Anyone lay block driveways for a living?

[Cosd]

With the ground work done I'm about to start laying blocks for the driveway. In there I have two manholes which I intend to use recessed drains with blocks inside.

 

I've watched video's and done loads of reading but I have a question.

 

It's reccomended that we use 60mm of sharp sand to lay the blocks on, when the blocks are down to use a whacker plate to bed the stones in. This reduces the height by some 20mm.

 

My question is this, do I cement the recessed manholes first then whack the blocks down to correct height (what if they won't drop enough or drop too much?), or do I lay the blocks leaving a gap and then put the manholes in afterwards to the correct height?

 

Hope this makes sense....

[PaulABF]

If it's any help, I had a patio and paving done last year and the builder fixed the 2 manholes in first then cut and laid all the paving around them.

[Mungler]

I have the name of a block paver (from the Luton / Beds area) who is a genius and super cheap. Get him to do it

[flynny]

Fix manholes at finished block level, lay blocks 10mm - 15mm higher than man hole covers and then bed in (whacker) to manhole level, simples,

 

ATB

 

FLYNNY

Edited October 30, 2013 by flynny

[Cosd]

Fix manholes at finished block level, lay blocks 10mm - 15mm higher than man hole covers and then bed in (whacker) to manhole level, simples,

 

ATB

 

FLYNNY

 

So that 20mm bedding is correct and true every time?

 

In my head I was just thinking what if it doesn't bed in by 20mm, or if it wants to go more than 20 mm....

[remmyman]

With the ground work done I'm about to start laying blocks for the driveway. In there I have two manholes which I intend to use recessed drains with blocks inside.

 

I've watched video's and done loads of reading but I have a question.

 

It's reccomended that we use 60mm of sharp sand to lay the blocks on, when the blocks are down to use a whacker plate to bed the stones in. This reduces the height by some 20mm.

 

My question is this, do I cement the recessed manholes first then whack the blocks down to correct height (what if they won't drop enough or drop too much?), or do I lay the blocks leaving a gap and then put the manholes in afterwards to the correct height?

 

Hope this makes sense....

"20mm compaction is excessive if you compact your sharp sand well before you screed out. As to insert m/hole, mix sharp/cement @ 4:1 then screed out(normally use large plastic float) so that the metalwork of m/hole is level with shoulder on the block. Hope this helps.

 

Regards Remmyman

[shootnfish]

Hi mate, i have been doing driveways 20+ years and have found the best way to get it spot on every time is to get the existing m,h down to the height needed to take the recessed m,h, don't bed it yet cover the manhole with a bit of 18mm ply then lay the drive over the m,h cut in the drive then wack it even the mh don't sand it yet. Then lift the blocks out over mh uncover enough to take recessed one and bed it in a couple of mm below the blocks around it which are already wacked these give you the finnished height to set it to. Don't allow 20mm to wack down as said this is way to much 5/6 mm is enough if the sharp sand is wacked enough and as you rightly said no thicker than 50/60 mm when wacked before laying blocks. Also try to get an all metal galvanised m,h because the plastic framed ones can be a *** to get out if needed as when you wack it the frame can nip in on the lid making them hard to lift. You can get them off eBay £38 delivered.

Edited October 30, 2013 by shootnfish

[Rupert]

I use 25mm laths for screed rails,over fill with sand and whack,then screed off the sand to get a smooth compact layer of sand approx. 25mm thick.Lay paving then whack again when you sand them.Lids are bedded prior about 5/10mm down as paviors only bed 3mm ish on last whack.I like the thin even sand layer to minimise rutting.

[Cosd]

Hi mate, i have been doing driveways 20+ years and have found the best way to get it spot on every time is to get the existing m,h down to the height needed to take the recessed m,h, don't bed it yet cover the manhole with a bit of 18mm ply then lay the drive over the m,h cut in the drive then wack it even the mh don't sand it yet. Then lift the blocks out over mh uncover enough to take recessed one and bed it in a couple of mm below the blocks around it which are already wacked these give you the finnished height to set it to. Don't allow 20mm to wack down as said this is way to much 5/6 mm is enough if the sharp sand is wacked enough and as you rightly said no thicker than 50/60 mm when wacked before laying blocks. Also try to get an all metal galvanised m,h because the plastic framed ones can be a *** to get out if needed as when you wack it the frame can nip in on the lid making them hard to lift. You can get them off eBay £38 delivered.

That sounds doable. Thanks for that.

 

Can I ask what depth screed you'd use bearing in mind I'm laying over a concrete sub base.

[willks84]

20 mm far too much bud if sub base is correct should only go 10mm good idea to hire a 55 hand roller get a good solid compaction

Obviously just for the Sub base

[the pelt man]

Coz

If your doing it yourself dont higher a wacker plate, I just laid my driveway and brought one because the amount of time to wack hardcore the sand then blocks twice. With the hire fees for that period it worked out cheaper to buy (£350) used to do my drive then sell it second hand, but i've not sold it yet so you can borrow if you want.

 

Regards

PELTY

[Cosd]

Coz

If your doing it yourself dont higher a wacker plate, I just laid my driveway and brought one because the amount of time to wack hardcore the sand then blocks twice. With the hire fees for that period it worked out cheaper to buy (£350) used to do my drive then sell it second hand, but i've not sold it yet so you can borrow if you want.

 

Regards

PELTY

Pelty you're a gent!!!

 

Blocks arriving Monday and then just waiting for a couple of dry days to go for it.

 

I'll give you a shout and if you haven't sold by then ill take you up on your offer, but please don't delay the sale for me. If someone wants it let it go!!!

 

Cos

[station]

Where we live the ground is clay so the guy that did ours did all the groundwork as normal, sorted the 2 manholes trays then he laid the blocks on a dry mix of grit sand and cement.

In essence the blocks are now on 2" of concrete - right or wrong the drive is as flat and level as the day it was laid.

The guy said its the best way to do it round our way.

 

Maybe an option?

[shootnfish]

Cosd you don't really want your sand no thicker than 50/60mm after wacking the thicker the sand more chance of it sinking. Don't have the blocks no higher than 5/6 mm above Finnish level before wacking because they wont go down. Have you edged the peremeter of the drive with a block on concrete and haunched it up or are you going to do this?

[Cosd]

Cosd you don't really want your sand no thicker than 50/60mm after wacking the thicker the sand more chance of it sinking. Don't have the blocks no higher than 5/6 mm above Finnish level before wacking because they wont go down. Have you edged the peremeter of the drive with a block on concrete and haunched it up or are you going to do this?

 

The less i can get away with the better regards amount of sand, since I have a height limit under the garage door where it can only be 20mm thick (+ 50mm block), so there I am planning to lay the first row against the house in cement, but my drive slopes away from the house so I can increase the depth of the sand therafter. I will go for 50mm in that case.

 

Regards the edges, I am putting in a row of blocks, then channel drains then another row of blocks in cement leading off from pavement. There will be a row of kerb stones cemented and haunched against on one side and there is an existing brick wall on the other. The rest I am planning all on sand.

[shootnfish]

Sounds good. Not patronising you but i guess your going to start laying blocks from the bottom of the slope up. Coz if you lay them downhill they will probably slip down a bit as your walking along laying.

[polester]

I use 20mm re-bar as screed rails as I like to put the minimum I can to avoid rutting. But I do give it a good wacking first so I don't have much pavoir compacting usually they'll go down 5-10mm. On the sides I over pave the area then cut the pavers where the edge will be, Then pull up enough pavers to get the edging and concrete haunch in and then relay. I find this quicker and neater than leveling the edge pavoirs and then cutting paver individually especially when you get slivers. Nothing looks worse than the edging at one angle and the drive a different one, with rough cuts against the edges