Falling Down

YAWN!! Who likes reading big documents? I don’t, but fortunately my expert sources have given me a concise summary of some really really important information…. that you should know too…

Standards are changing. Too many patios are laid badly. Water is the #1 enemy of any form of patio. It should drain (fall) away, naturally. This means it will be safer, will be less susceptible to algal growth and will generally be all round… well, better.

So, the key word here is FALL. Nobody wants to fall down on a bad patio? Water needs to go.

BS7533 is evolving. To reduce design errors and fails in bound and unbound paving design. Cut down to its simplest and aesthetically most important elements, no longer will the 1:60 rule still apply. Whilst the fall rate for porcelain paving is still the subject of discussion and debate within the APL, BALI and others… the RECCOMENDED (not always possible) gradient of a patio will be different, depending on what is being installed in your garden.

If you want a quality garden to last the test of time, it is important that who ever carries out the work for you, understands these changes and is suitably qualified and able to install to meet British Standards. Its in your interest.

Still, it must be said, a quality patio is about far more than fall rates. This is partly covered in our other blog posts.