Hey any builder peeps..

I am about to lay my patio, I have dug down somewhere between 100 and 150mm and am now looking at what sub base to put down, should I use:

Ballast or

MOT type 1 - Wickes are saying either as good as each other!

Then as a sand base, should I use:

Sharp sand or

Slab layer - Wickes are trying to sell me the Slab base, but I have only ever used sand in the past, but apparantly "according to the seller of the more expensive product", sand is sooo last year and I should get with the times!!

Patio is 3.6m x 3.6m if that makes any odds!

Thanks y'all

Victims.

HTH.

You don't really need what is regarded as a proper sub base for non vehicle traffic areas as long as the sub grade is stable and well prepared.

Have a read of this website , it's fairly comprehensive.

I've assumed you're laying flags but fear not, they cover everything on there somewhere!

Don't forget the lime or they will take years to de-compose.

Buy it a few beers, talk nice and i'm sure if you work hard then the lay will come your way

I used rubble but not to large and then hardcore on top then sand.

it is 280cm by 370cm at the lower level.

I've just finished doing mine with the help from a builder friend.  I used type 1 ballast for the base. So long as you can get a flat enough bed any ballast should suffice. We hired a wacker to to flatten it down before making sure the base was as level as possible. For the sand I only used sharp sand. Not heard of the other stuff before tbh!

Good luck! I enjoyed playing the builder and completing a really good job (even if I say so myself)
.... A nice break from the high pressure office environment zzzzzz 

Mine was done with sand only. Provided The base is solid you will be fine, but that depends what kind of ground you have. A whacker plate is a good idea. And block paving is easier to re level when the remains decompose.

Jim

No idea, but I do have a cellar if you're just looking at a Fred West job? You'd have to move a rowing machine first...

Thanks RK - but the rowing machine sounds heavy, what with all the extra dust and clothes on it

I have gone for a type 1 ballast and then sharp sand, we have pretty good soil, very solid and clay, but I have dug down about 150mm, so to fill with sand will be too deep, so I am banking on about 100mm ballast and 20-30mm sand then slabs

I have a whacker - I wondered about hiring a mechanical, but then through real men use their hands so have bought a manual one!

It's worth considering putting a membrane underneath the patio (ie on top of the sand) to stop any weeds rooting under the slabs.

I did this with a solid cement base (not "spots") with a wet grout and have never had to weed since.

Not approved of by all your TV builder-types but seems a good solution to me

That's a posh name for a spade.

Mot, whacker and cement. I've seen a fair few layed on sand that have shifted over the years.

Ask Stan where he normally disposes of his 'guests'....

.... in the Irish Sea?

Why the Liffey water has a head (or two) on it