I know simple questions but input /experience ideas/thoughts…
1…from the door… how much drop/rise from the patio to the finished inside floor? I did some layouts and 3-4″ feels right? or is that too little that it’d cause a tripping danger?
2… I don’t want to place the concrete right up against the brick of the building… is 1.5″ too much? a 2×4 would give me a good screed board and the gap would provide a little area for movement and drainage? or just stick with the 3/4″ expansion joint material and leave it in place?… (prefer to finish all edges of the pation with my largest round over edge tool…)
3…. how much slope away from the building? these patios will be about 9 x 12 with the 9ft the direction of slope… will be a stamped cobble stone finish… 1″ drop in 9ft enough?
4… these patios will be placed over very hard compacted ground 3.5″ thick with no wire or rebar 3500lb mix…
thanks for any ideas or input…
p
Replies
Just to keep the thread alive, I sloped mine 1/4" a foot. Stamped cobblstone placed by someone else but formed by me. It holds very little standing water even with all those nooks and crannies. It is about 20 ft. on the slope and I had to put a small retaining wall/ bench at the back, leaving the seam unsealed for drainage. My soil out here is sand.
Wow, that was to close too work. I gotta back off. ; ^ )
Mike
Trust in God, but row away from the rocks.
thanks... looks nice ....that is the exact cobble stamp i have...
my big issue right now is the grade... i've seen patios & porches on the same plane as the inside floor... and i've seen 8" below it... just try'n to figure out where i want to be... i do have one patio that accesses a ADA spec unit so that one i'm going to try for less than 1"...
p
ADA calls for 3/8" max at transitions I think.I know code in some places requires same level, but up here in the snowy north, that would mean that people get trapped in from snow and ice.
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Ive been told that less than 4" is a trip hazard and in some places is the legal min. ( don't know if that is true though).
Anyway, I like 4". It's comfortable and keeps the weather out.
That stamped concrete is cool.
H
I'm not a concrete expert, but have some thoughts:
2... I don't want to place the concrete right up against the brick of the building... is 1.5" too much? a 2x4 would give me a good screed board and the gap would provide a little area for movement and drainage? or just stick with the 3/4" expansion joint material and leave it in place?... (prefer to finish all edges of the pation with my largest round over edge tool...)
I would think you'd want a buffer to take care of any expansion of the patio so it's not pushing against the brick. Expansion joint material sounds good. If you use a board, probably should use PT so it doesn' rot and bring ants and such right to the building.
3.... how much slope away from the building? these patios will be about 9 x 12 with the 9ft the direction of slope... will be a stamped cobble stone finish... 1" drop in 9ft enough?
I'd think more than that wil be noticeable and people will feel like they are on a slope--may even cause slipping when wet. I'd be inclined to go with more like 1/2". There must be a standard slope for decks and so on.
Almost all of our wood decks here are a bout a 4" to 4-3/4" step down. I know of one that is about 2-3/4" that is a trip step.
For slope 1/4" to the foot like with roof decks works pretty good for drainage slope without becoming a ski slope.
I'd rather see a screed /expansion board 3/4" to look good.
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Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
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I'll second 2% slope. (1/4"/ft.) It won't cause your lemonade glass to tip over.
1% is absolute minimum, (1/8"/ft.) and if you go with that, make sure you don't have any bellies in your screeded concrete, and that your stamping is very consistent. Even then, there's bound to be some standing water. Keep in mind, if you lay out your screed boards sloped at 1/4"/ft., the mud will tend to level out a bit as it sets, and you'll probably end up with 3/16, or so.
At least, that's what always seems to happen to me... maybe he's a better concrete finisher than I am.
k
Edited 7/13/2008 6:52 pm ET by KFC