Access Ramp - keeping it simple?

[catrionag]

Trying to get things ticked off for sign-off and one thing still left is the level access from the driveway to the front door.

 

A few months ago we had our groundworker dump a load of type 3 there, thinking that when the time came to make an access ramp we could just build it up a bit more with some type 1, then level with sand, stick some pavers on top and have the sides graded down to ground level (at least 150mm below dpc) with topsoil which we could then plant and make it look nice. Something like this: 

 

We've since had another builder round and he said that we would need a retaining wall. My question is: do we? My preference would be to keep it as simple as possible. I don't want a retaining wall if we can avoid it, and I prefer the look of a grassy slope up to the path rather than a more formal wall, as well as all the extra work that would be. 

 

Attached a couple of pics of what we have currently - you can see there's not much of a slope (About 230mm in total), but it is different from the path in the pic because it has to go parallel to the house. Not sure if that makes a difference?

[ProDave]

Do what we did, come out level with the house more than you need to to make a nice big level entrance.  Then slope the path down from that level platform.

 

The reason for the bigger than need be level platform is it then puts the path a bit further from the house wall so your idea of sloped grassy sides will work.

[catrionag]

13 minutes ago, ProDave said:

Do what we did, come out level with the house more than you need to to make a nice big level entrance.  Then slope the path down from that level platform.

 

The reason for the bigger than need be level platform is it then puts the path a bit further from the house wall so your idea of sloped grassy sides will work.

 

Cheers Dave - yeah that seems sensible, and it wouldn't be too much trouble to shift some of this type 3 around to make the level entrance bigger.

What did you use for the buildup under your ramp?

[Dave Jones]

whats with the prison bars ? Temporary protection ?

[catrionag]

5 minutes ago, Dave Jones said:

whats with the prison bars ? Temporary protection ?

 

On the first pic? Brise Soleil! We opted to go without.

[Dave Jones]

Just now, catrionag said:

 

On the first pic? Brise Soleil! We opted to go without.

 

ahh ok. wouldn't though you'd have much need for those in scotland!!

[catrionag]

1 minute ago, Dave Jones said:

 

ahh ok. wouldn't though you'd have much need for those in scotland!!

 

That was our thinking as well - saying that, this summer we've regularly topped 25-26C inside the house just from solar gain, so maybe there's something to be said for them.

[Conor]

To get round this, I poured a 200mm thick concrete base for the landing/ramp 5o get us up to FFL.

 

NB, BCO might want to pave all the way to the front of the house. The purpose is to enable a wheel chair user to access from the entrance / parking spot. 

[Dave Jones]

path looks ok, the regs in England:

• LEVEL APPROACH
  Provide a level approach to the principal entrance door no steeper than 1:20 and at least 900mm wide, with cross falls no greater than 1:40. Approach surface material to be firm, non-slip and capable of supporting the weight of a wheelchair and its user (loose material such as gravel and shingle would not be suitable).

[Dave Jones]

dont forget the door threshold as well.

 

• ACCESSIBLE LEVEL DOOR THRESHOLDS INTO THE BUILDING
  Entrance door to have an accessible level threshold provided with a weather bar (maximum height 15mm) with suitable drainage channel. Landings to have a fall of 1:40-1:60 away from the door. Principal entrance door to have a minimum 775mm clear opening between the door leaf and doorstops.

[catrionag]

5 minutes ago, Conor said:

To get round this, I poured a 200mm thick concrete base for the landing/ramp 5o get us up to FFL.

 

NB, BCO might want to pave all the way to the front of the house. The purpose is to enable a wheel chair user to access from the entrance / parking spot. 

Yes they want a path all the way to the edge of the drive, which we plan to do by just laying concrete pavers onto the already existing type 1 that's compacted there before adding topsoil to either side to build up the ground level.

 

That's an interesting thought about the concrete - so you have no retaining wall? Did you just build up some wooden formwork and pour inside? Any build up underneath that/mesh in the concrete?

[catrionag]

1 minute ago, Dave Jones said:

dont forget the door threshold as well.

 

• ACCESSIBLE LEVEL DOOR THRESHOLDS INTO THE BUILDING
  Entrance door to have an accessible level threshold provided with a weather bar (maximum height 15mm) with suitable drainage channel. Landings to have a fall of 1:40-1:60 away from the door. Principal entrance door to have a minimum 775mm clear opening between the door leaf and doorstops.

We're in Scotland so may be some slight differences but yes - the sill already in place is the minimum level below the door threshold - so all we need to do is bring the level entrance up to the sill.

 

The main thing I'm wondering is if this ramp formed from type 3 with no retaining wall will be stable enough to hold a path without any slipping/shifting of the pavers occuring.

[Dave Jones]

yes will be fine, they will be compacted before laying the pavers. insist on a full bed not spot laying.

[catrionag]

2 minutes ago, Dave Jones said:

yes will be fine, they will be compacted before laying the pavers. insist on a full bed not spot laying.

 

Thanks Dave. We'll be doing it ourselves (with handholding from pavingexpert.com of course) so no spot laying will occur!

[Dave Jones]

when making up a largish depth (400mm+) with hardcore its best practice to do it in lifts of around 100mm and wacker it. Probably be ok on a pedestrian path but if you have a Wacker its the best way to do it.

[catrionag]

2 minutes ago, Dave Jones said:

when making up a largish depth (400mm+) with hardcore its best practice to do it in lifts of around 100mm and wacker it. Probably be ok on a pedestrian path but if you have a Wacker its the best way to do it.

We'll be getting a wacker in shortly to do our driveway anyway (currently wheelbarrowing 20T of type 1 around) so we'll aim to wack the path down at the same time and make sure it's nice and compacted.

[Conor]

47 minutes ago, catrionag said:

That's an interesting thought about the concrete - so you have no retaining wall? Did you just build up some wooden formwork and pour inside? Any build up underneath that/mesh in the concrete?

Shuttered it all and put a layer of mesh in it. Directly on top of the backfill stones. Then layer pavers on with 30mm cement bed. We'll put some sort of facing brick or kerb on it when we finalise the driveway.

 

Landing is 1200mm deep and path is 900 + 10pmm stone channel. Slopes down to the final drive level.

 

There's more paving to be done plus a canopy porch at the front door.

 

 

Edited August 23, 2023 by Conor

[JohnMo]

Ours is similar, basically slightly sloping away from door and then carries on downwards to our parking area.  Slabs laid on wet sand cement mix.

[catrionag]

28 minutes ago, JohnMo said:

Ours is similar, basically slightly sloping away from door and then carries on downwards to our parking area.  Slabs laid on wet sand cement mix.

This looks good, John. What have you done about keeping 150mm below DPC level as it looks like the gravel beside the ramp is quite high? Unless that's just an optical illusion.

[Big Jimbo]

@Conor and @JohnMo where do the sidelights drain to. i assume they are bottom draining ? Both look great.

[JohnMo]

We have a roof overhang over that area, so that keep nearly all the water away from the door step area. But the big slab in front of the door slopes away from the house. It is also sat on concrete blocks and is basically a hollow area below, which very much self draining.  The slab at the door, it just butts up to the window - have run a bead of silicone along the gap. 

[catrionag]

1 minute ago, JohnMo said:

We have a roof overhang over that area, so that keep nearly all the water away from the door step area. But the big slab in front of the door slopes away from the house. It is also sat on concrete blocks and is basically a hollow area below, which very much self draining.  The slab at the door, it just butts up to the window - have run a bead of silicone along the gap. 

 

Hmmmm, something for me to think about as we also have a fairly substantial roof overhang in that area. Thanks for the pics, really helpful!

[Dave Jones]

Really need to put a tray in when its being built all the way round then you can ignore the 150mm rule everywhere.

 

gives much more flexibility.

[Conor]

49 minutes ago, Big Jimbo said:

@Conor and @JohnMo where do the sidelights drain to. i assume they are bottom draining ? Both look great.

Yeah, I've left a 15mm gap between the frame and the paving. Our build is a bit different as it's ICF with a basement so we're tanked up to ground level then DPC lapped over to about 200mm above FFL. Tanking also goes right up and over the door block. Also north facing and sheltered so no real worries.

Edited August 23, 2023 by Conor

[Temp]

4 hours ago, catrionag said:

The main thing I'm wondering is if this ramp formed from type 3 with no retaining wall will be stable enough to hold a path without any slipping/shifting of the pavers occuring.

 

It would but only if the MOT area is quite a bit wider than the paved area. Perhaps 1m wider depending on the height? If you taper the MOT down too rapidly it is likely to move or be washed out. I think some sort of edging/retaining/kerb looks better anyway.