We have found an honest builder. Honest because, having done the job
unsuccessfully, he gave us our money back. So now we have to find out
how to get it done properly...

We're trying to raise the level of the path at the front of our house,
to remove a step down then step up to the front door.

To put it another way, the land slopes down to the front of our house,
and at the front door, the bottom of the door is about 1ft above
ground level. We want level access. So we want to fill in the last bit
of this slope - both immediately in front of the door, and to the
side.

Where this new raised path abuts the house, it'll be just above the
DPM in the house wall. How can this be done (_can_ this be done) to
avoid getting the external house wall damp? Plastic? Gap? hidden/
french drain / gutter thing? Nowt?

Cheers,
David.

David Robinson wrote:
We have found an honest builder. Honest because, having done the job
unsuccessfully, he gave us our money back. So now we have to find out
how to get it done properly...

We're trying to raise the level of the path at the front of our house,
to remove a step down then step up to the front door.

To put it another way, the land slopes down to the front of our house,
and at the front door, the bottom of the door is about 1ft above
ground level. We want level access. So we want to fill in the last bit
of this slope - both immediately in front of the door, and to the
side.

Where this new raised path abuts the house, it'll be just above the
DPM in the house wall. How can this be done (_can_ this be done) to
avoid getting the external house wall damp? Plastic? Gap? hidden/
french drain / gutter thing? Nowt?

Cheers,
David.

Use a drainage channel abbutting the house and work to this, they're plastic
so they shouldn't track damp across, but if you're worried, place a DPM
twixt channel and house thusly:

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2uykl7k&s=7

On Jun 24, 3:57*pm, "Phil L" wrote:
David Robinson wrote:
We have found an honest builder. Honest because, having done the job
unsuccessfully, he gave us our money back. So now we have to find out
how to get it done properly...

We're trying to raise the level of the path at the front of our house,
to remove a step down then step up to the front door.

To put it another way, the land slopes down to the front of our house,
and at the front door, the bottom of the door is about 1ft above
ground level. We want level access. So we want to fill in the last bit
of this slope - both immediately in front of the door, and to the
side.

Where this new raised path abuts the house, it'll be just above the
DPM in the house wall. How can this be done (_can_ this be done) to
avoid getting the external house wall damp? Plastic? Gap? hidden/
french drain / gutter thing? Nowt?

Cheers,
David.

Use a drainage channel abbutting the house and work to this, they're plastic
so they shouldn't track damp across, but if you're worried, place a DPM
twixt channel and house thusly:

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2uykl7k&s=7

Thanks, something like that sounds good - though the path will be
slightly _above_ the DPM. The shingle will have to be lower. Splash
back could be an issue because it's quite exposed to wind driven rain
- but not 24/7/365! (it just feel like it sometimes!).

Thanks for all the replies.

Cheers,
David.

David Robinson wrote:
On Jun 24, 3:57 pm, "Phil L" wrote:
David Robinson wrote:
We have found an honest builder. Honest because, having done the job
unsuccessfully, he gave us our money back. So now we have to find out
how to get it done properly...
We're trying to raise the level of the path at the front of our house,
to remove a step down then step up to the front door.
To put it another way, the land slopes down to the front of our house,
and at the front door, the bottom of the door is about 1ft above
ground level. We want level access. So we want to fill in the last bit
of this slope - both immediately in front of the door, and to the
side.
Where this new raised path abuts the house, it'll be just above the
DPM in the house wall. How can this be done (_can_ this be done) to
avoid getting the external house wall damp? Plastic? Gap? hidden/
french drain / gutter thing? Nowt?
Cheers,
David.
Use a drainage channel abbutting the house and work to this, they're plastic
so they shouldn't track damp across, but if you're worried, place a DPM
twixt channel and house thusly:

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2uykl7k&s=7

Thanks, something like that sounds good - though the path will be
slightly _above_ the DPM. The shingle will have to be lower. Splash
back could be an issue because it's quite exposed to wind driven rain
- but not 24/7/365! (it just feel like it sometimes!).


Couple of points. free draining shingle above DPM is not a problem esp
with cavity wall.


Shingle breaks up drops of splashing water. Its less likely to lead to
splash back.

Remember all houses get some driving sideways rain on the wall,. It's
the long term damp that penetrates, not a quick splash or hose down.

The task of round house drainage is to disperse water above damp course
very very quickly. Not entirely eliminate it.

Thanks for all the replies.

Cheers,
David.

On 24/06/2011 15:17, David Robinson wrote:
We have found an honest builder. Honest because, having done the job
unsuccessfully, he gave us our money back. So now we have to find out
how to get it done properly...

We're trying to raise the level of the path at the front of our house,
to remove a step down then step up to the front door.

To put it another way, the land slopes down to the front of our house,
and at the front door, the bottom of the door is about 1ft above
ground level. We want level access. So we want to fill in the last bit
of this slope - both immediately in front of the door, and to the
side.

Where this new raised path abuts the house, it'll be just above the
DPM in the house wall. How can this be done (_can_ this be done) to
avoid getting the external house wall damp? Plastic? Gap? hidden/
french drain / gutter thing? Nowt?

Cheers,
David.

Make the raised path out of decking materials - with fresh air underneath?
--
Cheers,
Roger
____________
Please reply to Newsgroup. Whilst email address is valid, it is seldom
checked.

On 24/06/2011 16:51, Roger Mills wrote:
On 24/06/2011 15:17, David Robinson wrote:
We have found an honest builder. Honest because, having done the job
unsuccessfully, he gave us our money back. So now we have to find out
how to get it done properly...

We're trying to raise the level of the path at the front of our house,
to remove a step down then step up to the front door.

To put it another way, the land slopes down to the front of our house,
and at the front door, the bottom of the door is about 1ft above
ground level. We want level access. So we want to fill in the last bit
of this slope - both immediately in front of the door, and to the
side.

Where this new raised path abuts the house, it'll be just above the
DPM in the house wall. How can this be done (_can_ this be done) to
avoid getting the external house wall damp? Plastic? Gap? hidden/
french drain / gutter thing? Nowt?

Cheers,
David.

Make the raised path out of decking materials - with fresh air underneath?

Wouldn't rain still splash back onto the wall from the surface of the
decking? How is that dealt with with normal deckings?

How about galvanised or plastic grating as used for industrial walkways?

SteveW

On Jun 24, 5:18*pm, Steve Walker
wrote:
On 24/06/2011 16:51, Roger Mills wrote:



On 24/06/2011 15:17, David Robinson wrote:
We have found an honest builder. Honest because, having done the job
unsuccessfully, he gave us our money back. So now we have to find out
how to get it done properly...

We're trying to raise the level of the path at the front of our house,
to remove a step down then step up to the front door.

To put it another way, the land slopes down to the front of our house,
and at the front door, the bottom of the door is about 1ft above
ground level. We want level access. So we want to fill in the last bit
of this slope - both immediately in front of the door, and to the
side.

Where this new raised path abuts the house, it'll be just above the
DPM in the house wall. How can this be done (_can_ this be done) to
avoid getting the external house wall damp? Plastic? Gap? hidden/
french drain / gutter thing? Nowt?

Cheers,
David.

Make the raised path out of decking materials - with fresh air underneath?

Wouldn't rain still splash back onto the wall from the surface of the
decking? How is that dealt with with normal deckings?

How about galvanised or plastic grating as used for industrial walkways?

SteveW

Decking will splash and block sunlight, not idael. FWIW expanded metal
wouldnt, if you use thick enough to make it walkable.


NT

David,

I'm about to build some steps up to a set of patio doors (a timber
construction, probably to be secured by sinking corner uprights into the
ground) and I'm facing the exact same situation.

I was thinking of either leaving a gap between the step unit and the wall
for the whole depth of the steps, or securing them to the wall below the DPC
and leaving a gap above that.

If there are any other approaches I'd be interested as well.

Bert

On Jun 24, 3:17*pm, David Robinson
wrote:
We have found an honest builder. Honest because, having done the job
unsuccessfully, he gave us our money back. So now we have to find out
how to get it done properly...

We're trying to raise the level of the path at the front of our house,
to remove a step down then step up to the front door.

To put it another way, the land slopes down to the front of our house,
and at the front door, the bottom of the door is about 1ft above
ground level. We want level access. So we want to fill in the last bit
of this slope - both immediately in front of the door, and to the
side.

Where this new raised path abuts the house, it'll be just above the
DPM in the house wall. How can this be done (_can_ this be done) to
avoid getting the external house wall damp? Plastic? Gap? hidden/
french drain / gutter thing? Nowt?

Cheers,
David.

You don't really want to be heaping material against the house wall,
it may cause failure if it's more than a few inches.
Also you need to consider where surface water will run in heavy rain.
The DPC could in theory be extended vertically up the wall by several
means but it's best avoided.
Some sort of decking would be best, leaving drainage and air
circulation beneath it.

On Jun 24, 5:39*pm, harry wrote:
On Jun 24, 3:17*pm, David Robinson
wrote:



We have found an honest builder. Honest because, having done the job
unsuccessfully, he gave us our money back. So now we have to find out
how to get it done properly...

We're trying to raise the level of the path at the front of our house,
to remove a step down then step up to the front door.

To put it another way, the land slopes down to the front of our house,
and at the front door, the bottom of the door is about 1ft above
ground level. We want level access. So we want to fill in the last bit
of this slope - both immediately in front of the door, and to the
side.

Where this new raised path abuts the house, it'll be just above the
DPM in the house wall. How can this be done (_can_ this be done) to
avoid getting the external house wall damp? Plastic? Gap? hidden/
french drain / gutter thing? Nowt?

Cheers,
David.

You don't really want to be heaping material against the house wall,
it may cause failure if it's more than a few inches.
Also you need to consider where surface water will run in heavy rain.

Yes, builder number one didn't consider that at all, which is why we
got our money back!

The DPC could in theory be extended vertically up the wall by several
means but it's best avoided.
Some sort of decking would be best, leaving drainage and air
circulation beneath it.

Decking is slippery in the rain. It rains a lot up here. So we really
don't want any decking.

Considered a small gap, but thought it would just get filled up with
muck and act like no gap soon enough. I suppose a slightly larger gap
could be raked out.

Cheers,
David.

On Jun 24, 5:39*pm, harry wrote:
On Jun 24, 3:17*pm, David Robinson
wrote:

We have found an honest builder. Honest because, having done the job
unsuccessfully, he gave us our money back. So now we have to find out
how to get it done properly...

We're trying to raise the level of the path at the front of our house,
to remove a step down then step up to the front door.

To put it another way, the land slopes down to the front of our house,
and at the front door, the bottom of the door is about 1ft above
ground level. We want level access. So we want to fill in the last bit
of this slope - both immediately in front of the door, and to the
side.

Where this new raised path abuts the house, it'll be just above the
DPM in the house wall. How can this be done (_can_ this be done) to
avoid getting the external house wall damp? Plastic? Gap? hidden/
french drain / gutter thing? Nowt?

Cheers,
David.

You don't really want to be heaping material against the house wall,
it may cause failure if it's more than a few inches.

Yes, already we can see the moisture spreading up the outside wall
when it rains.


Also you need to consider where surface water will run in heavy rain.

Yes, builder number one didn't consider that, hence the refund!


The DPC could in theory be extended vertically up the wall by several
means but it's best avoided.
Some sort of decking would be best, leaving drainage and air
circulation beneath it.

The problem with decking is that it gets slippery when it rains. It
rains a lot up here. So definitely not decking.

Cheers,
David,

David Robinson wrote:
We have found an honest builder. Honest because, having done the job
unsuccessfully, he gave us our money back. So now we have to find out
how to get it done properly...

We're trying to raise the level of the path at the front of our house,
to remove a step down then step up to the front door.

To put it another way, the land slopes down to the front of our house,
and at the front door, the bottom of the door is about 1ft above
ground level. We want level access. So we want to fill in the last bit
of this slope - both immediately in front of the door, and to the
side.

Where this new raised path abuts the house, it'll be just above the
DPM in the house wall. How can this be done (_can_ this be done) to
avoid getting the external house wall damp? Plastic? Gap? hidden/
french drain / gutter thing? Nowt?

Cheers,
David.
It is, to put it bluntly, a bit of a bugger.

But it can be done to satisfy BCO etc.

what you need is a gap twixt path and wall - a gutter if you like, and
backfill that with shingle.


be aware that rain splashing off the path above DP will cause issues, so
try and make sure its not too exposed.


So make that gap as wide as you can.

On Jun 24, 3:17 pm, David Robinson
wrote:
We have found an honest builder. Honest because, having done the job
unsuccessfully, he gave us our money back. So now we have to find out
how to get it done properly...

We're trying to raise the level of the path at the front of our house,
to remove a step down then step up to the front door.

To put it another way, the land slopes down to the front of our house,
and at the front door, the bottom of the door is about 1ft above
ground level. We want level access. So we want to fill in the last bit
of this slope - both immediately in front of the door, and to the
side.

Where this new raised path abuts the house, it'll be just above the
DPM in the house wall. How can this be done (_can_ this be done) to
avoid getting the external house wall damp? Plastic? Gap? hidden/
french drain / gutter thing? Nowt?

Cheers,
David.

rellies used to have exact same and relly made a simple wooden
"bridge" with close laid (but still gaps) treated/hardwood timbers
laid crossways onto a couple of timber bearers (inline with the
path)... never a prob for donkeys years

Jim K

On 24/06/2011 15:17, David Robinson wrote:

Where this new raised path abuts the house, it'll be just above the
DPM in the house wall. How can this be done (_can_ this be done) to
avoid getting the external house wall damp? Plastic? Gap? hidden/
french drain / gutter thing? Nowt?


You're missing the obvious. A simple construction that will keep your
walls dry, dissuade Jehovah's Witnesses, and be one up on the neighbours
all at once.

http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/gja0239l.jpg

Andy