Browse Forums Paving & Concreting 1 Mar 10, 2013 12:19 pm 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). Re: Concrete Path around house -expansion joints 2Mar 11, 2013 2:36 pm 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 Re: Concrete Path around house -expansion joints 3Mar 18, 2013 8:43 am 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. Where you are coming from is where you are going to... Re: Concrete Path around house -expansion joints 4Mar 22, 2013 10:24 pm 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? Re: Concrete Path around house -expansion joints 5Mar 24, 2013 2:50 am So long as the path is below weep holes imoisture ingress will not be an issue. Where you are coming from is where you are going to... Re: Concrete Path around house -expansion joints 6Mar 24, 2013 1:45 pm onc_artisan So long as the path is below weep holes imoisture ingress will not be an issue. Good to know, thanks onc_artisan Hello everyone, After some suggestions and ideas about how to put a concrete path around the drop edge beam area on our new build. We are required to have a concrete path… 0 12878 Hi All, First time poster. I was hoping to get some advice on villaboard installation within a bathroom. I have installed villaboard before, in a laundry. I think I did… 0 7482 Grab a hose, insert it at the top of the inlet/down pipe and turn the water on and see where the water is escaping from. Then you'll know. 3 8490 |