p-gravel gully outside of footings, is it mandatory?

[epsilonGreedy]

I am familiar with the standard big builder finish around the perimeter of a house at ground level, typically a 100mm to 150mm wide gully of p-gravel and often a path created using commodity concrete flagstones. Swmbo and I want something different which is to take a cottage garden style cultivated border right up to the brickwork as it emerges above ground level. Will we get a black mark from the building control inspector for doing this?

 

Background: Our new build is in the centre of a village on a small plot with a wrap around garden. Due to a flash flood risk the dpc is two bricks higher than standard at about 4 1/2 courses above soil level. The first two and a half courses are engineering blues and the next two courses are F2 standard facing bricks.

Edited April 29, 2020 by epsilonGreedy

[Jeremy Harris]

As long as the soil level is at least 150mm below the DPC it's fine, no problem at all with having borders right up to the house, and in many ways they help to set the house into the surrounding garden a bit better, IMHO.

[Big Jimbo]

As Jeremy said above. Not a need for the old gravel.

[Russell griffiths]

How will bco know, I’m sure you won’t have flowers in it by the final inspection 

[epsilonGreedy]

13 minutes ago, Russell griffiths said:

How will bco know, I’m sure you won’t have flowers in it by the final inspection 

 

 

I was concerned the BCO might expect to see a p-gravel gully around the whole house.

 

Swmbo will be planting things the minute after the scaffolder's waggon leaves the site and way before final BCO sign off. We already have an interim potted plant garden arranged around the scaffolding feet on the south wall and suspect her planned wisteria climber will be 10ft high before the VAT claim is in.

 

Last weekend in preparation I started cleaning the blue bricks with brick acid and back filling the remainder of the original foundation trench with best topsoil I had kept on site. Before going too far with this operation I wanted to check I was not wasting my time in view of the p-gravel gully question.

[Oz07]

Na nothing to say you can't pave right upto the house crack on

[Gone West]

9 minutes ago, epsilonGreedy said:

I was concerned the BCO might expect to see a p-gravel gully around the whole house.

Our soil level is only 100mm below DPC and the BCO was happy for us to have a narrow strip of 20mm shingle around the house. Had the soil been 150mm below DPC I wouldn't have needed the shingle.