Concrete Path around house -expansion joints

I'm nearing completion of my new build. Soon after handover, I'm going to put a concrete path right around the house. My question is about expansion joints, particularly between the house and the path.

My neighbour has done the same around his house and he has used his brick house and his brick retaining wall as formwork for his path without the black foam expansion thingies you commonly see down the side of his house or along the retaining wall (and to be honest I don't like the look of these things either).

Is this approach OK? Are there alternative expansion joint methods? I'm new at this and a bit confused. I want a job that is going to look good and also last without it cracking or potentially damaging the house (my house is Hebel and the material is softer than brick too).

Having an expansion joint is a good idea but you can also get grey foam which doesn't stand out as much as the black being a similar colour to the concrete itself. If you do a good job of nailing it to the edge of the concrete slab at the right height you can use it for your levels for the path; that way you only have to form up the outside of the path with formwork. Just be careful when you pour the concrete that you don't get excess on your brickwork.

Stewie

It is also possible to use a product that has a tear off 10mm strip on the top of the expansion material.
Once the concrete has been poured and cured the 10mm is removed and 'could' be replaced with a flexible jointing sealant like Sika flex in a colour closer to the concrete colour. This will help with aesthetics and prevent weeds or grass growing in the same 'control joint' space.
It also looks a lot neater.

What about water, I have heard some people talk about water being pulled through the brick work into the internal wall with this style of works?

So long as the path is below weep holes imoisture ingress will not be an issue.

Good to know, thanks onc_artisan