AboutJonathan Radford Expertise Hi, I am an ecological landscape designer and I have lived in Italy for nearly 15 years. I specialised in the design of ecological Italian gardens but also in the reduction of water, maintenance and damage to the environment. I can answer questions on almost all gardening queries.
Experience I have been gardener for over twenty years and my experience ranges from tree-surgery, pond and lake construction to general horticulture and Italian landscape design. I have also written a book named "A Green Existence"
Education/Credentials I have an N.C in Horticulture and garden design and a City and Guilds in Commercial horticulture, both earnt in the U.K. I run my own business "ecologica gardens" in Italy and operate across the world performing ecological garden designs.
Past/Present Clients See my website www.ecologicagardens.com
Expert: Jonathan Radford Date: 8/23/2008 Subject: Landscaping/gardening
Question I have some damp coming through the walls at the front of my house and a
plumber suggested that it could be coming from the garden which is grass
and we live in Scotland so a lot of rain. I had intended to slab and stone the
area under the windows anyway but we have decided to hurry the process up
and see if it works. What i need t know is the layering - what would be the
best way to approach this. I have dug up the grass to the point of the pipes.
It was also suggested that using cheap gravel to line the area and then add
the slabs and stones etc but what is the way to layer i.e. do we need sand as
well and a thing to stop the weeds coming through etc.
Thanks
Victoria
Answer Hello Victoria, sorry if I didn't get bak to you earlier.
Firstly, I think you will need use a 'French' drain around the house to take the water into a soakaway. Then use large, angled or crushed gravel over this and set the slabs on a sand/cement dry-mix top of a nylon fabric to prevent the sand washing through into the gravel and clogging the drainage.
Brush another dry sand/cement mix into the gaps between the slabs.
