Paving project

[GRAEMOE]

Hi,

Just a couple of questions.......

I have 3 paving projects to complete......

1. To lay a base for a garden shed in 2 locations.....one is 6350mm x 800mm and the other is 2400mm x 800mm

2. The other is stepping stones for a pedestrian pathway. It's 850mm on one end and 1600mm the other end x 3900mm long.

What thickness pavers are required for each project?.......N.B. no vehicles will be on the pathway and only things like bicycles and lawn mower will be in the shed.

Do I need a road base plus cement for the shed base?

Cheers

Graemoe

[Jason]

Hi @GRAEMOE,

A very warm welcome to the Workshop community. We're pleased to have you join us and look forward to seeing your paving projects come to fruition. I'm sure our ever-helpful members will be happy to assist.

Have you seen the step-by-step article How to lay paving for a path by @Adam_W? It should be very helpful as a guide for your pedestrian pathway project. 

Adam and other amazing members like @Brad, @TheSaltyreefer and @gippslandhome might like to assist with your garden shed projects.

Please don't hesitate to post anytime you need a hand with a project around the house and garden. We have many clever and creative members sharing advice and inspiration on the site every day. 

Jason

[Brad]

40mm pavers would work, prep work depends on your soil type. I would choose to go down the path of concrete base instead of pavers for a shed, if your using footings on the shed that would also work with pavers as you are not relying on them to hold it down. 

[MitchellMc]

Hi @GRAEMOE. Have you made any progress with your paving project? I hope the replies you have had so far have been helpful to you but I thought I might add some tips for you and other visitors to this topic.  

All structurally sound sheds certainly start with a good solid base. In order to ensure the longevity of the shed, the ground needs to be level, compacted sufficiently and the shed should be fixed down securely. Often manufacturers of the shed will provide guidelines for bases, whether that be concrete, pavers or crushed gravel.

Drainage is also crucial when thinking about laying a shed base. It is generally recommended that you:

• Clear the area of all plant matter
• Level the area
• Compact the area with a tamping tool
• Lay 50mm of gravel for drainage
• Place pavers on top

I agree with @Brad that a paver thickness of 40mm would be sufficient for your pathway. The pavers would also be suitable for your shed bases if you did not wish to lay a concrete slab.

I also agree that @Adam_W  did a fantastic job with the article How to lay paving for a path. Let us know if you have any follow-up questions from reading it.

We are looking forward to seeing how your project progresses. If there is anything we can help with, please let us know.

Mitchell

[Yorky88]

Hey @GRAEMOE  How did you go with your paving job mate?
If you haven’t done it already I would highly recommend, with your pedestrian walk way with the pavers and stones that you clear the area, level it/ compact it and lay black plastic or weed mat down first. This will eliminate or at least reduce the amount of weeds that will grow up through your stones. Which can Become a nightmare.

40 mm pavers in this application are perfect because it will also reduce the amount of stones you need to level it with the top of the pavers. Which is great because it keeps your material costs down.

With your shed laying a cement slab is always better however if you are going with pavers I would suggest that you lay at least 50 - 100mm of crusher dust/ road base compacted then 30 mm brickies sand on top of that to bed your pavers into with 600 x 600 cement slab pavers that will give solid hard stand and little chance of weeds growing up through your pavers.

Alternatively you can just clear an area bring in brickies sand and lay the pavers straight over the top and put up with any weeds that grow up through the cracks.

I hope that helps.