sm_jamieson wrote:
I have a front garden that is mostly block paved, neighbour says it
was done for vehicles exactly like nearby drives, but they changed
their mind at the last moment and left the front wall up and a flower
bed around 3 feet wide. I am going to remove the wall in fill in the
gap.
Hopefully the foundation for the wall will act as a good base for the
edging blocks, with maybe a bit of concrete if required. I've looked
at the paving expert website etc.

Block paving won't go over concrete like this, whether hard or freshly
mixed - it needs to go on at least 2 inches of sharp sand, below which
should be free draining, compacted hardcore....the sand should be tramelled
to ensure a uniform depth, then the blocks p-l-a-c-e-d on one at a time,
working across in rows, and so that you aren't 'slotting in' - don't lean on
any of them, or the sand

But any tips to get the new bit to fit in seemlessly with the old ?

TARDIS on standby? - seriously, it won't, at least in colour - the pattern
should just continue on, although you will make life easier for yourself if
you take up the last two rows of existing BP *without* disturbing the next
rows....discard any cut pieces where it stops and continue using full blocks
until you reach the new finish point, then cut new cuts along the edge

Obviously the new blocks will look, um, newer. Also I was hoping to
get away without a wacker plate, but I suspect I will have to leave
the blocks fairly high and wack them level with existing.

A whacker plate can be had for less than £20, so long as you can get it all
ready for whacking p[rior to hiring, IE don't do small patches each day,
whack it all at once - and don't walk on any of the newly laid stuff until
it's been whacked, unless you use wide planks/boards.

Also, don't whack anything until all edges are braced - that is to say, if
you are stopping short of a solid perimeter like a wall or concrete kerb,
tarmac pavement etc, the edge will need packing out so that the whacker
doesn't vibrate the blocks apart from each other - you can use long timbers
like 3X2 or bricks on edge, cut some wooden wedges too and spend a short
while making sure there are no gaps for the blocks to vibrate into, then
just keep going over the joint between new and old and over the new stuff
until it all goes down, brush fine white silica sand over it and whack
again, then sand and whack again