perkins Builders Merchants
and is called many names including terram, geotextile membrane, weed control fabric
or weed control membrane |
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Stage
3: Compact the hardcore |
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type 1 hard core is laid to the total area of your new driveway on top of the
geotextile membrane to a minimum depth of 150mm, your hardcore now needs to be
compacted to give a stable sub base for your new block paving, this can be achieved
with either a vibrating roller or a vibrating plate.
On larger areas
or where heavy vehicular access is needed we always use the vibrating roller to
ensure the sub base is very well compacted |
For
smaller areas where the large roller can't access a vibrating
plate is used to compact the hardcore. The compacting of the hardcore is completed
when we are satisfied that the sub base of your new drive is firm and has no soft
spots.
If any area is still soft it needs to be dug out and removed and
replaced with more hardcore which needs to be compacted in layers of no more than
75mm - 100mm at a time |  |
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Stage
4: A Firm edge restraint |
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area of your block paving must be surrounded by a firm edge restraint to prevent
the blocks and the sand on which they are laid from creeping sideways, either
the house walls, fence base panel or new edgings along any side which require
the paving to be held in place. |
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Stage
4: Block pave edging |
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Using
a tight string line to keep the front edge of the edging block in a straight line,
the blocks are laid on a semi dry mix of 3 parts grit sand to 1 part cement and
hauched front and back to hold in place
Mix the grit sand and cement together
before you add any water, then add a little bit of water at a time until the mixture
is what's known in the trade as semi dry or tacky, when you squeeze a handful
together it stays in a ball and does not fall apart
NOTE:
if you add too much water and the mixture is wet then you will not be able to
stop the edgings from falling over as they sink into the bed
The term haunched
or haunching is a process used to describe the sand and cement mixture that is
placed at the front and rear of the edging and pushed into place using a steel
trowel to hold the edging in place |  |
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Stage
5: Drainage Channel |
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Drainage channels are now required in England on any new block paving driveways
to direct the surface water into a soakaway or rain garden, these may be across
the pavement or garage or to the front of your property
Using a tight
string line 5mm below the finished height of your new driveway and a slight fall
towards the outlet for the drain, lay a bed of 3:1 mixture of sharp sand and cement
and connect the channels together and tap down into the bed making sure the top
of the channel is flush with the line.
Haunch both side of the channels
to hold them in place.
Note
Make sure the haunching is low
enough so the block paving will fit tight up to the drainage channels and still
be on a bed of sand |
| The reason that the channel is bedded 5mm lower than the finished height
of the paving is to allow for compaction of the paving with the vibrating plate
when you have completed the laying |
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Stage
6: Fix New Manhole Cover |
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| The block
paving manhole cover is bedded into place using a 3:1 mixture of sand and
cement making sure its at the correct height and fall.
This can be achieved
by using a tight string line from one side of the drive to the other, the line
will be at the finished height of your block paving
Place the manhole
cover outer frame onto a bed of sand and cement and gently tap into place until
it is flush with your string line
Haunch both the inside and outside
of the manhole cover outer frame to hold it in position and place the manhole
lid in inside the frame
Note
The manhole lid must be placed
inside the outer frame to stop anyone from falling down the manhole |  |
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