Oh not another patio thread... sorry 
I have an area of around 50 sq metres at the bottom of the garden which we want to lay a patio onto. It's the last part of the garden to work on.
The ground in that area of the garden is thick with clay. I have had a 1950s roller sit on it for a month and leave next to no impression on the ground. I also have a shed in the corner with a lot of weight/tools in it, and this just sits on 3x2 slabs which are on a 1/2" thick layer of sand/cement. In short, it is very firm and having spent a few years here now I know it is back-breaking to dig into and never moves.
Naturally I have questions over the appropriate sub-base for it. I plan to tamp the existing ground and then use a pile of hardcore I have (broken concrete lumps, slabs, house bricks, molded blocks, etc.) and spread and level this out across the area. I would then compact this into the soil, but unfortunately that covering will probably be much less deep than the recommended 100mm.
Given the soil is thick with clay and will be compacted further, with hardcore then being compacted further into that, would this suffice for a sub-base? I can borrow a mixer for free and with easier access to sand and cement, I can build a thicker screed on the top to compensate.
I have an area of around 50 sq metres at the bottom of the garden which we want to lay a patio onto. It's the last part of the garden to work on.
The ground in that area of the garden is thick with clay. I have had a 1950s roller sit on it for a month and leave next to no impression on the ground. I also have a shed in the corner with a lot of weight/tools in it, and this just sits on 3x2 slabs which are on a 1/2" thick layer of sand/cement. In short, it is very firm and having spent a few years here now I know it is back-breaking to dig into and never moves.
Naturally I have questions over the appropriate sub-base for it. I plan to tamp the existing ground and then use a pile of hardcore I have (broken concrete lumps, slabs, house bricks, molded blocks, etc.) and spread and level this out across the area. I would then compact this into the soil, but unfortunately that covering will probably be much less deep than the recommended 100mm.
Given the soil is thick with clay and will be compacted further, with hardcore then being compacted further into that, would this suffice for a sub-base? I can borrow a mixer for free and with easier access to sand and cement, I can build a thicker screed on the top to compensate.
