Garden Sleepers onto a concrete base

Posts

• Dave Humby Posts: 1,145

  June 2020 edited June 2020

  Not quite sure I understand what the plan is or the question. Are you laying them out as a figure 8? How many high? If they are all sitting on the existing concrete base I’m not sure what you’d achieve with a further 50mm sand and cement base? 

  
  

  Normal protocol is to connect layers of ‘sleepers’ with rebar after drilling down through each sleeper. You could do the same then in turn into the existing base. 

  
  

  For making up any height differences grab yourself a bag of plastic shims of varying thicknesses that are commonly used in the building industry (particularly for window / door installations). You can get them from most DIY stores or Screwfix etc. 

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• zenbasses Posts: 4

  June 2020

  Hello Dave 
  
  They will be laid in a single layer , not stacked. As they are 100mm deep I plan to fill the "patio area" with sand to layer the 22mm patio slabs in top after the area has been screened 
  
  The other way to do it is to affix some rebars to the under side and drill corresponding holes in the concrete and set them in.
  
  I've just whipped this up on excel excel to give a better idea of what's in my head  (not to scale I didn't have the patience after 10hours of already looking at a screen)
  
   https://photos.app.goo.gl/jrwSmWu5W1zZZHSa6
  
  Many thanks

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• Dave Humby Posts: 1,145

  June 2020

  I’m assuming there is a reason you don’t want to lay the patio direct onto the existing concrete base? In your plan is your intention to, in effect, inset the patio within the frame of the sleeper arrangement so the top of the pavers are flush with the top of the sleepers? 

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• zenbasses Posts: 4

  June 2020

  Yes there is a reason. The only other way is to order a large qty of cement and ballast and hire a cement mixer and all the stuff and lay the patio onto concrete....
  
  It's a 18sq/m area 
  
  Building the frame with Sleepers and then ordering 2 bulk bags of sharp sand and screen it is not only quicker and less mess but also more cost effective once you've factored in hiring costs, insurance and the cost of materials.
  
  Sand also allows for better drainage I would have assumed 🙂 as this is currently slopes  towards the lawn area and it doesn't puddle 
  
  The finished result may end up with the patio around 10-20mm lower than the sleeper edge but as this is around the perimeter it's not a trip hazzard
  
  100mm deep sleepers
  22mm patio slabs 
  30-50mm of sharp sand 
  
  I can lay the patriot slabs out onto the sand base before firming down.As it's a mixed pack size we will use the pattern provided but in my head to lay down and rearrange as required before committing seems like a sensible idea 
  
  After which I'd keep pushing sand into the gaps between the paving slabs and adding water over a number of weeks and then maybe point it to give a clean finish...
  
  That was my plan ..but it maybe totally flawed as I am novice at this 🙂
  
  
  

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• Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494

  June 2020

  @ zenbasses   I'm with Dave on this one. It sounds like you are creating an awful of unnecessary work and expense for yourself by not laying your new paving slabs properly with cement onto your existing concrete base. You only need a dab of cement in each corner of the paving slab in order to do this and you can mix up the cement by hand in a heap quite easily.
  As you've already ordered the sleepers, you could always use them as an edging around the patio, they can be useful as extra sitting places - especially for small people! They don't need to be fixed down as their own weight should mainly keep them in place. 
  

  North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone

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• nick615 Posts: 1,487

  June 2020

  I can't help with expertise but, as in previous cases, it seems you intend putting the construction up against fences, if I read you right?  If those fences are of the timber type, be careful to leave sufficient gap to clean out the inevitable collection of leaves and other detritus that will arrive over time.  A wet, soggy mass will soon rot wooden panels away and a neat design on paper can become a headache.
  

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• zenbasses Posts: 4

  June 2020

  Thanks all for the feedback 
  
  I haven't ordered anything to fix them down yet .I have had the patio slabs ordered today and the sleepers are coming in Thursday...
  
  I was going to lay the sleepers out and see what is what ..we may end up using concrete. It was my understanding that a slab shouldn't be affix with a *dot* of cement in each corner but it should a continuous mortar base to ensure the slabs done crack or move 
  .
  
  Learning on the job here so of if it all goes ton pot I can use the sleepers for another purposes I am sure ....
  
  🙂 Better to try and fail fast then hopelessness continue with a flawed concept 

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• K67 Posts: 2,506

  June 2020

  We laid ours with a large blob in each corner and one in the middle then tap the slab down until level with the rest adding or subtracting the mortar if its necessary.this  deals with uneven surfaces and you can build in a slight fall for water drainage, although we always seem to end up with a few puddles after heavy rain.
  
  

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